Homer Banks

Composer and producer Homer Banks was one of the unsung heroes behind the rise of Stax Records; though a fine soul singer in his own right, he never recorded for the label, instead teaming with <a href="spotify:artist:2rl5AdbYMS5wg5Zzsq4niL">Bettye Crutcher</a> and Raymond Jackson as We Three, the songwriting troika responsible for a number of the company's classic singles. Born August 2, 1941, in Memphis, Banks co-founded the gospel group the Soul Consolidators before joining the office staff of the local Satellite Studios, later re-christened Stax. He dwelled in relative anonymity during his early years with the company, although co-workers <a href="spotify:artist:3IKV7o6WPphDB7cCWXaG3E">Isaac Hayes</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1k0ZB1aFWMh6dr3y63X5Jr">David Porter</a> proved instrumental in landing him a session with the Genie label, resulting in the 1965 release of Banks' debut single "Sweetie Pie." The much-imitated and oft-covered "A Lot of Love" followed on the newly-revived Minit imprint in 1966, and over the next two years Banks issued four more singles for the label -- "60 Minutes of Your Love," "Lady of Stone," "Round the Clock Lover Man" and "(Who You Gonna Run To) Me or Your Mama?" -- all to little notice outside of the Memphis area. As his singing career floundered, he increasingly focused on writing, teaming with <a href="spotify:artist:2rl5AdbYMS5wg5Zzsq4niL">Crutcher</a> and Jackson as We Three to author hits for Stax artists <a href="spotify:artist:4OGuNAnRFWZOgOA2d51taz">Johnnie Taylor</a> ("Who's Making Love"), <a href="spotify:artist:7xGGqA85UIWX1GoTVM4itC">the Staple Singers</a> ("Be What You Are," "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)"), and <a href="spotify:artist:3IKV7o6WPphDB7cCWXaG3E">Isaac Hayes</a> ("[If Loving You Is Wrong] I Don't Want to Be Right"). In addition to producing sessions for <a href="spotify:artist:74keeJdeVxqce4qJFj6WGx">the Soul Children</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5aygfDCEaX5KTZOxSCpT9o">Albert King</a>, Banks also wrote the <a href="spotify:artist:2BVYdY4PyfCF9z4NrkhEB2">Sam & Dave</a> classic "I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)," later covered by <a href="spotify:artist:2BGRfQgtzikz1pzAD0kaEn">Elvis Costello</a>; his other hits include "Touch a Hand (Make a Friend)" and "Woman to Woman." In 1977, Banks cut the solo album Passport to Ecstasy, and following Stax's demise he worked for a number of labels, including TK and Malaco. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi