Happy Birthday Banky W (Olubankole Wellington)

Banky W ushered in a new generation of young and vibrant artists through his Empire Mates Record Label. He is a prolific singer, songwriter, producer and industry respected executive. To some he is the King of African R&B. You may know somethings about Banky W but here is a chance to really know him....

SUMMARY DATA:
Name: Olubankole Wellington
Stage or Nickname: Banky W
Date of Birth: March 27, 1981
Height/Weight: N/A

EARLY LIFE
Mr. Bankole Wellington was born in the United States of America to Nigerian parents. His father is from Badagry in Lagos State while his mother is from Calabar in Cross River State.

His family moved back to Lagos Nigeria when he was five years old and at the tender age of 8 he began singing in his church choir.

He graduated secondary education (high school) from Home Science Association Secondary School a private school, he then moved to New York to attend college on a scholarship.

MUSIC BEGINS
Banky W holds a degree in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While still in college he featured in and won numerous competitions and music shows. Winning the ‘Albany Idol’ competition, in particular catapulted him into the spotlight. He wowed audiences with his silky smooth voice while building a loyal following; he established the Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E.) record label as a platform to get his music to his fans and began work on an EP (a music industry acrynom for a short album with an average of 4-6 songs).

HIS MUSIC
‘Undeniable: The EP’ was his debut and the buzz around the record quickly caught the ears of FOX23 executives who featured it in a two part television special. A distribution deal with TransWorld followed and this eventually became one of the top selling independent records in the US and got him the 2003 R&B/Soul Artist of the Year at the Urban Independent Music Awards. A brief battle with cancer in his shoulder threatened his career but he beat the illness and is stronger for it.

Undeniable was followed by ‘Back in the Buildin’ which he released in 2005 to critical acclaim, solidifying his status as a fresh new artist. Later ‘My Regret’ a wonderful track from the album became a hit, winning The John Lennon Songwriting Award in the R&B category (USA), he also won the Best R&B Male (2006) and Best International Single of the Year (2007) at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards.