*long detailed interview
E33: Leviticus, Justine’s, Bogard’s nightclubs - Episode 33 – The Noel Hankin Interview
Jun 24, 2021
The book “After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party” is an authentic account of how the disco craze of the ‘70s was preceded by a network of discotheques in New York City organized by a group called The Best of Friends (TBOF.) TBOF catered to a diverse audience but their patrons were primarily African American. This first-hand account of the birth of the disco boom is a fascinating story that has never been told.
Noel Hankin is a founder of The Best of Friends, Inc. (TBOF), a pioneering business enterprise that promoted discotheques in New York City starting in 1971. TBOF owned Leviticus, Justine’s, and Bogard’s, the first black-owned clubs in midtown Manhattan, Brandi’s in Brooklyn, and Lucifer’s (renamed Trixx) in Queens. These nightclubs paved the way for Studio 54, Saturday Night Fever, and the nationwide explosion of disco in the late ‘70s