1. James Leslie Binks was a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer.
16 Facts About Les Binks
1. 2.
Les Binks is best-known for being the drummer for Judas Priest, where he was a member from 1977 to 1979.
3.
Previously working for Eric Burdon of the Animals and the funk band War, Binks was a drummer on Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover's album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast.
4.
Les Binks played for the pop band Fancy who had two US hits in 1974 with a cover of Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing", and "Touch Me".
5.
Les Binks stepped into the role held briefly by noted session drummer Simon Phillips who had performed on Sin After Sin but did not wish to continue.
6.
Les Binks remained with Judas Priest for two and a half years, until July 1979, recording the studio albums Stained Class and Killing Machine and the live album Unleashed in the East, all of which feature a faster thrash metal, speed metal double bass drumming approach, thus helping to develop and explore new terrain within heavy metal music, building on foundations already established by bands like Deep Purple on Fireball and Deep Purple in Rock.
7.
Les Binks made a home demo of the track with friend Steve Mann of the Michael Schenker Group helping on guitar, and at a band rehearsal he picked up a guitar to show them the song.
8.
Les Binks left the band just before the start of the North American leg of the "Killing Machine" tour.
9.
Les Binks said in 2017 that he left because he felt he was essentially hired as a "freelance session drummer" by the band and was never made an official member.
10.
Also in 1981, Les Binks played on the album Finardi by Italian rock singer Eugenio Finardi.
11.
Les Binks toured with the bands Lionheart and Tytan soon after their first single release.
12.
In 2015, Les Binks played live around London in Broken Bones with ex-Bad II The Bone members Ed Hudson and Paul Smith, and in original prog-folk-rock band Kindred Spirit with whom he recorded the album Phoenix Rising.
13.
However, Les Binks reportedly suffered a fractured wrist prior to the recording of KK's Priest's first album in 2020, so he was replaced by Sean Elg.
14.
In 2022, Les Binks was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Judas Priest via the Award for Musical Excellence.
15.
Les Binks played a three-song set with Judas Priest at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on 5 November 2022.
16.
Les Binks died in London on 15 March 2025, at the age of 73.