Biography of The Kinks

Although they weren't as boldly innovative as the Beatles, as popular as the Rolling Stones or as mythologized as the Who, the Kinks were one of the most influential bands of the British invasion. Throughout their three decade career, the band has always been outsiders, or as lead singer/songwriter Ray Davies put it, misfits. Like most bands of their era, the Kinks began as an R&B/blues outfit. Within four years, the band had become the most staunchly English of all their contemporaries, drawing heavily from British music hall and traditional pop, as well as incorporating elements of country, folk, and blues. Running the gamut from brutal hard rock to gentle pop ballads, the Kinks had a career that was both inspiring and profoundly frustrating.Throughout their long, varied career, the core of the Kinks remained Ray (b. June 21, 1944) and Dave Davies (b. February 3, 1947), who were born and raised in Muswell Hill, London. In their teens, the brothers jammed together, playing skiffle and rock & roll on their guitars. Soon, the brothers recruited a schoolmate of Ray's, Peter Quaife, to play with them; like the Davies brothers, Quaife also played guitar. With a fellow classmate, John Start, on drums, the group began playing at various local arenas. While he was at art college in the early '60s, Ray Davies became infatuated with American blues and jazz, joining the Hamilton King/Dave Hunt Band, who frequently played in the London area. While he was playing in the blues band, Ray was also part of Dave's R&B/rock & roll quartet. By the time the group had decided to call themselves the Ravens in the summer of 1963, Ray had left the Hamilton King/Dave Hunt Band to concentrate on rock & roll. In addition to the Davies brothers, the Ravens included Peter Quiafe on bass and a new drummer, Mickey Willet. Through Willet, the band met Robert Wace, a failed pop singer who became one of their managers, along with Grenville Collins. With the help of Larry Page, an executive of a music publishing company called Denmark Productions, the pair began shopping a Ravens demo tape. After being turned down by Decca and Phillips, the tape got the attention of Shel Talmy, an American record producer who was under contract to Pye Records. Talmy helped the band land a contratct with Pye in 1964. Before signing to the label, the Ravens replaced drummer Willet with Mick Avory (b. Michael Charles Avory, February 15, 1944), who was hired through an ad in Melody Maker. The Ravens recorded their debut single, a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally, " in January, 1965. Before the single was released, Wace and Collins forced the band to change their name to the Kinks. Before the release of the single, the Kinks signed a five-year management deal with Boscobel Productions, a new company formed by Wace and Collins. According to the contract's terms, Boscobel would manage the group for the next five years, as well as controlling the band's publishing. Following the signing of the contract, Boscobel signed the publishing and managing rights to Larry Page's Denmark Productions, meaning that the Kinks were being managed by Page, although they didn't have a direct contract with him."Long Tall Sally" was released in February of 1964 and it failed to chart. Quickly, the group prepared a followup single, Ray Davies' "You Still Want Me; " It also was a major flop. Although they had sustained two unsuccessful singles, the Kinks managed to get on a package tour with the Dave Clark Five and the Hollies, where the band began winning fans with their raw rocker, "You Really Got Me." In July, the band entered the studio to record the song. The song was finished within a day, but the group was unhappy with the final result, thinking it sounded too polished. The Kinks convinced Pye to let the band re-record the song. The second take of "You Really Got Me" was much noisier and dynamic, featuring a savage, fuzz-toned two-chord riff played by session musician Jimmy Page and a frenzied solo from Dave Davies. Not only was the final version the blueprint for the Kinks' early sound, but scores of groups -- most notably the Who -- used the heavy, power chords as a foundation; in many ways, the single was the first heavy metal record. "You Really Got Me" was an immediate hit, reaching number one within a month of its release. Released on Reprise Records in the US, the singles was also a major hit, climbing up to number seven. Capitalizing on the success of the single, Pye forced the Kinks to record a full-length album immediately. The self-titled album rose to number three in the UK charts; in the US, Reprise released a restructured version of the album called You Really Got Me. "All Day and All of the Night, " the group's fourth single, was released shortly after The Kinks and it rose all the way to number two; in America, it rose to number seven, much like its predecessor.Already, the Kinks were established as major hit makers, and a flood of material appeared, including their fifth single, "Tired of Waiting for You, " which became a British number one hit in early 1965. In the US, "Tired of Waiting for You" became the group's biggest hit, peaking at number six. Kinda Kinks, the group's second album, was released in early 1965. Like its predecessor, Kinda Kinks reached number three on the British charts, but the album was different in one respect -- it featured a total of ten original Ray Davies songs (including one cowritten with Dave Davies). Not only was the group recording at a breakneck pace, they were touring relentlessly, as well. The Kinks soon began to pay the price for their nonstop schedule, as they were beset by illness and fights. The tensions continued throughout the band's 1965 American tour. Within the first week of the tour, Ray Davies and manager Larry Page had gotten into a major battle, resulting in Page departing for England. After he left, Davies asked Wace and Collins to fire Page. That task wasn't accomplished until the fall, when the pair discovered a series of legal loopholes, thanks to the advice of Allen Klein, an American music lawyer. The managers claimed the group's initial contract with Boscobel was invalid, since they were under 21 when they signed, and therefore the contract with Denmark Publishing was also invalid. After dissolving their original agreement with Boscobel, they arranged a new deal which kept Wace and Collins as their managers, while jettisoning Page and Denmark. Page sued the band in response, beginning a five year legal battle that would keep all of Ray Davies' songwriting royalities in escrow. At the conclusion of their summer 1965 tour, the Kinks were banned from re-entering the United States by the American government. It would appear that the reason they were barred from returning to the United States came from the American Federation of Musicians, who recommended to the government that the group be denied work visas. For four years, the Kinks were prohibited from returning to the United States, which not only meant that the group was deprived of the world's largest music market, but they were effectively cut off from the musical and social upheavels of the late '60s. Consequently, Ray Davies' songwriting grew more introspective and nostalgiac, creating a subgenre of pop/rock that relied more on overtly English musical influences such as music hall, country and English folk than the rest of their British contemporaries.Heavily influenced by Indian music, the Kinks' next single, "See My Friends," was indicative of the progression in Davies' songwriting, featuring a more complex melody and sharper lyrics. "A Well Respected Man," the group's followup single in the US, was even more distinctive, featuring a sprightly, music hall-derived melody and Davies' first stab at social commentary. Before the release of their fourth album, The Kinks Kontroversy, in December, the group released another hard rock single, "Till the End of the Day," which became their seventh Top 10 UK hit. The record was quickly followed in early 1966 with another Davies' social commentary single, "Dedicated Follower of Fashion," which became a major hit in England. Despite the Kinks' continuing success, the pressures of the band's relentless schedule was wearing on Ray Davies, causing him to have a nervous breakdown after the release of "Dedicated Follower of Fashion."Ray Davies used his recovery period to write a set of songs for the Kinks' forthcoming album, including the band's next big hit, "Sunny Afternoon." Released in the summer of 1966, the song was the next installment in Davies' series of wry social satires, complete with a vaudevillian sense of humor and style. The song was the biggest hit of the summer of 1966 in the UK, reaching number one; it was nearly as successful in the US, climbing to number 14. "Sunny Afternoon" was a teaser for the band's great leap forward, Face to Face, a record that featured a vast array of musical styles and more ambitious, accomplished songwriting from Davies. It was a success in England, but the album failed to create much of an impact in the United States. Face to Face was released with a non-album single, Dead End Street, a biting political criticism that became a major hit in the UK. Although the Kinks were in the position were they could consolidate their success with a major UK tour, they were unable to do embark on a large tour because of their lawsuit with Larry Page. Instead, the band continued to work on studio material, releasing "Mr. Pleasant" in April of 1967. The following month, they returned with "Waterloo Sunset, " a ballad that reached number two in the UK in the spring of 1967. That summer, Dave Davies released his first solo single, "Death of a Clown, " a song that was co-written with Ray and recorded with the Kinks. "Death of a Clown" became a hit single, peaking at number three, and was featured on the band's next album, Something Else. Released in the fall of 1967 (early 1968, in the US), Something Else continued the progressions of Face to Face, illustrating that the Kinks had developed an utterly distinctive -- and utterly English -- brand of pop, that was eclectic, wistful and intelligent. Despite the Kinks' musical growth, their chart performance was beginning to stagnate. Something Else barely made it into the UK Top 40, while it couldn't crack the American Top 150. Following the lackluster performance of Something Else, the Kinks rushed out a new single, "Autumn Almanac, " that didn't differ greatly from the preceding album but it became another big hit for the band, reaching number three. After the success of "Autumn Almanac, " Dave Davies came out with another single, "Susannah's Still Alive, " that was a modest hit at number 20. Released in the spring of 1968, the Kinks' "Wonderboy" was the band's first single not to crack the Top 10 since "You Really Got Me" -- in fact it barely made it into the Top 40, peaking at number 36. They recovered somewhat with "Days, " which hit number 12, but the band's commercial decline was evident by the complete lack of success of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.Released in the fall of 1968, Village Green Preservation Society was loosely based on Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood and was a culmination of Ray Davies' increasingly nostaligic and nationalistic tendencies. While the album racked up almost no sales, it was well-received by the critics, particularly in the US. Critical notices didn't help the band book tours, however, and the band had to settle for playing supper clubs instead of concert halls by the end of 1968. Peter Quaife soon grew tired of the band's lack of success, and he left the band by the end of the year, being replaced by John Dalton. In early 1969, as Ray Davies concentrated on writing film and television music, as well as producing records. The group released a new single, "Plastic Man, " in the spring, and it became a modest success. Meanwhile, Reprise Records in America was planning a new marketing strategy, hiring critic John Mendelssohn to promote the band to the country. Developing the "God Save the Kinks" campaign, Mendelssohn helped create a small buzz within the US rock & roll underground, which made the band begin negotations with the AFM so they could tour America again. They were successful in lifting the ban, and scheduled their first US tour in four years. Before they began the tour, the Kinks completed and released Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire, which consisted of a number of songs from an abandoned television program Davies was collaborating on with Julian Mitchell. Like its two predecessors, Arthur concerned distinctly British lyrical and musical themes, but it was a modest success, mainly because the group was able to support the record with a tour. As they were recording the followup to Arthur, the Kinks expanded their lineup to include a keyboardist by the name of John Gosling. The first appearance of Gosling on a Kinks record was "Lola, " a song about a chance encounter with a transvestite. Featuring a harder rock foundation than their last few singles, "Lola" was a Top 10 hit in both the UK and the US. Its success led to a number of opportunities for the band, as they were asked to score the British comedy film Percy and they went a number of tours. Released in the fall of 1970, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One was their most successful record since the mid-'60s in both the US and UK, helping the band become concert favorites, particularly in the US. That same year, the Kinks' lawsuit with Larry Page was settled. Shortly after the settlement, the band's contract with Pye/Reprise expired with the release of the Percy soundtrack in early 1971, leaving the Kinks free to pursue a new record contract. For most of 1970 and 1971, the Kinks were on the road, spending a great deal of time in the United States. Their concerts were becoming notorious for sloppy, drunken performances. By the end of 1971, they had secured a five-album deal with RCA Records which brought them a million dollar advance. Muswell Hillbilles, their first record for RCA, appeared late in 1971 as well. Instead of building on the hard rock foundation and popularity of Lola, Muswell Hillbillies marked a return to the nostaligia of the Kinks' late '60s albums, only with more pronounced country and music hall influences. Unsurprisingly, the album failed to be the commercial blockbuster RCA had hoped for, spending a brief amount of time on the charts. A few months after the release of Muswell Hillbilles, Reprise released a double-album compilation callled The Kink Kronikles which outsold their RCA debut. Not only did their first record for RCA fail to perform up to expectations in America, but the Kinks were being shut out of England's competitive pop music market. "Supersonic Rocket Ship, " a UK-only single, was released in the spring of 1972 and became a modest hit, but it was their last British hit single for over a decade. Everybody's In Showbiz, a double record set consisting of one album of studio tracks and another of live material, was a disappointment in the UK, although the album was more successful than Muswell Hillbillies in the US. Ray Davies composed a full-blown rock opera with the followup to Everybody's in Showbiz, Preservation, an expanded dramatic take on The Village Green Preservation Society. After debuting a rough version of the musical in early 1973 at London's Drury Lane Theatre, the Kinks recorded the album early in the year. A few months later, the Kinks opened their own record studio, Konk, as they continued to work on Preservation, augmented by a brass section and backup singers. When the first installment of the opera finally appeared in late 1973, it was harshly criticized and was given a cold reception from the public. Undaunted, the Kinks continued to work on Act 2, which appeared in the summer of 1974; the sequel received worse treatment than its predecessor, as critics panned the record and the public avoided it. Davies began another musical, Starmaker, for the BBC. As the Kinks toured to support Preservation in the fall of 1974, Davies continued to work on Starmaker, which eventually metamorphosized into Soap Opera. Released in the spring of 1975, Soap Opera was more commercially successful record than its immediate predecessors, even though the critics panned it. Following another theatrically-oriented tour for Soap Opera, the Kinks recorded Davies' third straight rock opera, Schoolboys in Disgrace. Although he hadn't abandoned his infatuation for musical drama, Davies and the Kinks returned to hard rock on Schoolboys, which helped make the record their most commercially successful album since Lola.During 1976, the Kinks left RCA and signed with Arista Records. With their new label came a new approach for the band. No longer were they going to record a series of musicals -- they were going to be a hard rock band, aiming to play arenas. In fact, their contract specifically stated the group would not deliver concept albums to Arista. During the fall of 1976, they worked on their debut Arista album. Bassist John Dalton left the group near the completion of the record; he was replaced by Andy Pyle. Sleepwalker, the Kinks' first album for Arista, was indeed a collection of short, hard rocking songs that were designed for the mainstream. The gamble was a success, as it peaked at number 21 in the US, making it the most successful Kinks album in over a decade. The band rounded out the year with a holiday single, "Father Christmas."As the band was completing the followup to Sleepwalker, bassist Andy Pyle left the group and was replaced by the returning John Dalton. Misfits, the band's second Arista album, was fashioned after Sleepwalker and was also a US success, even if it didn't equal the performance of its predecessor. After a British tour, Dalton left the band again, along with keyboardist John Gosling; bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of Argent) and keyboardist Gordon Edwards (formerly of the Pretty Things) filled the vacancies. Soon, the band was playing arenas in the United States. While their critical fortunes were still languishing, their sales continued to rise and a number of emerging punk, new wave, and heavy metal bands were covering Kinks songs, including the Jam, the Pretenders, and Van Halen. Even though the next generation of cutting-edge rockers were paying overt homage to the Kinks, the band was becoming more blatantly commercial with each release, culminating in the heavy arena rock Low Budget (1979). Preceded by the disco/hard rock thumper "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman, " the album was the group's biggest American success, peaking at number 11. In Britain, it was ignored. Low Budget was quickly followed by One for the Road, a live album recorded on an American tour. It was another success, going gold in the US. After reestablishing themselves as viable commercial properties, the Kinks took a bit of a break in late 1980 and early 1981. Dave Davies released his first solo album, AFL1-3603, in the summer of 1980, which was moderately successful, peaking at number 42 in the US. Dave released his second, less successful solo album, Glamour, in 1981 only a few months before the Kinks' next album, Give the People What They Want. The record was another major American success, peaking at number 15 and going gold. For most of 1982, the band was on tour. At the end of the year, they released a UK-only single, "Come Dancing, " to coincide with a British tour; the single didn't chart. In spring of 1983, "Come Dancing" was released in the US supported by a video that became an MTV staple. The song became the group's biggest hit since "Tired of Waiting for You, " reaching number six; the song climbed to number 12 when it was re-released in the UK. State of Confusion followed the release of "Come Dancing, " and it was another success, peaking at number 12 in the US. "Don't Forget to Dance" was a lesser hit, but it still reached the American Top 40. Later that summer, Dave Davies released his third solo album, Chosen People, but it failed to chart. For the remainder of 1983, Ray Davies worked on a film project, Return to Waterloo, which caused considerble tension between himself and his brother. Instead of breaking up, the Kinks merely reshuffled their lineup, but there was a major casualty -- Mick Avory, the band's drummer for 20 years. Avory was fired, replaced by former Argent drummer Bob Henrit. As Ray finished post-production duties on Return to Waterloo, he wrote the next Kinks album, Word of Mouth. Released in late 1984, the album featured several songs from Return to Waterloo, which appeared on home video within a few months of the release of Word of Mouth; the soundtrack to the film was released in 1985 as Ray Davies' first solo project. Although it was simliar in tone to the last few Kinks records, Word of Mouth was a commercial disappointment, peaking at number 57. It began a period of decine for the band -- they never released another record that cracked the Top 40.Word of Mouth was the last album they would record for Arista Records. In early 1986, the company released a collection, Come Dancing With the Kinks -- The Best of the Kinks 1977-1986, and the band signed with MCA Records in the US, London in the UK. Think Visual, their first album for their new label, was released in late 1986. It was a mild success, reaching number 81 in the US, but there were no hit singles from the record. The following year, the Kinks released another live album, appropriately titled The Road, which spent a brief time on the charts. Two years later, the Kinks released their last studio record for MCA, UK Jive, which spent a mere eight weeks on the charts. During 1989, keyboardist Ian Gibbons left the band. The Kinks were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, but the induction did not help revive their career. In 1991, a compilation of their MCA records, Lost & Found (1986-1989), appeared, signalling that their contract with the label had expired. Later in the year, the band signed with Columbia Records and released an EP called Did Ya, which didn't chart. The Kinks' first album for Columbia, Phobia, arrived in 1993 to fair reviews but poor sales. By this time, only Ray and Dave Davies remained from the original lineup. In 1994, the band was dropped from Columbia Records, leaving the group to release To the Bone on an independent label. Released in the fall of 1994, To the Bone was an "unplugged" live album featuring the group's early hits and popular album tracks that was only released in the UK, since the Kinks were left without a record label in the US. Although it received positive reviews, it didn't sell many records. Despite a lack of commercial success, the band's public profile began to rise in 1995, as the group was hailed as an influence on several of the most popular British bands of the decade, including Blur and Oasis. Ray Davies was soon on popular television shows again, acting as these band's godfather and promoting his autobiography, X-Ray, which was published in early 1995. The book was released in the US in late 1995. Not to be outdone, Dave Davies wrote his own autobiography, Kink, which was scheduled for British release in the spring of 1996. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine