Les Binks, former drummer of Judas Priest, has died on the age of 73.
The band confirmed Binks’ passing in an official Fb assertion on Monday (April 14th): “We’re deeply saddened concerning the passing of Les and ship our like to his household, pals and followers. The acclaimed drumming he offered was top quality — demonstrating his distinctive strategies, aptitude, type and precision. Thanks Les – your acclaim will dwell on…”
Following quite a few drummers to play in Priest in the course of the band’s youth, Binks was a member from 1977 by 1979 and recorded two studio albums whereas behind the equipment: Stained Class (1978), and Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather-based (1978).
Binks additionally carried out on Judas Priest’s iconic 1979 dwell album Unleashed within the East, which ultimately led to his departure from the band as a consequence of royalty disputes with the group’s supervisor on the time.
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Talking on his exit from the band in an interview for Okay.Okay. Downing’s official web site [via Blabbermouth], Binks mentioned that the dwell album “prompted a rift between me and [Priest’s] supervisor and finally led to my determination to go away the band.”
“I simply didn’t see the purpose in persevering with to work with a band whose supervisor didn’t need me to obtain any cost for that dwell album,” he mentioned. “A totally ludicrous situation. It’s a basic heavy steel dwell album which I consider ultimately went platinum and he didn’t need me to obtain a penny for it. Loopy fucker. However that’s what occurs if a band permits somebody like that to handle them — they lose members. So exit drummer quantity 4.”
Binks reconnected with Downing — one other former member of Priest — in 2017, and each had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame with Priest in 2022 together with Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, and the late Dave Holland.
“It was a bit surreal as a result of this all got here out of the blue,” mentioned Binks of Priest’s induction in an interview with The Steel Crypt in 2022. “They included me on that. They acknowledged me on that stage, which is sweet. After all, Okay.Okay., who was one of many finer members of the band, left in 2011. We had been each included.”
Previous to Priest, Binks performed with Eric Burdon of The Animals and Roger Glover of Deep Purple, in addition to within the pop band Fancy. After exiting Priest, he briefly joined the bands Lionhart and Tytan, He additionally performed in varied cowl bands all through the years, and shaped Les Binks’ Priesthood in 2017 to carry out Judas Priest classics on the street.
See Judas Priest’s official assertion on Binks’ passing under, in addition to Binks’ Rock Corridor induction speech.