UPDATED: March 14, 2006

MARCUS "Marc the Lark" DICKERSON

1955 – 2000

Producer "Keys To The House" radio.

As I sit here, with a heavy heart tired of crying, sifting through piles of e-mail addresses, phone numbers, photographs, drafts of unfinished projects and also those projects that are now long gone, I realize that I'm just not going to be able to get in touch with everyone who made contact with Marcus Dickerson.

We are part of a House that has been built and continues to be built with many building blocks. Not all of the building blocks are the same, though. Some blocks are the musical shamans, others are the dancers, others are lovers, others are grinners (as in big smiling faces), still others are observers (to their loss). Marcus was one among many of those first building blocks to this House of ours, some would even venture say that he was part of the foundation, or at the very least a clearing-house for House music.

We come to our House, the one we have built, wherever it may be, in a field with all of the equipment that had to be dragged in, or in a night club, maybe a dirty old warehouse or at a rave, we come together to absorb the energy that this music we call House brings into our lives. We all touch each other mystically, spiritually perhaps too.

*****

I sadly write to you today to inform you of the passing of Marcus ("Marc the Lark") Dickerson, producer of "Keys to the House," 91.3 FM, KUOP, and publisher of "The Underground Update" and "The Keys Hit Playlist." Marcus passed away in the afternoon of May 5, 2000, in Northern California.

Marcus had supported the House music movement since he started the radio program "Keys to the House" in 1987, which was heard throughout the Central Valley of California and sometimes simulcast in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. At times -- when the weather would cooperate -- the signal would even travel further. In the past, we received (to our disbelief) a call from someone in their bedroom groovin' to the tunes up North at Mount Shasta, and from a party down South in Bakersfield. We even received a call from a snowed-in newlywed couple East in Lake Tahoe who were dancing to the beat, and I can't forget the crazy screamin' mobile phone call from West Oakland from a carload of revelers encouraging Marcus to keep it rolling. Marcus mostly played the R&B sound of House music, which was later termed Deep House, but he did not stop there. He was always ready -- and without prejudices and politics, I might add -- to lend a hand to anyone he thought had the talent and the spirit of the Deep House music sound. Those who tuned into his show often will recall also hearing Breakbeat, Acid, Techno, Trance, Morning Techno and sometimes even Rap. Many tuned in just to listen to the many mix tapes (Garth, Jeno, James Prestley, Alfie, DJ Dan, Jan Cooley, and others) that he played of the rave scene that was developing in San Francisco and throughout the world at the time (with Northern California events such as the Gathering, Club Mission Rock, Funky Tekno Tribe, Sharon, Casper, Planet Rock and Full Moon). The "Keys to the House" radio show tapes were also mailed all over -- including to England, Germany, Chile, and Brazil.

Marcus' domain from midnight to four in the morning for nearly a decade was California's Highway 5. (You know the one if you ever traveled it, the thoroughfare connecting Northern and Southern California through hours of empty land that stretches for what seems like an eternity). Sometimes, he and I would sit in the studio together and daydream about a lonely redneck big-rig truck driver who would per chance (we thought) happen to have his radio tuned to "Keys to the House." We pictured him listening to the latest mix tape from Europe that Marc would be playing over the airwaves, just groovin', having a smoke, tapping his toes to that irresistible beat, feeling groovy for the first time...

Although Marcus had a Master's Degree in Business, many of you know that his first love was for the music that he dedicated himself to. In 1995, Marcus met Jesus Christ and was born-again. Shortly after, in 1997, he put all of his music ventures -- his radio show "Keys to the House," his newsletter "The Underground Update," and "The Keys Hit Playlist" (which my company Sound Wall Productions helped co-produce) -- in hiatus siesta mode while he focused on furthering his professional development. He tested for and received his broker's license (stocks were his other passion), and spent a short stint as a stockbroker for Smith Barney. As recently as last week, Marcus called me and spoke of starting the radio show up again, but this time he was planning to bring it to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

The Memorial Service was on Friday, May 12, 2000, 11:00 A.M., at Calvary Christian Center, in the chapel, 2665 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, California.

Enclosed is a small list of Marcus Dickerson's supporters, including those who at one time or another contributed to the radio show, were interviewed for the newsletter or sent music to be considered for the play list. Please forgive me if I mistakenly left some of you out. Feel free to add yourselves to the list by emailing me.

Terrence Parker -- Intangible Records

Billy "Jack" Williams -- "Warehouse (Days of Glory)," "Party People," "A Better Day"
Mike Banks -- founder of Underground Resistance
8 Ball Records
Mason Wong -- The Rage Night Club, Sacramento
Radikal Records
430 West Records
DJ International
Rey D
Pulse 8
Liz Torres
Rodney Baker
Vinyl Mania
Maxi
SinMix
Submerge
Ramon Ramon Rodriguez
Hi Bias
Music Box
430 West
YELLo
WNYU-FM
Critical House
Pandisc
Emotive
Tribal America
Scotti Bros
Freeze
Cajual
e.g. Fullalove
DJ Pierre
Cajmere
DJ Duke - Power Music
Ira Levi
Felix the House Cat
Roy Davis, Jr.
Neon Leon
DJ Sean Sully
DJ Chris Burkes
Big Beat
Relativity
MicMac
Nervous
Night Groove
John Robinson WBLS-FM
Nocturnal Images
Marshall Jefferson
Aldo Hernandez -- Deep South Records
Ron Trent
Henri Solanki
Contraband
Fortune 5
Vinilla
Marcy Lee -- "Won't You Be My Lover"
Mango/Island
Groove On
Hot 97 -- NYC
WRKS -- NYC
B-96 -- Chicago
WHYT -- Detroit
DJ Karizma
Kim Benjamin, agent
DJ Dan
Slick House Vic -- Black Jack Records
Mark Finkelstein -- Strictly Rhythm Records
Chris Brann -- Wamdue Project
Deep C
DJ Teji and Hippie -- "Closer than Close" with Rosie Gaines (which
Marcus played as early as 1995 at a time when NO ONE else would back it)
Todd Terry
Joi/Jorio
Jai Gosine
Barbara Tucker
Professor Funk
DJ Groove
Screamin' Rachel
Bari G.
Diane at DJ Multi Media
and all of the thousands of ravers/lowriders/House nuts who listened in every Saturday night and called us to share their love.