[3] Grasso, who attended Brooklyn Technical High School and Long Island University, started his DJ career in 1967–1968 at New York nightclub Salvation II.
It was there and at subsequent New York clubs such as Tarots and his most famous nightclub, Sanctuary — a former German Baptist church at 43rd Street & 9th Avenue (featured in the movie Klute) — where Grasso perfected his craft.
He played on the funkier side of rock music, using The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin on top of heavy black rhythms such as Dyke & The Blazers or Kool & The Gang.
He introduced drum-heavy African sounds, and used Latin beats to entice people to dance, as well as James Brown and Motown (including The Four Tops, The Supremes, and the Temptations).
Being a safe haven for newly sexually liberated gay men and women, DJ Francis's music was the backdrop for recreational drug usage and promiscuity.