Dramatic Christmas: The Very Best Christmas of All (Fantasy Records 1997), If Reynolds and Leonard "Lenny" Mayes (who died of lung cancer on November 8, 2004, at the age of 53). Following of her memories regarding her late ex-husband. Reynolds and Lenny Mays replaced Wilkins and Howard in 1973, the core of the group was set. While other popular 70s groups had trouble sustaining recording careers, the Dramatics continued to cut a new LP every few years, right up through 2002'sLook Inside,a surprisingly strong record that received limited distribution in the U.S. (if you find it, check out the fantastic "Looks Like Rain"). Dramatic Way - 1980 / 10 1/2 - 1980. Reynolds left to go solo in 1981 and Larry Demps decided to go into teaching and spend more time with his family, after having joined the group's original line-up in 1964 with Banks. Both groups continued to perform regularly around the world for the next several years. Branden Hunter, Dramatics singer Willie Sugar Bear Ford dead at 68, MichiganChronicle.com, https://michiganchronicle.com/2019/06/05/dramatics-singer-willie-sugar-bear-ford-dead-at-68/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0.Rob; A.Serra and Cliff Adams, Our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/ourrockandrollhalloffame71305/the-dynamic-dramatics-t3165.html; The Dramatics, Delafont.com, https://www.delafont.com/music_acts_extra/E/dramatics.htm. Get - 1972 / Dramatically Yours - 1973. Banks sadly passed away in 2010 at the age of 58. Two years later in 2008, the group received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Soul Tracks Readers Choice Awards. Their records on Wingate didnt chart, so they moved to Sport Records imprint where The Dramatics scored their first single All Because Of You. After Sport Records, the group joined the Stax-Volt Records in 1968. Soul - funk vocalist who came to prominence singing with the American soul music vocal group, The Dramatics. Please try again later. The ensemble became a quintet in 1967, signing with the Sports label and renaming themselves the Dramatics. Ron William The WebThe Dramatics were honored for their careers when they received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 2008 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards. The ensembles first major national hit sold a million records and remained on the charts for 15 weeks. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. [13] Howard and Wilkins were forced to change the name of their group to "A Dramatic Experience". LOS ANGELES (Billboard) Singer Ron Banks, a founding member of R&B group the Dramatics, died Thursday (March 4) at his Detroit home of a reported heart attack. No further details of Ron Banks' death were available at press time. There was an error deleting this problem. Get Off My Mountain" (number 5 R&B), "Me and Mrs Jones" (number 4 R&B), originally recorded by Billy Paul three years earlier, "Be My Girl" (number 3 R&B), and "Shake It Well" (number 4 R&B). [9], The Dramatics signed with Stax Records of Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, but moved on after one unsuccessful release, the 1969 Temptations-inspired tune "Your Love Was Strange" (Volt VOA 4029), written by group members Ron Banks, William "Wee Gee" Howard, and Elbert "Al" Wilkins, which got regional airplay, but never charted nationally. GREAT NEWS! Over the ensuing years, the Dramatics underwent several personnel changes, the most notable occurring in 1973 when L.J. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. They settled on the lineup ofRon Banks,Elbert Wilkins, William "Wee Gee" Howard, Willie Ford and Larry Demps, and signed on toStax/Volt Records, landing a major hit with "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," a latin-tinged cut lyrically based on a comic phrase popularized by Flip Wilson. WebHoward Williams. William "Weegee" Howard, Weegee Howard. Through much of the 1970s the Dramatics racked up a lot of high-charting R&B hits including Me and Mrs. Jones, Youre Fooling You, Be My Girl, I Cant Get Over You, Shake It Well, and numerous other Top 20 singles. Howard and Wilkins left the Dramatics shortly after Watcha See Is Watcha Get became big at the charts, eventually forming their own group which is distinct from their former band (Howard later returned to the Dramatics fold). WebThe Dramatics were honored for their careers when they received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 2008 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards. [18] L.J. He migrated north to Detroit when he was a child and lived around the corner from Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, in the predominately Black North End neighborhood. Experience - 1973 / The Dells vs The Dramatics - 1974. A. Wilkins, E. Wilken, E. Wilkin, E. Wilkins, Elbert Wilken, Wilkins. L.J. Willie Ford also has a Dramatics group. All of the current members came to the awards as well as the mother of deceased member Lenny Mayes. SoulTracks is a registered trademark of SoulTracks, LLC. Learn About the Very Wild and Interesting Psychedelic Era. The Dramatics(formerlyThe Dynamics) are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. LOS ANGELES (Billboard) Singer Ron Banks, a founding member of R&B group the Dramatics, died Thursday (March 4) at his Detroit home of a reported heart attack. They He sang with a group called the Sir Primes whilst at high school. With the group's charttopping days in jeopardy, producer Don Davis helped them land a contract with ABC Records, and a second life as a recording act. 'Welcome Back Home' (R&B number 9, 1980). Read Full Biography. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. WBSS Media. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. of December 1992 at the age of 45). cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Ron He was 58. They split up in 1982 as Reynolds and Banks both embarked on solo careers (Reynolds achieving some limited success with the hit "Key to the World"), and Demps went back to school to become a teacher. Yours (Volt Records 1973), A [7] At the urging of Don Davis and Stax Records, the original group changed its billing to "Ron Banks and the Dramatics". They received national attention for their professionalism in 2001 when they performed a save for "Fly Jock" Tom Joyner, singing two sets during his show's appearance in Detroit on less than 12 hours notice after a cancellation by DeBarge. When Ron Banks also decided to try a solo career, the group disbanded for a few years, but re-formed in the mid-1980s, with Howard returning to join Reynolds, Mayes, Ford and Banks to record for Fantasy Records. BIRTH: 1 May 1947 Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA. Banks, Demps and Ford then had the trademark rights to the name, and then extended that right to Mayes and Reynolds. According to his son, Prince William, King Charles is 'obsessed' with red squirrels Charles became patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust in 2008. Over the ensuing years, the Dramatics underwent several personnel changes, the most notable occurring in 1973 when L.J. They split up in 1982 as Reynolds and Banks both embarked on solo careers (Reynolds achieving some limited success with the hit "Key to the World"), and Demps went back to school to become a teacher. L.J. Dramatics Sadly, on March 4, 2010, group falsetto lead Ron Banks died of a heart attack at his Detroit home. Ron Banks of the Dramatics Passes Away By 1967, Motown had absorbed the entire Golden World Records operation. WILLIAM HOWARD The Dramatics Live - 1988 / Positive State Of Mind - 1989 / Stone Cold - 1990 / Mellow Drama - 1994 / A Dramatic Christmas - 1997 / Look Inside - 2002 However, producer Don Davis re-signed them to Stax subsidiary, Volt in 1971 after the group teamed up with Detroit writer-producer, Tony Hester. It just so happened that Howard was absent that night. Banks is survived by his wife, Sandy Banks, four daughters and two sons. Many of the former members had passed away: Wilkins in 1992, Howard in 2000, Mayes in 2004, James Mack Brown (who performed with the group for sometime as a keyboardist) in 2008, and Banks in 2010. [7] Their first release in 1965 entitled "Bingo" was recorded for Wingate, a division of Golden World Records in Detroit, Michigan. Shortly after the success of their first album, Howard and Wilkins left the group and formed their own version of The Dramatics, recording the single "No Rebate On Love" on Mainstream Records. James Mack Brown (who died on the 28th of November 2008 at the age of 58). ). An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. The Dramatics'. Music submissions & General enquiriesPlease feel free to send your music submissions and all general enquiries to: Advertising & MarketingTo find out more about the global marketing & advertising opportunities with WBSS Media, please email. The Dramatics, founded by Ron Banks, Willie Ford and Larry Reed, originally formed in 1964, recording as the Dynamics in 1965. A. Wilkins, E. Wilken, E. Wilkin, E. Wilkins, Elbert Wilken, Wilkins. The Dramatics Detroit, Michigan - 22.02.2000 in New York, U.S.A). at the time. Dramatics Founder Ron Banks Dies The following year the Dramatics released "In the Rain," which was also penned by Hester. While never reaching "supergroup" status in the public's eyes, the Dramatics have been one of the most prolific, consistently entertaining groups of the last half century. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Reynolds and Leonard "Lenny" Mayes (who died of lung cancer on November 8, 2004, at the age of 53). left the group. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). The Dramatics were honored for their careers when they received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 2008 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards. Before assuming the name the Dramatics, the vocal sextet comprised of Rob Davis, Ron Banks, Larry Reed, Robert Ellington, Larry "Squirrel" Demps, and Elbert Wilkens initially released two singles as the Dynamics on the Wingate imprint that saw no chart action. Copyright 2023. Reynolds replaced William "Wee Gee" Howard in 1973, the core of the group was set for several decades.