Peter Banks

Peter William Brockbanks (15 July 1947 – 7 March 2013), known professionally as Peter Banks, was a British guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He was the original guitarist in the rock band Yes, and also the Syn, Flash, and Empire. Banks has been described as "the architect of progressive music". Biography Early life Banks' father was an optical mechanic and his mother a cleaner. He grew up in Barnet, North London, where he attended Barnet Secondary School and Barnet College of Further Education. When he was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar. As a teenager, he also learned how to play the banjo. Early career Banks started with the Nighthawks in 1963, and played his first concert at the New Barnet Pop Festival before leaving that band to join the Devil's Disciples in 1964. The band consisted of Banks on guitar, John Tite on vocals, Ray Alford on bass and Malcolm "Pinnie" Raye on drums. They recorded two songs on an acetate, Arthur Alexander's "You Better Move On" and Graham Gouldman's "For Your Love" which would be a hit record for the Yardbirds one year later. These two songs can be found on Banks' archival album Can I Play You Something. According to Chris Welch, The Devil's Disciples used to play the Rolling Stones' first album in its entirety, just for the sake of it. About a year later, Banks joined the Syndicats, replacing their guitarist Ray Fenwick, who himself had replaced Steve Howe, who would later replace Banks in Yes.