Gordon Banks (musician)

Gordon Banks (February 22, 1955 – July 21, 2023) was an American guitarist, producer, writer and musical director.

Banks would soon leave the band and Norfolk following his graduation at Norfolk State University, moving to Los Angeles where he landed gigs playing guitar for funk groups such as The Gap Band, New Birth, The Unifics, and Mandrill, gospel musician Edwin Hawkins and Motown superstar Stevie Wonder.

Banks helped out on Gaye's short "Heavy Love Affair" European tour that year and after the tour, helped in creating music for what turned out to be Gaye's final album in his lifetime, Midnight Love.

"[3] Released in 1982, Midnight Love became the biggest-selling album of Gaye's career, and its parent single, "Sexual Healing", became a smash hit.

While "Sexual Healing" was a huge hit in the UK, Marvin's label CBS, released "My Love is Waiting" as a promotional single.

Banks produced another unfinished Midnight Love track, "Masochistic Beauty", which was a biographical account of Gaye's penchant for S&M.

Banks also finished production on a 1978 demo, "Savage in the Sack," a track that was recorded as a joke-on-the-fly.

David Ritz later contended that Gaye wouldn't have wanted the songs to be released but due to CBS looking to finish the singer's unfinished contractual obligations, they were put out to help in royalties for the singer's estate.