The John Banks Page

The reason MerseyCats exist is because of John Banks. Read the History page and you will understand.

This is an email received from Johns friend who got to know him when they both lived in Israel.

----- Original Message -----   

From: Ko Kantorowitz  

To: secretary@merseycats.com  

Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 9:25 PM

Subject: John Banks

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm writing to you as a result of reading an artikel that was published last year in May by a Israeli journalist about the story of John,at a Israeli music website. 

In the last 20 years of me living in the Netherlands,i often thought of my friend John,which for me was my top floor neighbour in my granny's building in Tel Aviv Israel. 

I was 16 at the time and John was i believe 34.I was for my age a real kean 60's fan a played guitar with my brother two stories below John's appartment, 

One day he just knocked on our door and we became very good friends.There and then he told us that he used to play drums for the Merseybeats. 

As to lack of internet back than,i was real intriged by his stories about the Mersey scene and most of all the stories about the Beatles and the Merseybeats. 

Now more than 20 years later all my childhood's memories of John came back and i even found pictures i took of him with my brother in his appartment in Tel Aviv,Israel,i'll enclose one of this pictures. 

I am now in contact with his girlfriend for the last 7 years of is life,who also wrote a big artikel about John back in 1988. 

She's the one who contacted Gus Gustafson (ex-Merseybeats bassist) to arrange hospitalization in London for John, after having severe chest pain because he was'nt medical insured in Israel. 

That was 2 weeks before his passing. 

Through my search on the internet i found your rock and roll children's charity foundation,(which i didn't know of),and trully touched by the fact that it came about as a memory of John Banks 

I am really proud and honored to be a part of John Banks memory. 

Keep up the good work. 

Sencerily yours, 

Ko Kantorowitz 

A young Ko with John at their flat in Tel Aviv, Israel.

John Banks in Tel Aviv 1986

John soon after arriving in Israel 1970.