Happy Birthday today (Nov. 14) to drummer Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot. He's 67. Other rockers celebrating include former Bon Jovi bassist Alec John Such (67), drummer Travis Barker of Blink 182 (43), and guitarist James "J.Y." Young of Styx (69).
Frankie Banali is best known as the drummer for Quiet Riot. He also played drums with heavy metal band W.A.S.P. for some time. Quiet Riot was formed by Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni under the name Mach 1 in 1973.The band changed it’s name to Little Women before settling on Quiet Riot in 1975. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with Kevin Dubrow on vocals and Drew Forsyth on drums. The most commercially successful lineup of the band featured Dubrow along with guitarist Carlos Cavazo, bassist Rudy Sarzo, Frankie Banali on drums. In 1983, the band released their breakthrough album Metal Health featuring the title track along with “Cum on Feel the Noize”. The album was the first heavy metal album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. Frankie Banali continues to keep Quiet Riot going with a revamped lineup.
I was a big Quiet Riot fan and got to see the band many times over the years. Great memories. Cheers to Frankie Banali on his birthday!For more on Quiet Riot, check out the band’s official website here.
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