Spanner Banner was born Joseph Bonner and is part of the famous Bonner family including his brothers - the international reggae star Pliers, and Richie Spice.

As a young person in Jamaica, Spanner had always wanted to be a vocal performer. His chance came when he began singing on the Bidia sound system based in Rock Hall, St. Andrew. The positive feedback he received through these sessions encouraged him to continue toward his goal. The initial portion of that goal was reached in in 1989, when his first recorded song, the self-penned "Life Goes On" single became an immediate #1 in Jamaica. It was recorded for producer Winston Riley, longtime member of the foundation vocal trio, the Techniques. The success of the single warranted the recording of a full album, which was soon released as the Life Goes On LP.

Since recording his first album, Spanner has worked with a variety of producers on the island and abroad, recording one-off singles and the occasional quality album. In addition to Winston Riley, Spanner has recorded for Philip "Fattis" Burrell, Bobby Digital, Sly & Robbie, Lloyd "King Jammy" James, Colin "Bulby" York & Lynford "Fatta" Marshall, Norman "Bulpus" Bryan, Phillip Smart, Jah Screw, Tuff Gong, and many others. Spanner finds different motivation from each of them and continues to lend his polished voice if the proper situation arises. "Every man have them vibes, you see me? Different producers have different vibes." He adds, "Me like fi venture out and experiment."

Spanner Banner's albums include the aforementioned Life Goes On, Now and Forever (1994), Chill (1995), Clean Up Your Action (1997), and Lover's Story (1998), which was the first album to be produced on Spanner's own Sweet Angel label. Recently, Spanner has released a new album called Real Love.

Fowlie Don has recorded a combination with Spanner Banner over a tough Rootsman version of the Cuss Cuss rhythm. This track will be released in the future on Third Eye Studio.