Dramatics Lead Singer Ron Banks Passes
*Ron Banks, a lead singer for the 70s R&B group the Dramatics (“Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get”) died today of a massive heart attack in Detroit.
Banks, 58, was a founding member of the group in the early 1960s, when they were teenagers. His last hometown gig with the Dramatics was a November concert at Motorcity Casino’s Sound Board venue, according to Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Association.
“He really was a wonderful person,” Wilson told the Detroit Free Press. “You know, people who have been in the business a while can be cocky and arrogant. But he stayed beautiful, always. Even during the tense moments in the group’s career, he just remained cool and calm.”
Banks, thought to be in normal health, was at home with his family when he abruptly passed out, said fellow Dramatics singer L.J. Reynolds, who had spoken to Banks just minutes earlier.
“He seemed just like himself — very upbeat,” Reynolds said.
Banks is survived by his wife, Sandy Banks, four daughters and two sons. He was preceded in death by Dramatics members Elbert Wilkins, William (Wee Gee) Howard and James Mack Brown.
Watch the Dramatics perform their classic “Whatcha See Is Whacha Get” on Soul Train. Banks provides the falsetto parts of the song:
