Frankie Banali (1951-2020)

After an extensive and bravely-fought battle with pancreatic cancer, Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali succumbed to the disease yesterday at age 68.  Besides his long-running famed career in heavy metal, fans are also aware that Frankie was in the band Trevor put together when he relocated to Los Angeles to embark upon his development deal with Geffen Records.  Frankie's playing can be heard on some of the early demos featured on 90124 and in fandom circulation.  That association was rather short-lived, as Trevor's contract was only for six months but also because Geffen didn't want to move forward unless Trevor was willing to join Asia (which as we know he did not).  Back in 2014 Frankie posted on social media that the band worked on "about 22 different songs" in their time rehearsing and recording demos.  He expressed positive memories of working with Trevor during that period.  Frankie originally joined Quiet Riot in 1980 and a couple years later the band signed with Pasha Records and in 1983 released their hugely-successful Metal Health album, as both Trevor and Frankie were then to experience worldwide acclaim with their respective bands that year as well as throughout the 1980s.

Frankie had shared his battle on social media and was very honest about his struggles, as you can see in this interview conducted last year with radio personality Eddie Trunk.  My condolences to his family, friends, and fans in the industry as well as around the world.