Frankie Banali facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frankie Banali
Banali performing in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Francesco Felice Banali
Born	(1951-11-14)November 14, 1951 Queens, New York, U.S.
Died	August 20, 2020(2020-08-20) (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal, instrumental rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums, percussion
Years active	1975–2020
Labels	Sony, Atlantic, Warner Bros., Pasha, RSM
Associated acts	Quiet Riot, Hughes/Thrall, W.A.S.P., Faster Pussycat, Blackthorne, Heavy Bones, Dokken, Billy Idol, Steppenwolf, Hear 'n Aid

Frankie Banali (born November 14, 1951 – died August 20, 2020) was an American rock drummer. He was best known for playing with the heavy metal band Quiet Riot. His unique drum sound and famous drum intros became popular on their album Metal Health. This album was the first metal album to reach number one on the Billboard music charts. It helped start the era of 80s metal bands.

Frankie Banali was also the manager for Quiet Riot starting in 1993. He played drums for other famous bands too, like W.A.S.P. and with Billy Idol. For a short time, he toured with Faster Pussycat and Steppenwolf. In his last months, he also enjoyed painting abstract art.

Frankie Banali's Early Life and Music Career

Frankie Banali was born on November 14, 1951, in Queens, New York City. His parents were immigrants from Italy. In 1975, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue music. For four years, he played drums with different bands. This included Steppenwolf.

Frankie was a very busy studio musician. He played on many hit songs for other artists. These included Billy Idol's "Mony Mony" and "L.A. Woman." He played on over 100 recordings in total. He also played drums on the well-known "Hughes/Thrall" album.

Joining Quiet Riot and Metal Health Success

In 1979, Banali secretly rehearsed with Randy Rhoads and Ozzy Osbourne. In 1980, he joined Kevin DuBrow to form a band called DuBrow. They later changed their name to Quiet Riot. This was the same name DuBrow and Rhoads had used before.

Quiet Riot signed with Pasha Records in 1982. Six months later, they released their album Metal Health. In November 1983, just eight months after its release, Metal Health became the number one album on the Billboard 200 charts. It was the first heavy metal album ever to reach this spot. Metal Health sold over 10 million copies worldwide. It helped kick off the "hair metal" era of the 1980s.

Continuing with Quiet Riot and Other Bands

After Condition Critical was released in 1984, Quiet Riot faced some challenges. But Frankie Banali stayed with the band. He saw them through many changes in band members. Quiet Riot broke up in 1989 after touring for their self-titled album.

Around this time, Frankie also played drums for W.A.S.P. on their album The Headless Children. After Quiet Riot disbanded, he toured with W.A.S.P. In 1990, he briefly joined Faster Pussycat for a tour. After his mother passed away, Banali formed a new band called Heavy Bones. They released one album in 1992.

In 1993, Banali rejoined Quiet Riot. In 1994, he also became the band's manager. He helped make important business decisions for them. Quiet Riot broke up again in 2003. But Banali and DuBrow reformed the band in 2004. They released the album Rehab in 2006. After Kevin DuBrow's death in 2007, Banali announced Quiet Riot would stop playing.

Reforming Quiet Riot and Later Years

In September 2010, Frankie Banali decided to bring Quiet Riot back together. He had the support of Kevin DuBrow's family. They released the album 10 in 2014, their first in eight years.

In 2010, Banali and his future wife, Regina Russell Banali, started a fundraiser. They wanted to make a documentary about the band. The film was called Quiet Riot - Well Now You're Here There's No Way Back. Regina produced and directed the film. It premiered in 2014.

On January 18, 2017, Frankie Banali was honored. He was inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame. This was for his important contributions to heavy metal drumming.

Musical Influences

Frankie Banali was inspired by many great drummers. His main influences for rock drumming included John Bonham. For traditional Jazz drumming, he looked up to Buddy Rich. Other drummers who influenced his style were Simon Phillips, Dennis Chambers, and Vinnie Colaiuta.

Personal Life and Passing

Frankie's father, Jack, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1974. His mother, Martha, died from breast cancer in 1990. This was on Frankie's 39th birthday.

Frankie married his first wife, Karen, in 1994. Their daughter, Ashley, was born in 1997. Karen passed away in 2009.

In 2015, Frankie married his second wife, Regina Russell Banali. She was the one who produced and directed the Quiet Riot documentary.

In October 2019, Frankie Banali shared that he had been diagnosed with stage-IV pancreatic cancer. He passed away from the disease on August 20, 2020, at 68 years old. He was the second member of the classic Metal Health-era Quiet Riot lineup to pass away. Kevin DuBrow had died in 2007. After Frankie's death, it was announced that Quiet Riot would continue with a new drummer, Johnny Kelly.

On September 4, 2020, fans asked MTV Classic to honor Frankie. Their show Metal Mayem aired a special block of Quiet Riot music videos. The videos included "Party all Night" and "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)." Text appeared on screen saying, "In Memory of Frankie Banali, 1951-2020."

Partial Discography (as a member of bands)

With Vic Vergeat Band

• Vic Vergeat Band (1982)

With Hughes/Thrall

• Hughes/Thrall (1982) (tracks 6 & 9)

With Billy Thorpe

• East of Eden's Gate (1982)

With Quiet Riot

• Metal Health (1983)
• Condition Critical (1984)
• QR III (1986)
• QR (1988)
• Terrified (1993)
• Down to the Bone (1995)
• Alive and Well (1999)
• Guilty Pleasures (2001)
• Rehab (2006)
• Quiet Riot 10 (2014)
• Road Rage (2017)
• Hollywood Cowboys (2019)

With Hear 'N Aid

• Hear 'n Aid – "Stars" (1986)

With Kuni

• Masque (1986)

With Alex Masi

• Attack of the Neon Shark (1989)

With W.A.S.P

• The Headless Children (1989)
• The Crimson Idol (1992)
• Still Not Black Enough (1995)
• Unholy Terror (2001)
• Dying for the World (2002)
• The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise (2004)
• The Neon God: Part 2 – The Demise (2004)
• Re-Idolized (Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol) (2018)

With Heavy Bones

• Heavy Bones (1992)

With Blackthorne

• Afterlife (1993)

With Julliet

• Passion (2002)

See also

In Spanish: Frankie Banali para niños