Thomas Benjamin "Tommy" Banks, OC, AOE (born December 17, 1936) is a Canadian pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, television personality and Senator.

Although born in Calgary, Alberta, he moved to Edmonton, Alberta in 1949 where he has resided until the present day. He presented a show on CKUA called "The Solo Piano of Tommy Banks" in about 1960. Of his time at CKUA, Banks said in an interview, "I'd lurch into the studio on Sunday morning and go and set up the microphone and turn everything on and then sit down and start playing."[1]

He hosted the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) television show, The Tommy Banks Show, from 1968 until 1983. He was appointed to the Senate by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, at the recommendation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, in 2000, representing the Senatorial division of Edmonton, Alberta. Sitting as a Liberal, and was the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of the Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources from 2002-2009.

In 1991, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1993, he was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence. The character of "Tommy Shanks" on the Canadian television show SCTV (played by John Candy) was named in honour of Tommy Banks.

[edit] External links

• Parliament of Canada biography
• Liberal Senate Forum

v • d • e   Current members of the Senate of Canada AB Banks • Brown • Fairbairn • McCoy • Mitchell • Tardif BC Campbell • Jaffer • Greene • Martin • Neufeld • St. Germain MB Carstairs • Chaput • Johnson • Plett • Stratton • Zimmer NB Day • Kinsella • Losier-Cool • Lovelace Nicholas • Mockler • Ringuette • Robichaud • Stewart-Olsen • Wallace • Vacant NL Baker • Cochrane • Furey • Manning • Rompkey • Vacant NS Comeau • Cordy • Cowan • Dickson • Greene • MacDonald • Mercer • Moore • Ogilvie • Oliver ON Cools • Di Nino • Eaton • Eggleton • Finley • Frum Sokolowski • Gerstein • Grafstein • Harb • Kenny • Keon • LeBreton • Mahovlich • Meighen • Milne • Munson • Murray • Pitfield • Poulin • Poy • Ruth • Segal • Smith • Stollery PE Callbeck • Downe • Duffy • Hubley QC Angus • Brazeau • Carignan • Champagne • Dallaire • Dawson • de Bané • Demers • Fortin-Duplessis • Fox • Fraser • Hervieux-Payette • Housakos • Joyal • Lapointe • Lavigne • Massicotte • Nolin • Pépin • Prud'homme • Rivard • Rivest • Seidman • Watt SK Andreychuk • Dyck • Merchant • Peterson • Tkachuk • Wallin Territories NT Sibbeston NU Patterson YT Lang Conservative (C) • Independent (Ind.) or Not affiliated (N/A) • Liberal (L) • Progressive Conservative (PC)

This article on a Canadian musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e