Ron Banks of the Dramatics Dies

We’re very sorry to inform SoulTrackers that Ron Banks, the legendary falsetto lead singer of the Dramatics, has died at age 58 of an apparent heart attack at his Detroit home.  A co-founder of the group, Banks was one of the most recognizable singers of the past 40 years, with his expressive falsetto driving much of the great hits of the Dramatics, from "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" to the great "Toast to the Fool." Banks and his bandmates were honored with SoulTracks’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Awards.

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 three decades. Another of the great non-Motown Detroit groups formed in the late 60s, the Dramatics went through significant personnel changes over their early years as the group struggled to find a hit. They ultimately found it on Stax/Volt Records with "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," a latin-tinged cut lyrically based on a comic phrase popularized by Flip Wilson. It was an instant hit on both the pop and soul charts, and began a string of great cuts for the group penned by Tony Hester. The follow-ups "In The Rain" and "Toast to the Fool" were even better, and have remained in active play on many stations for nearly 30 years.