Banali joined Quiet Riot in 1982, one year before the band released its blockbuster breakthrough album, Metal Health. The singles “Cum On Feel the Noize” and “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)” featured Banali’s hard-hitting drumming, and the group’s mixture of tough heavy-metal riffs and glam-rock sensibilities played well at radio and on the newly launched MTV.
Metal Health became the first heavy-metal record to top the Billboard 200, knocking the Police’s Synchronicity off the charts; it sold more than 6 million copies. Their 1984 follow-up, Condition Critical, was also a big hit, making it to Number 15 on the Billboard 200 and selling more than 1 million copies on the strength of “Mama Weer All Crazee Now.”
Banali had been battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer; he was first diagnosed in April 2019 and had since undergone more than 20 rounds of chemotherapy.
A tragic loss for the Hard Rock & Metal community.
R.I.P.
American Rock musician Frankie Banali, of the band Quiet Riot, performs onstage, Des Moines, Iowa, August 20, 1984. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2020
