His parents Frank and Alice Hill Lastie raised six children- Chester, Melvin, David, Joseph, Walter, and Betty Ann.
[5] Frank Lastie was a disciple of faith healer Mother Catherine Seals, who had brass musicians in her services in the Spiritual church and was a trombonist herself.
His older brother Melvin met sax player Ornette Coleman on a job in Natchez, Mississippi, and invited him to move in with the Lastie family in New Orleans.
David learned fingerings on the sax from Leroy Sergion, an alto player in Melvin's and Roy Brown's band.
[9] In the early 1950s Lastie joined the House Rockers, started by his uncle Jessie Hill who played the drums.
The group played R&B music in neighborhood clubs, as well as in hillbilly bars in St. Bernard Parish[10] In 1952 Gulf Coast promoter Percy Stovall put together a band with Lastie on tenor sax, Eddie Lang (born Eddie Lee Langlois) on guitar, and Huey "Piano" Smith on piano to back guitarist/ singer Guitar Slim on a tour of the South.
He joined Cha-Paka-Shaweez,[8] a musical ensemble which featured James "Sugar Boy" Crawford on piano and vocals.
[8] The Lastie Brothers band reformed to play at the Caffin Theater in New Orleans with a new member, pianist "Spider" Bocage, later known as Eddie Bo.
[14] By the late 1950s Jessie Hill put together a new version of the House Rockers with himself on vocals and tambourine, David Lastie on sax, Alvin "Shine" Robinson on guitar, Richard Payne on bass, and John Boudreaux on drums.
David Lastie recalled that a blues pianist called "Big Four", who played for wine and tips, gave the words to "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" to Jessie Hill.
He copied the words on a paper bag and added a call and response intro he'd heard at bandleader Dave Bartholomew's show.
[25] During his career Lastie was featured on many R&B recordings[2] for artists such as Guitar Slim, Sugarboy Crawford, Eddie Bo, Jessie Hill, James Booker, Dr. John, Earl King,[4] Snooks Eaglin,[2] and Huey "Piano" Smith.
[28] In the latter 1950s Lastie was among the musicians, including Smokey Johnson, who would gather after their gigs to jam at the Hollis club off Claiborne Avenue from 2:00 A.M. until sunrise.
As noted in New Orleans magazine in 1969, his modern jazz outfit played after hours weekend sessions at the Off Limits club.
[21] At various times bassist George Porter, Jr.,[32] guitarist Walter "Wolfman" Washington,[33] singer Wanda Rouzan,[34] and drummer Shannon Powell were members of Lastie's A Taste Of New Orleans band.
He later said," By hanging around his family, especially with his mother, I copped a lot of understanding about the gris-gris and the spiritual church.”[38] George Porter, Jr. told of being schooled with valuable advice by David Lastie.
Lastie's body was accompanied by mournful dirges as it was taken from the church, then the band broke into a raucous upbeat song as the musicians "cut him loose.