When the world opened their door to Darrell Banks’ heart.

Traditionally, record companies will always back a 45 A-side with a slightly less strong B-side – sometimes, American labels would simply place the instrumental backing track on the flip side. Occasionally, the B-side is considered stronger than the top side and DJs flip the disc to capitalise. An even rarer occurrence is when both sides are equally as good which is great for record sales and buyers but the company’s executives would certainly be asking questions as to why a second hit title was placed back to back with another.

Arguably the greatest example of this phenomenon in the world of soul music must be Darrell Banks’ ‘Open the Door to Your Heart’/'Our Love (is in the pocket)’ Revilot 201 issued in July 1966.

Banks was born Darrell Eubanks in Mansfield, Ohio 25th July 1937 and was discovered in his adopted home of Buffalo NY by Doc Murphy who put him on stage at the Club Revilot and then introduced him to Detroit DJ and entrepreneur LeBaron Taylor who, liking what he heard, took Banks to the United Sound Studios and recorded at least two tracks. Such was the quality of these two iconic titles that he decided to launch a new label named after the club, with Banks’ tracks.

The writing credits for the A-side are attributed to Banks but it was in fact co-written with fellow Buffalo soul man, Donnie Elbert, the flip was penned by George Clinton, Rose Marie McCoy and JoAnne Jackson (aka Bratton of Ric-Tic and Golden World fame). Despite being on a new, small indie label, Taylor had sufficient influence to get the record plugged beyond the Midwest and it soon drew air play coast to coast. Amid the frenzy of radio interviews and live shows Banks was arrested for possessing marijuana and at the initial court hearing was found guilty and convicted. With either a prison sentence or heavy fine awaiting him, his lawyer secured a new trial. Banks was reported to be visibly crushed and declared to the press that this whole business may well sink his fast rising hit single. Banks was spared prison however and the record went on to enter the pop top 30 and #2 R&B.

Several more 45s and two albums followed mainly on labels associated with Atco where Lebaron Taylor moved soon after the demise of Revilot. Tracks also appeared on Stax subsidiary Volt, Stax being the destination of Don Davis who had also been part of the Revilot/Solid Hitbound productions set before it closed.

Sadly, Banks’ career came to a crashing end in late February 1970 when he was shot twice by off-duty policeman, Aaron Bullock during an altercation over his estranged girlfriend, Marjorie Boseman. Banks died soon after at the Newgrace Hospital, Detroit. He was laid to rest in an unmarked grave on plot #539, in section 36 in a municipal cemetery and the occasion of his tragic death was marked by a benefit concert at Watt’s Club Mozambique to aid his two children. Unfortunately, this undignified end was the fate of many a great soul singer whose memory quietly drifted into obscurity.

But in Britain, both alive and now dead Darrell Banks was more than just a soul singer, he was revered as an icon and his death merited a full page article in Blues & Soul magazine. Coincidentally, the time of his demise also heralded the birth of Northern Soul and the rise in popularity of Detroit soul in particular. Subsequently, all of his seven 45s were eagerly sought after and such was his popularity that ‘Open the Door to your Heart’ that was issued on EMI’s Stateside label in 1966, remained on catalogue for five years.

One quirky footnote to this UK release was that in August 1966, off shore pirate radio stations began to play the track from a London American label demo #10070 and so powerful was its impact that scores of advanced orders were placed at record stores but when the release date arrived, soul fans found that it was now on the Decca’s rival label, Stateside.

It is now well documented that the essence of Northern Soul is up-tempo dancing music and so `Open the Door to your Heart` was quickly flipped over and `Our Love` gained a sudden and colossal following, it was also equally revered by Detroit soul fans due to its quintessential Solid Hitbound sound.

The continued popularity of Detroit soul endured various phases within the UK and in the new millennium Glaswegian, David Meikle and Detroiter, Lowell Boileau began the soulfuldetroit website. The career of Darrell Banks soon became a regular topic on the site’s forum culminating in universal agreement that such a great man deserved far more that an unmarked grave in a forgotten corner of Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery. An on-line fund was established which quickly raised sufficient funds for a grand marble memorial to be constructed and erected on the site with its unveiling in May 2003 being attended by fans from all over the world. Darrell Eubanks, legend of Detroit soul is now immortalised.