Bankie Banx

Bankie Banx (born Clement Ashley Banks; 1953 in Anguilla) is a reggae singer, known as the "Anguillan Bob Dylan".

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 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. 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.

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