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Bankie Banx (born Clement Ashley Banks; 1953 in
Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Sa ...
) is a
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
singer, known as the "Anguillan
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
".


Career

Banks's musical career dates back to 1963, when he built his first guitar. He formed his first band in 1967, taking inspiration from the UK top 40 hits that a local radio station transmitted from a
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
moored off the coast of the island.Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, Bankie's first number one hit in 1977 was "Prince of Darkeness" and followed that with several chart topping songs over the next few years. With the release of his first album ''Roots and Herbs'' in 1978, recorded with his band, The Roots and Herbs, Banks pioneered
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
music in the Eastern Caribbean. Following the releases of the album, ''Where I and I Abide'', Bankie became the first performer from Anguilla to appear at
Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash was a reggae music festival held annually in Jamaica from 1978 to 1996, with additional events in 1998 and 2006. The festival expanded to include international tours in 1985 and was revived as a virtual event in 2020 by Tryone ...
, in 1983 and he appeared again in 1992. He was featured during a live Moonsplash performance in the ground-breaking reggae documentary ''Cool Runnings''. Following his success has Reggae Sunsplash 1983, Bankie and his band The Roots & Herbs toured extensively in the Caribbean before heading to Europe. Discord prior to the Europe trip caused the band to change form, and several founding members left the band including Ras B, Iwandai I and Irino. The band spent three years in Europe and garnered a strong fan-base while there. Bankie returned to be with his family after the death of his younger sister. Bankie spent the late 1980s in New York City and worked with musicians including Junior Jazz, Robert Manos, Robert Mansfield. Bankie Banx and The New York Connection were regulars on the East Coast music scene and had strong followings in Boston, New York and New Hampshire. Bankie continued to return to Anguilla for annual performances and started the Moonsplash Music Festival in 1991, staged in the grounds of his own bar, ''The Dune Preserve''. Moonsplash has become one of the premier music festivals in the Eastern Caribbean and has featured internationally revered artists. Artists who have appeared at the Dune Preserve include
David Bryan David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboard player for the rock band Bon Jovi, in which he also co-wrote songs and performed backing vocals. In 2018, he was inducted into the ...
of
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...
,
Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
,
Rita Marley Alfarita Constantia "Rita" Marley OJ OD ( Anderson; born 25 July 1946) is a Jamaican reggae singer. She is the widow of reggae musician Bob Marley. Along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, Rita was a member of the reggae vocal group the ...
,
Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk music, folk, soul music, soul (both of which he frequently cover song, covered), and rhythm and b ...
, The Bacon Brothers,
Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful pe ...
,
Freddie McGregor Fredrick "Freddie" McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to ...
,
Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera Jr. ( ; born September 13, 1944) is a retired American musician best known for being a frontman, vocalist, and bassist for the American rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985. His career as a recording artist ...
,
Third World The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...
,
Culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
,
Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ro ...
,
David Hinds David Hinds (born 15 June 1956) is a British musician and the founding member, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist for the Grammy-winning reggae band Steel Pulse. Life and career Hinds was born in Handsworth, West Midlands, Handsworth, Birming ...
,
Tarrus Riley Omar "Tarrus" Riley, Order of Distinction, CD (born April 26, 1979, Bronx, New York (state), New York, United States) is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and member of the Rastafari movement.Kenner, Rob (21 August 2009"Reggae Singer With a Leg ...
, Duane Stephenson,
Marcia Griffiths Marcia Llyneth Griffiths (born 23 November 1949) is a Jamaican singer best known for the 1989 remix of her single " Electric Boogie", which serves as the music for the four-wall " Electric Slide" line dance. It is the best-selling single of ...
,
Derrick Morgan Derrick Morgan OD (born 27 March 1940)Walters, Basil (2012)A New Day – Songs heralding JA’s Independence", ''Jamaica Observer'', 3 June 2012, retrieved 3 June 2012 is a Jamaican musical artist who was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He w ...
, Roots & Herbs,
Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-re ...
,
Gramps Morgan Roy "Gramps" Morgan (born July 7, 1976) is a Jamaican Americans, Jamaican-American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, producer, record executive, and entrepreneur. Gramps was born in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, but was raised partially in Sp ...
,
Anthony B Keith Blair (born 31 March 1976), better known by the stage name Anthony B, is a Jamaican DJ and member of the Rastafari movement.Moskowitz, David V (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dance ...
,
Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...
,
The Wailers Band The Wailers Band is a Jamaican reggae band formed by former members of Bob Marley and the Wailers after Marley's death in 1981. It was led by bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett until 2016, when he passed the role onto his son, Aston Barrett J ...
,
Inner Circle (reggae band) https://www.quora.com/Who-is-the-inner-circle-trader-ICT-in-Forex Inner circle may refer to: Society * Friendship networks, where "inner circle" may describe the closest of friends *Esoteric teaching, knowledge that is confined to an inner group * ...
,
Toots & the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...
,
Benjy Myaz Benjy is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Benjamin. It is also a surname. Benjy, Bengy or Bengie may refer to: People * Dudley Benjafield (1887–1957), British racing driver and doctor * Benjamin Benjy Dial (19 ...
, Alana Davis, Junior Jazz, Orange Grove, Corey Stoot,
Onaje Allan Gumbs Onaje Allan Gumbs (born Allan Bentley Gumbs, September 3, 1949 – April 6, 2020) ...
and
John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...
. The bar was destroyed by
Hurricane Lenny Hurricane Lenny was the strongest November Atlantic hurricane since the 1932 Cuba hurricane. It was the sixteenth tropical cyclone, twelfth named storm, eighth hurricane, and record-breaking fifth Category 4 hurricane in the 1999 Atlan ...
in 1999, but Banks rebuilt it and Moonsplash went ahead again in 2000. Bankie has made several international television appearances, including a recurring role on the Fox sitcom ''
Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
'' and a February 2011 guest concert appearance on '' The Bachelor'', and has been featured on the soundtrack for the award-winning independent film ''Southie''. Bankie's sound has been described as a cross between
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
and Bob Dylan, and his music a blend of
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
, reggae, R&B and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
. He is often called the "Anguillan Bob Dylan", and indeed has played with Dylan himself. In Summer 2005, Bankie started the Project Stingray music and arts education program on Anguilla. Bankie's fall tour of the United States supported awareness and raised funds for the Stingray Program. Through his fund-raising efforts Bankie was able to donate 30 brand new guitars to the Stingray Program during the Cultural and Arts Fair at Moonsplash 2006. During a
Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
charity event hosted by Bankie Banx at The Dune Preserve, Bankie raised over one hundred thousand for local charities. In 2006, Bankie released his music video promo for "Big Chief", taken from his 2003 album, ''Chariots of Steel''. The video told the story of a young island boy discovering his roots and was shot on location in Anguilla. Scenes were also shot in neighbouring St. Martin. The video was made by Driftwood Pictures, and was produced by Yoni Gal, directed by Trishul Thejasvi and Production Managed by Karsten Hansen. Bankie's next studio album, ''The News'', was released on 15 September 2009. The first single from the album, "King of the Dune", was released 18 August 2009 on iTunes. On 17 January 2012, Bankie released his latest studio album, entitled ''Just Cool''. It has also been said by writers such as Lasana M. Sekou that while Bankie is widely known for his music and unique singing voice and generally not thought of as a writer of verse, Bankie is undoubtedly one of Anguilla's "accomplished poets." The poetry of Bankie Banx can be found in the new anthology ''Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in Anguilla'' (2015).


Albums

*''Roots and Herbs'' (1978) Banx Music *''Where I and I Abide'' (1982) Banx Music *''Soothe Your Soul'' (1982) Redemption Records *''Terrestrial Spirits'' (1989) Urban Country/Banx Music *''Island Boy'' (1991) Urban Country/Banx Music *''Mighty Wind'' (1996) Urban Country/Banx Music *''Still In Paradise'' (1999) Banx Music *''Chariots Of Steel'' (2003) Banx Music *''The News: Live From The 4th World'' (2009) Banx Music *''Just Cool'' (2012) Banx Music


TV and film


Awards and recognition

* 2015 The presidents Award 13th annual St. Martin Book Fair


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banx, Bankie 1953 births Living people Reggae musicians Anguillan musicians