Frankie passed away on August 20th 2020, prior to his death he made arrangements with renown collector Donn Bennett to sell his collection of drums after his death. You now can own a piece of his collection, many pieces signed in the last year of his life. Donn included a fantastic video about the collect and included the following statement”
“On the surface, Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali was the quintessential heavy metal drummer. Huge drum kit, wild hair, menacing expression, flailing arms, aggressive grooves and over the top fills. All very accurate descriptions but they only touch the surface of the thoughtful, introspective and versatile artist he was.
His drums were deeply important to him. He often said that “All I need are my family, music and drums.” His drums were so much more than tools of his trade. They were a pathway to his soul. His vast collection of drums reflect the multi-faceted drummer and person he was. Many of his sets reflect his deep admiration and respect for John Bonham while others recognize his love of great jazz drummers like Elvin Jones. The stunning visual presence of all his drums clearly reflect Frankie’s keen artistic eye.
About a year before he passed, Frankie asked me coordinate the sale of his extensive drum collection. It was imperative to him that they found homes with drummers and fans who would appreciate them as much as he did.
I hope I’ve done a worthy job of representing this amazing collection. Please contact me with any inquires.
Enjoy!!
Donn Bennett”
On a personal note Frankie was a close friend of mine for 27 years, we met in 1993 and we immediately became good friends. Quiet Riot would come through town several times a year and often when they were just passing through, he’d want to get together. He was a Japanese antiquities and sword collector, there were two collectors in town we’d often get together with, we’d visit his favorite pottery artist, go to malls, drum shops, and hang.
Aside from being a rock star he was a kind and thoughtful person. He had an uncanny ability to recall tour dates, gear, recording, facts about drums, drummers, and all thing Japanese. He was an active reader, studying all the time. I first met him as a fan backstage at a Motley Crue concert in 1989 where he had just been hired by Faster Pussycat, we didn’t talk again until 93’ and was nice then. He was my John Bonham but quickly put me at ease and we just started talking and hanging out, he and Kevin thanked me on three Quiet Riot records, something that means a great deal to me as a fan and friend.
He was an avid drum collector, he bagged and tagged everything that was in storage (Free of dust, humidity, UV, etc.) – and he kept all of the badge numbers of every drum he owned. I will guarantee that any of the drums in this collection were well taken care of and loved by Frankie.
The Ludwig stainless steel set was used for a few Quiet Riot shows but mainly for rehearsals. To my knowledge it was never used to record a Quiet Riot record with, but he did record with it and it was one of Kevin DuBrow’s favorite sets that Frankie used. Frankie loved the loud, wide open sound of this set; this is the set that I would want to get.
The yellow Ludwig vistalite was used on the “Live in the 21st Century” live DVD. I helped him acquire this set shortly before the concert and I was with him when he purchased the snare used with that set at a drum shop in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Paul Rogne – Drumming News Network
Visit Donn site to check out this collection: HERE
