EPISODE 11: Patryce “CHOC’LET” Banks [GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION]

Don’t even get PATRYCE BANKS aka CHOC’LET from Graham Central Station started on the expression “old school,” which she can’t stand. “Here in America… it’s all about what is next,” she explains. “So anything that is vintage is considered old and old is considered no good… They want to throw everything old or experienced or vintage or classic away… So ‘old’ has a negative connotation.” Instead, she prefers to call it “true school,” or better yet, “BACK TO SCHOOL.”

In fact, when manager Dick Griffey got a very young Choc’let a gig opening for Sly & the Family Stone, she had already been going to “school,” performing and touring with bands for years—(Including a stint with Bobby & the Promises, a group she had with future GCS organist Robert “Butch” Sam, and Bobby Watson, who would later play in Rufus). At the show, though she was a self-described “Sly & the Family Stone freak” who highly admired every person in the band, Choc’let asked Griffey if she could meet just one member: fonk bass innovator Larry Graham.

Six months later, Choc’let found herself moving from her Los Angeles home to shack up with Larry in Oakland. When she first arrived, it was all she could have dreamed of and more. But soon reality set in. She found herself just sitting at home with Larry’s grandmother while he was out galivanting on the road. This would not do. So Choc’let told him things needed to change, and quick. That’s when the couple formed Hot Choc’let, a decision that would prove enormously consequential to both of their lives. Not long after that, circumstances compelled Larry to break with Sly & the Fam and join Hot Choc’let himself, changing the name to GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION.

After one of their regular gigs at the Orphanage in San Francisco, GCS was quickly snatched up by Warner Bros. Then Choc’let and the band toured all over the world and recorded some of the most pivotal fonk albums of all time: Graham Central Station, (her personal favorite), Release Yourself, and Ain’t No Doubt It Bout It. But somewhere along the line, this band that she had put so much blood and sweat into began selling a message she didn’t really believe in, while ripping her off for songwriting credit and—more importantly—money. So she left during the recording of Mirror to find her own way.

Over the ensuing years, Choc’let’s diverse vocal skills landed her gig after gig, as everyone seemed to want a little Choc’let in their sauce. She toured with Stephanie Mills, Chaka Khan, and B.B. King. She made music with Wayne Henderson of the Jazz Crusaders, recorded solo joints, and shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the fonk biz. She even took part in a GCS reunion in the mid 90s—till she figured out they were getting played on the money again. Today, Choc’let has honed her craft as a broadcaster, clothing designer, and author. And she still fonks whenever she can.

It is difficult to overstate the impact of the almighty Graham Central Station on fans, musicians, and the very genre of fonk itself. And the same can be said about Choc’let’s impact upon GCS, with her attention-commanding, booming yet golden voice, and her never-seen-before live performance of the F-U-N-K Box!

And Choc’let understands the importance and impact of that legacy full well. That’s why, even though there’s still no love lost between her and Graham, she wouldn’t say no to another GCS reunion in the future. “If Larry called me tomorrow, I would go back,” she says. “Because to me, at the end of the day, it’s about the fonk. It’s about the legacy of fonk and the truth of the matter is, there are not many of us left that came from that era that are out here still doing it.”

In this compelling, truth-telling interview, Choc’let talks about forming and creating classic tracks with Graham Central Station, how ego essentially broke up the original band, what it was like to hang out with Betty Davis, and why all true fonk fans should read Choc’let’s book, Deja View: Memoirs of a Funk Diva. She also recalls how she wound up singing on There’s a Riot Goin’ On, how a session with Dr. Dre led to a stint as lead singer for Rose Royce, and that time she saw Jimi Hendrix split his pants from behind at Isle of Wight.

Produced & Hosted by Ace Alan
Cohosted by Jay Stone
w/ Content Produced by Patryce “Choc’let” Banks and Jay Stone
Website & Art by 3chards
Engineered by Nick “Waes” Carden at The Blue Room in Oakland, CA.
…but we couldn’t have done it without Mawnstr

Intro track by the Funkanauts, “I Can Never Be” from the album Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Get it now on Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby—wherever music is sold.