Bankie Banx
| Bankie Banx | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clement Ashley Banks |
| Born | November 13, 1953 Anguilla |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Urban Country, Zemi Music |
| Website | http://www.bankiebanx.net |
Bankie Banx (born Clement Ashley Banks, 1953, Anguilla) is a reggae singer, known as the "Anguillan Bob Dylan".
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 moored off the coast of the island.
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 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, in 1983 and he appeared again in 1992. He was featured during a live Sunsplash 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 Banx and the Roots and Herbs disbanded in 1987 and many of the members returned to the Caribbean. Bankie returned to be with his family after the death of his younger sister.
Bankie spent the late 1980s in New York 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 of Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Rita Marley, Richie Havens, The Bacon Brothers, Black Uhuru, Freddie McGregor, Peter Cetera, Third World, Culture, Steel Pulse, David Hinds, Tarrus Riley, Duane Stephenson, Marcia Griffiths, Derrick Morgan, Roots & Herbs, Buju Banton, Gramps Morgan, Anthony B, Burning Spear, The Wailers Band, Inner Circle (reggae band), Toots & the Maytals, Benjy Myaz, Alana Davis, Junior Jazz, Orange Grove, Corey Stoot, Onaje Allan Gumbs and John Mayer. The bar was destroyed by Hurricane Lenny in 1999, but Banks rebuilt it and Moonsplash went ahead again in 2000.
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