The Kinks

The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential British rock groups of all time. From their explosive beginnings as part of the British Beat movement to forays into concept albums, stadium rock, and acoustic balladeering, The Kinks have left an unimpeachable legacy of classic songs, many of which form the building blocks of popular music as we know it today. Ray Davies is the quintessential English songwriter. He is truly one of a kind. His songs chronicled the working class, celebrating the joys and melancholy of day-to-day living. Davies is a magnificent observer of British life.

Hailing from Muswell Hill in North London, The Kinks were formed by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. Calling themselves The Ravens, an early line-up saw them playing a combination of R&B and rock and roll with friend Peter Quaife on bass. A self-produced demo tape reached record producer Shel Talmy, who helped the band land a contract with Pye Records in 1964. Before signing, the group replaced their drummer with Mick Avory and renamed themselves The Kinks.

The group’s third single, You Really Got Me, stormed to the top of the UK charts. Written by Ray in their parents’ front room and fueled by Dave’s aggressive, outrageous guitar sound, the song has since been cited as the inspiration for garage rock, punk, heavy metal and by contemporaries, The Who.

Between 1965-1967, The Kinks enjoyed their first commercial peak, scoring nine British and seven US chart hits. As the leader of the Kinks, Ray Davies has covered the spectrum of the rock idiom like few others, writing such rock classics as, “Sunny Afternoon”, “Waterloo Sunset”, “Lola”, “Tired of Waiting For You,” “A Well Respected Man”, “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” and “Come Dancing”.

While Davies has long been considered the quintessential British songwriter, the Kinks and their leader were never just an English phenomenon, as America first accepted Davies’ lyrical sense of humour and irresistible hooks during the first British Invasion in the early Sixties, and the love affair has continued through hot and cold periods for over 30 years.

In recent times The Kinks came out as the top earners for music used in TV adverts in the US, earning them a reported £6m a year. The Kinks were enjoying a resurgence – with their music being used to sell washing powder, computers and medicines.

Although they weren’t as innovative as the Beatles or as popular as the Rolling Stones or the Who, the Kinks were one of the most influential bands of the British Invasion.

The group’s 1970 hit “Lola” an account of a confused romantic encounter with a transvestite was a top 10 hit in the UK and US The lyrics originally contained the word “Coca-Cola”, and as a result the BBC refused to broadcast the song, considering it to be in violation of their policy against product placement. Ray was forced to re-record the lyric of Coca-Cola to Cherry Cola to get played on the BBC, taking two return flights during a US tour to complete this.

For many years The Kinks had been receiving reverential nods from the rock fraternity, all of which increased their cachet with wave after wave of new bands and musicians. In 1978, The Jam covered “David Watts” while The Pretenders had their first UK hit with a version of “Stop Your Sobbing”, and Van Halen jumpstarted their career with a hard rock take on “You Really Got Me”. Biggest of all was Kirsty McColl’s breathtaking take on “Days”.

In 1990, all four members of the original Kinks lineup – Davies, Davies, Quaife, and Avory — were inducted into the prestigious American Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Through the 90s, The Kinks garnered a whole new generation of fans as yet another wave of musicians paid tribute to the band. Blur’s Damon Albarn in particular acknowledged Davies as a key influence, as did Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis, with Ray Davies garnering the fond title, “Godfather of Britpop.” 2005 saw the Kinks’ entry into the UK Music Hall of Fame.

Away from the dizzy heights of showbiz, Ray Davies made front-page news in 2004 when he was shot in the leg while on holiday in New Orleans. Two men stole his girlfriend’s purse at gunpoint, a brave (or mad), Davies gave chase, and one of the muggers shot him in the leg – resulting in the singer being admitted to hospital, but his injuries were not serious. The headlines the following day ran; “You Really Shot Me!” Davies later told reporters how much it hurt being shot!

Sadly, a debilitating major stroke in 2004 forced Dave to focus solely on regaining his health. Through determination and therapy, by 2007 Dave was well enough to record and release the album Fractured Mindz, and was ready to tour again in 2013 in support of his album, I Will Be Me.

Peter Quaife, who had been receiving kidney dialysis for more than ten years, died on 23rd June 2010. Ray Davies dedicated his emotional June 27th performance at the Glastonbury festival to his honour, telling the crowd, “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.”

Music writers and other musicians have acknowledged the influence of the Kinks on the development of hard rock and heavy metal. Musicologist Joe Harrington stated: “‘You Really Got Me’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’ and ‘I Need You’ were predecessors of the whole three-chord genre … The Kinks did a lot to help turn rock ‘n’ roll into rock.” Queen guitarist Brian May credited the band with planting “the seed which grew into riff-based music.”

Four Kinks albums have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the band has sold over 50 million records worldwide. Among numerous honours, they received the Ivor Novello Award for “Outstanding Service to British Music