L.V. Banks, born October 28, 1932, in Stringtown, Mississippi, was an American guitarist known for his contributions to Chicago blues and soul-blues. He taught himself to play the guitar and initially fronted a blues band in Greenville, Mississippi. In the early 1960s, Banks relocated to Chicago, where he became a regular performer on Maxwell Street and in local clubs. Banks's debut album, Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear, was released in June 1998 on the Austrian label Wolf Records. His second and final album, Ruby, followed in 2000 under the same label. He passed away from heart failure at South Shore Hospital in Chicago on May 2, 2011, at the age of 78.
