Ron Banks, 58, whose silky falsetto helped give the Dramatics one of the most enduring careers in R&B, died Thursday at his home in Detroit after apparently suffering a heart attack, said Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Assn.
Banks was one of the founding members of the Detroit vocal group, which formed in the mid-1960s and continued to play for avid audiences around the country.
Banks' sweet voice and smooth choreography helped distinguish the Dramatics, particularly in Detroit's post-Motown scene of the 1970s, when the group enjoyed crossover pop success with songs such as"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get"and"In the Rain."
Born May 10, 1951, in Detroit, Banks was tall and strapping, with a vocal delivery inspired by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks. He was among a group of teenagers who formed the Sensations in 1964 and then changed their name to the Dramatics the next year.
After signing with Stax Records in 1971, they released “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," which reached No. 3 on the R&B charts and No. 9 on the pop charts, and the atmospheric “In the Rain," which went to No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 5 on the pop charts.
The band later had top-10 R&B hits with"Me and Mrs. Jones,""Be My Girl" and “Shake It Well" on the Los Angeles-based ABC label and “Welcome Back Home" on MCA.
Banks was one of the founding members of the Detroit vocal group, which formed in the mid-1960s and continued to play for avid audiences around the country.
Banks' sweet voice and smooth choreography helped distinguish the Dramatics, particularly in Detroit's post-Motown scene of the 1970s, when the group enjoyed crossover pop success with songs such as"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get"and"In the Rain."
Born May 10, 1951, in Detroit, Banks was tall and strapping, with a vocal delivery inspired by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks. He was among a group of teenagers who formed the Sensations in 1964 and then changed their name to the Dramatics the next year.
After signing with Stax Records in 1971, they released “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," which reached No. 3 on the R&B charts and No. 9 on the pop charts, and the atmospheric “In the Rain," which went to No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 5 on the pop charts.
The band later had top-10 R&B hits with"Me and Mrs. Jones,""Be My Girl" and “Shake It Well" on the Los Angeles-based ABC label and “Welcome Back Home" on MCA.
