Composer and producer Homer Banks stood among the overlooked figures who propelled Stax Records to prominence. A capable soul singer himself, he never cut material for the imprint. Instead he partnered with Bettye Crutcher and Raymond Jackson under the name We Three, the songwriting team that supplied numerous signature Stax singles. Born August 2, 1941, in Memphis, Banks helped form the gospel ensemble the Soul Consolidators prior to taking an office post at Satellite Studios, the facility later renamed Stax. During his initial period there he remained largely unknown to the public, although colleagues Isaac Hayes and David Porter secured him studio time at Genie Records that yielded his first single, “Sweetie Pie,” in 1965. The widely emulated and frequently recorded “A Lot of Love” appeared next on the reactivated Minit label in 1966, followed over the ensuing two years by four additional Minit releases—“60 Minutes of Your Love,” “Lady of Stone,” “Round the Clock Lover Man,” and “(Who You Gonna Run To) Me or Your Mama?”—none of which drew attention beyond Memphis. With his own recording prospects stalled, Banks turned more heavily to songwriting and, together with Crutcher and Jackson as We Three, supplied hits for Stax acts Johnnie Taylor (“Who’s Making Love”), the Staple Singers (“Be What You Are,” “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)”), and Isaac Hayes (“[If Loving You Is Wrong] I Don’t Want to Be Right”). He also produced dates for the Soul Children and Albert King, composed the Sam & Dave staple “I Can’t Stand Up (For Falling Down)” later interpreted by Elvis Costello, and penned the additional successes “Touch a Hand (Make a Friend)” and “Woman to Woman.” Banks issued the solo LP Passport to Ecstasy in 1977; after Stax folded, he contributed to several other imprints, among them TK and Malaco.
