Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2019 | Page 20

natural setting of strategically
placed driftwood, seashells,
and broken instruments, which
adds to the Dune’s appeal. As
Bankie Bankx describes it, his
decor is “contemporary, artsy
madness!” Although the Dune
was destroyed during 2017’s
Hurricane Irma, it was re-built
and is open for business!
The proclivity for musical
expression and poetry has
been passed on to his children.
One of his sons, a lawyer by
profession, sings and records
gospel music; another son,
Omari, a former bowler with
the West Indies Cricket Team
is a popular singer in his own
right; another child has the gift
of the spoken word, and one,
although an entrepreneur also
sings and plays the piano.
for the legendary Jimmy Cliff in
20 major cities. He also toured
the U.S. with his own band,
The Roots & Herbs. Bankie lived
in Europe for 6 years, touring
in places like France and Italy.
He was the first reggae artiste
in the Eastern Caribbean to
perform in Jamaica's Reggae
Sunsplash in the early 1980s.
Bankie has also graced the big
screen in the 1990’s Fox sitcom,
Key West. He performed his hit
song, Edge of Darkness and
also appeared as himself in
another episode about then
Hurricane Andrew.
For years, he moved back and
forth between the U.S and
Anguilla. When on the island,
offshore cays such as Sandy
Island would be the venue of
his musical performances with
his band. Later, a little rustic,
artsy stage on Rendezvous Bay
was the location of his early
Moonsplash Music Festival,
which has now grown to an
annual festival of international
acclaim, attracting acts from
the legendary Steel Pulse, Third
World, Gregory Isaacs, Culture,
and Jimmy Buffet, among
others. John Mayer also lent
his presence to an on-stage
act at one of the events. The
Moonsplash Festival is now a
highly-anticipated annual event
on the Anguilla calendar, with
appearances from the popular
Romain Virgo, Christopher
Martin, Chronixx and others.
This year’s Festival will be
held on March 21-24th at
Bankie Banx’s Dune Preserve on
Rendezvous Bay.
Bankie’s Dune Preserve was
born after he returned to
Anguilla in 1994/1995. A rustic,
laid-back atmosphere prevails
throughout the Dune which is a
restaurant and bar, strategically
located on the beach at
Rendezvous Bay. Although it
is on the beach, the Dune is
somewhat off the beaten track
as patrons’ access to it is via
a 1/4 mile drive through the
Banks Estate to its beach-front
location. Open from 11:30 am
until the last person leaves,
live bands perform there a
few days per week and you’ll
be served simple food and
special drinks in an eclectic
Bankie Banx, born Clement
Ashley Banks, is a true
Anguillian legend, a musical
icon and one who has carved a
space for himself in the annals
of Anguillian history.
His Moonsplash Music Festival is
on in 2019. Let’s go to Anguilla
to party under the moonlight
at the Dune Preserve which the
trusted CNN Travel has noted as
being the Best Beach Bar in the
World, three years in a row!