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Gordon Banks and Marvin Gaye

Gordon Banks (born February 22, 1955 – died July 21, 2023) was an American musician. He was known as Gordon 'Guitar' Banks. He worked as a guitarist, producer, writer, and musical director. In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the top 100 guitarists in America.

Banks played a very important role in the later career of music legend Marvin Gaye. Marvin Gaye even called him "ID," which meant "The Indicator." This showed how much Gaye trusted and relied on Banks' musical guidance.

Biography

Early Life and Music Career

Gordon Banks was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on February 22, 1955. He was very good at playing musical instruments from a young age. When he was just twelve years old, he joined his first band called The Showmen. He played the guitar for them. This group was known for their "beach music" style. It was started by General Norman Johnson, who later led the band Chairmen of the Board. The Showmen had a small hit song called "39-31-40 Shape."

After finishing his studies at Norfolk State University, Banks left the band and Norfolk. He moved to Los Angeles, a big city known for music. There, he found many jobs playing guitar for different kinds of bands. He played with funk groups like The Gap Band, New Birth, The Unifics, and Mandrill. He also played for gospel musician Edwin Hawkins and the famous Motown star Stevie Wonder.

Working with Marvin Gaye

Gordon Banks first met Marvin Gaye in 1976. After about a year, Banks officially joined Gaye's band. Their first big project together was the funk hit song, "Got to Give It Up." Banks also played guitar during Gaye's U.S. tour in 1977.

Banks then helped direct the music for Marvin Gaye's 1978 album, Here, My Dear. Their musical partnership grew stronger over time. Banks soon traveled all over the world with Gaye. He was Gaye's musical director and main guitarist. In 1980, Banks became Gaye's brother-in-law when he married Gaye's sister, Zeola.

Banks was one of the few musicians who stayed with Marvin Gaye for a long time. He contributed to Gaye's last Motown album, In Our Lifetime. He was also the musical director for Gaye's successful European tour in 1980. In 1981, Marvin Gaye moved to Belgium for a fresh start. Banks also moved to Ostend, Belgium, to be with him.

Banks helped Gaye with his short "Heavy Love Affair" European tour that year. After the tour, he helped create music for what became Gaye's final album released during his lifetime, Midnight Love. Banks explained how they made the album:

"It was mostly just Marvin and me in the studio. Columbia Records gave him new equipment to try out. They gave him two drum machines and a synthesizer called a Roland TR-808 and a Jupiter 8. Marvin wasn't very familiar with this new technology. So, it was my job to figure out how to make everything work. He really liked the sounds that came from these machines, and he started creating from there. Marvin was an amazing pianist. Once we got past the challenges with the Jupiter 8, it was like he had been playing it his whole life."

Midnight Love was released in 1982. It became the best-selling album of Marvin Gaye's career. Banks wrote a song called "My Love is Waiting." He had written it for another group. But when that group didn't show up for a recording session, he changed the song for Marvin Gaye to record. Marvin's record label, CBS, released "My Love is Waiting" as a special song to promote the album. This song became popular and reached number thirty-four on the UK music charts. Banks was again the musical director for Gaye's final concert tour in 1983.

After Marvin Gaye passed away in 1984, Banks helped finish a special album. This album, called Dream of a Lifetime, was released in 1985. It included songs Gaye had recorded between 1971 and 1982 but had not finished. Among these were songs from the Midnight Love sessions, like "Sanctified Lady." Banks added electro-funk sounds to this song.

Later Work

Later in his life, Gordon Banks worked as a Media Specialist in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He also collected many unreleased recordings by Marvin Gaye.

Death

Gordon Banks passed away on July 21, 2023.

Discography

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