King Louie Bankston

King Louie Bankston
Birth nameLouis Paul Bankston
Born(1972-12-18)December 18, 1972
Harahan, Louisiana, U.S.
OriginNew Orleans
DiedFebruary 12, 2022(2022-02-12) (aged 49)
GenresGarage punk, garage rock, punk rock, bubblegum, swamp pop, boogie rock, blues rock, rock and roll, power pop
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards
Years active1987–2022
LabelsGoner Records, Sympathy for the Record Industry, Dirtnap Records, Empty Records

Louis Paul Bankston (December 18, 1972 – February 12, 2022), better known as King Louie, was an American rock and roll musician from New Orleans. Associated early on with garage rock, he abandoned the genre in 1998 and focused on Louisiana swamp pop, boogie woogie, boogie rock, and power pop. He was best known for his work in the Royal Pendletons, The Persuaders, The Exploding Hearts, and The King Louie One Man Band. Bankston toured Europe and the United States, since the early 1990s. He released 53 records in the vinyl format. Bankston later played music based out of Oakland, California. He lived in New Orleans, Portland, Oregon, and Memphis, Tennessee.