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\n \t\t\t\t\tGone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in\u00a02025\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n
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\n\tBorn in Portadown, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 8, 1951, Binks (born James Leslie Binks), spent time drumming with Eric Burdon and the Animals and War, as well as the pop group Fancy before joining Judas Priest in 1977. The band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and fronted by leather-loving singer Rob Halford released its debut album, Rocka Rolla<\/em>, in 1974, followed by 1996\u2019s Sad Wings of Destiny<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\tBinks made his first appearance with group in time for 1977\u2019s Sin After Sin<\/em>, the band\u2019s major label debut. The sessions saw the exit of early drummer Alan Moore, who was replaced by Simon Phillips for the recording. But, with Moore unavailable to tour, Binks was tapped to hit the road with the band after bringing his signature double-bass barrage to the bonus track cover of The Gun\u2019s \u201cRace With the Devil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tThe drummer made his biggest mark on 1978\u2019s Stained Class<\/em>, where his massive, double kick drum sound and blitzkrieg style is a standout from the very first seconds of opening track \u201cExciter,\u201d one of the songs that set the stage for the speed and thrash metal of the 1980s. The album, considered by many fans to be one of the group\u2019s finest efforts, featured a rare co-songwriting credit for Binks on the ominous prog-metal shouter \u201cBeyond the Realms of Death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tBinks also appeared on the follow-up, 1978\u2019s Killing Machine<\/em> (which was released as Hell Bent for Leather<\/em> in the U.S.), the most commercially oriented collection to date from the Priest, and the LP that would also mark his swan song with the group. Anchored by meaty rock anthems such as \u201cRock Forever\u201d and the raucous \u201cHell Bent For Leather,\u201d the album set the stage for what would become the band\u2019s commercial breakthrough on 1980s British Steel<\/em>, which featured the hits \u201cLiving After Midnight\u201d and Beavis and Butt-Head<\/em> favorite \u201cBreaking the Law\u201d; Binks was replaced on that album by former Trapeze drummer Dave Holland.<\/p>\n\n\tBinks\u2019 final record with Judas Priest would be the band\u2019s 1979 Unleashed in the East<\/em> live album recorded in Tokyo earlier that year, after which he split following a reported dispute with band manager Mike Dolan over compensation for the live LP.<\/p>\n\n\tThe drummer played with a series of other bands throughout the 1980s and \u201990s (Lionhearted, Tytan) and formed the all-star Priest cover band Les Binks\u2019 Priesthood, in 2017. In a testament to the crucial role he played in the development of Judas Priest\u2019s sound, Binks was on stage with the rest of Priest in 2022 when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed as part of their three-song set in one of his final public appearances before his death.<\/p>\n
\n\tCheck out their performance at the RRHOF ceremony below.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Roberta](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Roberta-Flack-1975-billboard-1548.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
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