Frankie Banali
Today marks 75 years since drummer Frankie Banali was born.
(Photo: Christopher Ameruoso)
Banali is best known as the drummer of the bands "Quiet Riot" and "W.A.S.P.", but his career was far richer.
He was born in Queens, New York, on November 14, 1951, to Italian immigrant parents, and in 1975 he moved to Los Angeles in search of a musical career. He played for several years with various bands, including a later incarnation of "Steppenwolf", and worked as a prolific session player: he drums on Billy Idol's 1981 EP "Don't Stop", which included the hit "Mony Mony", and played on two tracks of the acclaimed "Hughes/Thrall" album by Glenn Hughes and Pat Thrall. In 1979 he even took part, together with bassist Dana Strum, in secret rehearsals with Randy Rhoads and Ozzy Osbourne, who was looking for a guitar player for a new band.
In 1980 he joined forces with singer Kevin DuBrow. The band was first called "DuBrow", and after settling around guitarist Carlos Cavazo and bassist Chuck Wright it changed its name to "Quiet Riot". In 1983 the band released its most successful album, "Metal Health", which in November 1983 became the first metal album to top the Billboard chart (replacing "Synchronicity" by "The Police") and eventually sold more than 6 million copies in the US. That same year the band also opened the US Festival's Heavy Metal Sunday in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.
Banali remained a member of "Quiet Riot" until the band's breakup in 1989, then moved to "W.A.S.P.", where he played on the albums "The Headless Children" (1989), "The Crimson Idol" (1992), "Still Not Black Enough" (1995), "Unholy Terror" (2001), "Dying for the World" (2002) and both parts of "The Neon God" (2004). Along the way he also toured with "Faster Pussycat" (1990) and formed "Heavy Bones" with guitarist Gary Hoey, which released one album in 1992.
In 1993 he returned to "Quiet Riot", and from 1994 he also served as the band's manager. The band broke up again in 2003, but in October 2004 he reunited with DuBrow and the two re-established it. That partnership produced the album "Rehab" (2006) and ended with DuBrow's death in November 2007. Banali dissolved the band in January 2008, but in 2010, with the blessing of DuBrow's family, he formed it for the third time, releasing with it the albums "Quiet Riot 10" (2014), "Road Rage" (2017) and "Hollywood Cowboys" (2019). The band's story is told in the documentary "Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back" (2014), produced by Banali's wife, Regina.
In April 2019 he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The treatments caused him to miss several shows but he continued as long as his medical condition allowed.
After a stubborn and brave fight, Frankie succumbed to the accursed disease on August 20, 2020. He was 68 years old. At his request, "Quiet Riot" continued to operate after his death, with drummer Johnny Kelly.
Banali's final album with the band, "Hollywood Cowboys", was released on November 8, 2019, through the Frontiers Music label. It was their first studio album since "Road Rage" (2017), and the second with vocalist James Durbin. Banali produced the album himself, joined by bassist Chuck Wright, who had played with the band on and off since 1982, and guitarist Alex Grossi, who first joined the band in 2004 and returned in 2006. Standout tracks include "Wild Horses" and the ballad "Roll On".
To listen to his last album with "Quiet Riot": Spotify, Apple Music
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