Larry Banks
| Larry Banks | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lawrence H. Banks |
| Born | October 3, 1931 |
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | February 26, 1992 (aged 60) |
| Genres | R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 1953–1980s |
| Labels | Derby, Glory, Kapp, RCA |
| Associated acts |
The Four Fellows Bessie Banks Jaibi |
Lawrence H. "Larry" Banks (3 October 1931 – 26 February 1992) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Banks was born in New York City and grew up in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn. His father, Arthur Banks, was a bass singer of religious and classical music, who also performed as a member of a barbershop quartet.
In the early 1950s, Larry Banks served as a US Marine in the Korean War, and was awarded a bronze star and on his return in 1953 formed a singing group, The Schemers, with former members of another group, The Four Toppers. This group soon broke up, and in 1954 Banks formed The Four Fellows, whose members were Banks (baritone), David Jones (first tenor), Jimmy McGowan (second tenor), and Teddy Williams (bass). Larry Banks wrote and arranged much of the group's material. They began performing in clubs in New York and on local TV shows, and first recorded for the independent Derby label. They then moved to the Glory label set up by Phil Rose, formerly of Coral Records. In 1955, their second release on Glory, "Soldier Boy", a song written by David Jones, reached # 4 on the national Billboard R&B charts. The Four Fellows performed in shows organised by Alan Freed and "Dr. Jive" (Tommy Smalls), and on the black theater circuit with acts including The Moonglows and Bo Diddley. However, the group's later records were less successful. One of their final releases with the original line-up was as backing singers for Banks' wife Bessie, who at the time performed and recorded as Toni Banks, on her 1957 single, "You're Still In My Heart".
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