In memory of Andy Banks, 1948-2011

As you may have heard, we have to announce the very sad news that our chairman and treasurer, Andy Banks, died at his home in Handsworth last week at the age of 63.  Andy’s friend Chas, a Scotsman who had played in a ceilidh band with Andy for fifteen years, discovered that Andy had passed away and is dealing with the arrangements. 

Andy was one of the strongest supporters of the Midlands accordion scene.  He had attended Club Accord since almost the first meeting, and Rob Beecroft’s club nights for many years, and Rob tells me that Andy had not missed a Saturday visit to the Midland Accordion Centre since it opened around 25 years ago.  Andy was a man of strong feelings and loyalties, with a strong sense of tradition, and he had no time for anything he perceived as disrespectful, but at the same time he was always very encouraging to young players and beginners, and had given many of us kind words and little tips over the years.  Above all, his love of music and respect for musicians showed itself at all times, and while in his own playing he stuck steadfastly to his chosen style of music, he appreciated and applauded good musicianship wherever it came from.

Andy was born in Wick, in the far north of Scotland, but his family moved to the Midlands when he was still a small child.  By all accounts Andy was a brilliant engineer who won a scholarship for his work when he was younger, but did not get the chance to use his talents fully in his working life.  Andy had just finished work after a difficult period when his workplace was closing down.  The last few times I saw him, although he was apprehensive about the future, he seemed more relaxed, and it seems cruel that he did not get the chance to make the most of retirement.

Andy’s passion was for Scottish and traditional folk music, which he played on his Shand Morino three-row button accordion, and later also on his top-quality English concertina.  He was mostly self-taught but had had an afternoon of teaching from Sir Jimmy Shand himself!  He tracked Sir Jimmy down to his house in Auchtermuchty by asking at a local petrol station and soon found himself in the middle of a masterclass.  This influence showed in his club accordion playing which had an unmistakeable Scottish intensity and drive, even when he was playing non-Scottish tunes, with no concessions to “entertainment”-style playing.  He played “Dark Island” in a very passionate way, and this softer side of his playing came out when he took up the English concertina.  He joked that he took up the concertina to give himself a chance to

sit down while playing, but his concertina playing was beautiful.  On many nights you could have heard a pin drop as he sat crouched over the concertina piecing together a carefully-chosen traditional melody.  He had a parallel musical life playing in the ceilidh band (Moonstone) and for Blackadder Morris (based in Cotteridge, where he played in an English rather than a Scottish style).  He was also extremely knowledgeable about music: he was like an encyclopedia when it came to Scottish players and folk music in general, but he knew a lot about everything else as well.  Over the last ten years he played a wider and wider range of tunes and got more and more relaxed in his playing.  It will be sad not to hear him any more.  He was a unique part of the Midlands accordion scene, and he will be missed.

Andy’s steady presence on the accordion scene won him an entry in the first volume of Rob Howard’s “A-Z of the Accordion”, and in Rob’s words:

            “Lots of people come and go as members of accordion clubs, but it is

            people such as Andy who are the real backbone.”

There is no better way to mark this sad news than for us to keep on playing.  By way of a small tribute, we have asked Andy’s friend Chas to come to Club Accord for our next club night, on MONDAY 8th AUGUST, and play through “Dark Island” (in G) with anyone who would like to join in.  For the rest of the evening, we will carry on the tradition of making good music on the accordion.  I hope you can be there.