Died On This Date (March 4, 2010) Ron Banks / Original Member Of The Dramatics
themusicsover Ron Banks
May 10, 1951 – March 4, 2010
Ron Banks was a founding member of longtime Detroit soul vocal group, the Dramatics. Formed in 1962, various formations of the group have stayed together ever since, with Banks being one of the last two originals. During the ’70s, the Dramatics had two big pop hits, “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” and “In The Rain.” The former sold more than one million copies and the latter reached the #1 on the R&B charts. “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” was such a respected song at the time, that it was featured during the opening credits of the landmark Wattstax concert film of 1972. Their 1978 album Do What You Wanna Do, was their most popular, going gold at the time. In 1993, the Dramatics sang on Snoop Dogg’s “Doggy Dogg World.” In November of 2009, Ron Banks performed what would be his last show with the Dramatics. On March 4, 2010, the 58-year-old singer died of what appears to have been a heart attack.
Hank Ballard was a popular R&B singer and songwriter who helped usher in the early days of rock ‘n roll. His biggest hit was 1969’s “The Twist,” a song he wrote for a dance he invented, no matter what Chubby Checker says. Raised in Detroit, Ballard quickly took a liking to the music he heard around him, and by the early ’50s, he was singing in a local doo-wop group. He was soon discovered by famed music impresario, 
Richard Pegue was a popular Chicago R&B radio disc jockey for the better part of forty years. He also penned a handful of R&B songs that managed to get recorded. Pegue was just eleven when he first took an interest to the broadcast medium, thanks to a reel-to-reel tape recorder that was given to him by his grandmother. By his teens, he was DJ’ing local parties and dances. Before long, Pegue was spinning records at radio stations throughout Chicago and Indiana. During the late ’80s he helped develop the popular “urban oldies” format. He continued working in radio into the 2000s. Richard Pegue was 66 when he passed away on March 2, 2009.
Frankie Lymon and his group, the Teenagers, had one of early R&B / rock ‘n roll’s biggest hits with their 1956 recording of “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” Lymon co-wrote the song at just 16 years of age. Lymon grew up singing, and by the time he was 14, he had joined a local doo-wop group, the Premiers who would soon change its name to the Teenagers. Following the success of their debut single, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” the Teenagers released a string of R&B hits. In about a year’s time however, the group disbanded and Lymon launched a solo career that was never nearly as successful as his time with the Teenagers. All the while, Lymon was struggling with drug addiction, which apparently started when he tried heroin for the first time at the age of 15. In 1965, he and the Teenagers had a short, but unfruitful reunion. Later that year, Lymon was drafted into the Army, but was eventually dishonorably discharged for going AWOL several times to hustle singing gigs near the Augusta, Georgia base. After his discharge, ge moved to New York City to make another go at a recording career, but on February 28, 1968, Lymon was found dead of a heroin overdose at his grandmother’s Harlem home. He was just 25 years old.
Bobby Espinosa was a founding member and keyboardist for influential East Los Angeles jazz-rock band, El Chicano. Formed in the late ’60s, the band built a sizable following as part of fledgling scene of Latino bands that were creating pop music by marrying elements of R&B, jazz, Latin, rock, funk and soul. Other like-minded groups included Tierra, War, and to the north, Santana. The band is best remembered for their hits, “Viva Tirado,” “Tell Her She’s Lovely,” and their cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” Records like these helped popularize what has been called “brown-eyed soul.” Espinosa was born in Los Angeles and took a liking to music at an early age as his parents filled the home with the sounds of Salsa music. He learned to play the keyboards, and as a teenager, he joined local surf band, Mickey and the Invaders. He soon helped form the VIPs, which would eventually develop into El Chicano. The band continued to stay active, recording numerous albums and touring the world, ever since. They are considered direct influences on future generations of Chicano bands which include Los Lobos, Quetzal and Ozomatli. Bobby Espinosa was 60 when on February 27, 2010, he passed away following a long illness.