Ray Davies was attending art school in England when he joined his younger brother Dave's band, The Ravens, in 1963. In short order Ray had taken over the group, renamed The Kinks, retaining bassist Pete Quaife and recruiting Mick Avory to play drums. With this lineup they secured a contract with Pye Records in 1964 and released a rendition of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally", which failed to chart. A second effort, "You Do Something to Me" met a similar fate. The band's third release would alter their fortunes as "You Really Got Me" went to #1 in England and #7 in the U.S. The following year "All Day and All of the Night" (#7) and "Tired of Waiting for You" (#6) both reached the Top Ten in the U.S. and set a pattern for future releases of alternating tough rockers and ballads with "Set Me Free" (#23) "Who'll Be the Next in Line" (#34).
In 1966 the Kinks released two singles of pointed satire, "A Well Respected Man" (#13) and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" (#36), indicating the personal turn Ray Davies' songs were taking. Their next album, "The Kink Kontroversy", though containing another Hard Rock 45, "Till the End of the Day" (#50) was increasingly introspective, with songs like "I'm on an Island". Also that year, an appearance on the American TV show Hullabaloo resulted in a problem with the American Federation of Musicians that wasn't resolved until 1969 and prevented the group from touring the U.S. for some time. "Sunny Afternoon" (#14 in 1966) from the "Face to Face" LP was their last hit of that period.
During their years of U.S. exile, Ray Davies became increasingly introspective. He later composed the first of many concept albums, "The Village Green Preservation Society" (1969), an LP of nostalgia for all the quaint English customs (such as virginity) that other bands were rebelling against. Dave Davies, who had been writing the occasional song for The Kinks almost from the beginning, had a solo hit in England with "Death of a Clown", actually a Kinks' song that he wrote and sang. More of Dave's singles followed ("Susannah's Still Alive" and "Lincoln County"), none of which repeated the success of "Death Of A Clown". A planned solo album was recorded, but released in drips and drabs years later on collections. The Kinks' next LP, "Arthur, or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire", was, along with the Who's "Tommy", an early Rock opera, written for a British TV show that never aired. The Kinks' next concept album, "Lola Versus Powerman" and "The Moneygoround, Part One" (#35, 1970), was built around the story of trying to get a hit record. "Lola" was undoubtedly the first Rock hit about a transvestite, and reached #9 in America.
The group then left Reprise for RCA, continuing to work on concept pieces, once again without hits. Nevertheless it acquired a reputation as a cheerfully boozy live band. Kinks' performances were known for messy musicianship and on stage arguments between Ray and Dave Davies, while Ray sometimes sprayed beer at the audience. This was chronicled on "Everybody's in Show-Biz", a double album split between Ray Davies' first road songs and a loose live set. Concept albums became soundtracks for theatrical presentations starring The Kinks in the next years. "Preservation, Acts 1 and 2", "Soap Opera", and "Schoolboys In Disgrace" were all composed for the stage, complete with extra horn players and singers. For all of the elaborate shows though, the albums weren't selling. The Kinks left RCA and concept albums behind in 1976. They finally scored a hit in 1978 with "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" (#30, 1978). "Low Budget" (#11, 1979), aided by another successful 45, "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" (#41 in 1979), became The Kinks' first Gold record since the Reprise greatest-hits collection of their early singles.
In the meantime, new groups began rediscovering The Kinks' catalogue, notably Van Halen ("You Really Got Me") and The Pretenders ("Stop Your Sobbing"). The group, which had tightened up considerably on stage with the addition of former Argent bassist Jim Rodford in 1978, responded with "One For The Road" (#14 in 1980), a double live album that was accompanied by one of the first full-length Rock videos. It too went Gold, as did "Give the People What They Want" (#15 in 1981). Over the years, Ray Davies also produced two albums by Claire Hamill (for his ill-fated Konk Records), worked with Tom Robinson, and scored the films The Virgin, Soldiers and Percy. Dave Davies finally came out with a solo album on RCA in 1980 and another in 1981. Both featured Dave on most of the instruments and achieved modest success.
The Kinks' third wind continued with "State of Confusion" (#12 in 1983), which gave the group its first Top Ten hit since "Lola". The delightfully nostalgic "Come Dancing" (#6 in 1983). A wistful ballad, "Don't Forget To Dance", reached #29 later in the year. Other mid-Eighties activities included Return to Waterloo (1985), a film Ray Davies wrote and directed, incorporating Kinks music, and Ray having a daughter, Natalie, with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders in 1983. The relationship ended the following year.
Beginning with "Word of Mouth", The Kinks once again fell on hard times. None of the band's subsequent albums on Arista, MCA, and Columbia, sold well. But The Kinks, with ex-Argent drummer Bob Henrit in place of Mick Avory, continued touring. In 1990 the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and in 1993 the group undertook its first U.S. tour in more than three years to promote the LP "Phobia". The album's first single, "Hatred (A Duet)" poked fun at the longstanding antagonism between Ray and Dave Davies that has led both brothers to quit the band on more than one occasion. .
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 in the U.K. Dave Davies' autobiography, Kink, was published in the Spring of 1996. The Kinks ceased performing in 1996 and Ray Davies started touring independently. Initially, he toured with the mainly acoustic 20th Century Man, An Evening With Ray Davies and Storyteller shows, accompanied by guitarist Pete Mathison. In more recent times, he toured with a full band consisting of, among others, Toby Baron on drums, Geoff Dugmore on drums, Dick Nolan on bass, Gunnar Frick on keyboards, Ian Gibbons on keyboards, Scott Donaldson on guitar, Mark Johns on guitar, Michael 'Milton' McDonald on guitar, Bill Shanley on guitar and Damon Wilson on drums. In 1990, their first year of eligibility, the original four members of The Kinks were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, as well as the UK Music Hall of Fame in November 2005.
Pete Quaife, who had been receiving kidney dialysis for more than ten years, died on June 23rd, 2010 at the age of 66. Ray Davies dedicated his June 27th performance at the Glastonbury Festival to Quaife and performed several Kinks songs in tribute to him. Davies told the crowd, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him." In 2011, Ray Davies was laid up for six months following the discovery of blood clots in his lungs. Although nothing has been officially announced, both Davies brothers have stated that they are open to a Kinks reunion. Past members John Dalton, Mick Avory, John Gosling and occasionally Jim Rodford have made several live appearances together, calling themselves The Cast Off Kinks.
On August 12th, 2012, Ray Davies appeared at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics where he performed "Waterloo Sunset". Unfortunately for American TV viewers, NBC chose to edit their coverage and Davies performance was not broadcast. In February, 2014, The Songwriters Hall Of Fame announced that it would induct Ray Davies at a ceremony at New York City's Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 12th. Ray was responsible for all the group's U.S. Top 10 singles: "You Really Got Me", "All Day and All of the Night", "Tired of Waiting for You", "Lola" and "Come Dancing". Just days before the induction, Ray and his brother, Dave, were in contact by phone and e-mail, hashing over the possibility of a Kinks' reunion. Said Dave, "I'd say the odds of that happening are 50/50."
On June 11th, 2015 Ray Davies was honored with a London Legend Award at a ceremony held at the Camden Roundhouse. In September, The Kinks announced the release of an album of songs from the successful West End musical Sunny Afternoon, including the hits "You Really Got Me", "Waterloo Sunset", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion", "Lola", "All Day And All Of The Night" and others. The musical won four Oliver awards including Best New Musical, Best Actor In A Musical, Best Actor In A Supporting Role In A Musical, and Outstanding Achievement In Music for Ray Davies. Ray and Dave Davies performed together for the first time in twenty years on December 18, 2015 when Ray joined his brother on stage at London's Islington Assembly Hall. The pair performed their 1964 smash "You Really Got Me" and re-ignited hope that the Davies brothers would put aside their years of bickering and animosity and reform the band. On November 5th, 2016, Dave Davies posted on Twitter: "Me and Ray have not spoken about Kinks shows at all – although we're trying to work together on other stuff and have worked on music together.
March 16th, 2017 brought another honor to the now 72-year-old Ray Davies when he was knighted by the Prince Of Wales for services to the arts at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, England. June 25, 2018 brought more good news for Kinks fans when Ray Davies announced that the band was getting back together following a twenty year rift. In an interview with Britain's Channel 4, Ray said, "The trouble is, the two remaining members, my brother Dave and Mick (Avory), never got along very well. But I've made that work in the studio and it's fired me up to make them play harder, and with fire." That fire was being directed toward a new album that will feature songs Davies wrote during the split. Ray added, "I've got all these songs that I wrote for the band when we, not broke up, parted company, and I think it's kind of an appropriate time to do it."
In November, 2018, just over fifty years after it was released, the album "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society" was certified Gold in the U.K. for selling more than 100,000 copies. The LP was re-issued in October and includes remastered versions of the original tracks in stereo and mono, out-takes, alternative versions of songs, demos, vinyl, a book and other memorabilia. In July, 2019, Dave Davies told Rolling Stone that he and brother Ray were recording some songs for a potential album, expected to be released that October.
August 1st, 2019 brought the sad news of the passing of former Kinks' keyboard player Ian Gibbons. He joined the group in 1979 and played on many of the band's hit songs, including "Come Dancing", "Destroyer", "Do It Again" and "Don't Forget to Dance". Gibbons left The Kinks in 1989, but rejoined in 1993. More recently, he performed as part of Kast Off Kinks, a group made up of former band members.
October, 2020 brought news of a new box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of their album "Lola Versus Powerman". The three-disc collection includes the original 1970 LP, remastered from the original tapes, as well as B-sides, alternate mixes, out-takes and instrumental and acoustic versions of the tracks. The set was to be released on December 18th.
The Kinks marked their 60th anniversary as a band in 2023 with the release of an album called "The Journey – Part 1", a two-disc compilation featuring songs hand picked by the surviving members. The set was due to hit store shelves on March 24th. A second volume of "The Journey" was slated to appear later in the year.
On August 4th, 2023, John Gosling, who played keyboards for The Kinks from 1970-78, passed away at the age of 75. Dave Davies said in a statement, "He has been a friend and important contributor to the Kinks' music during his time with us. Deepest sympathies to his wife and family. I will hold deep affection and love for him in my heart always. Great musician and a great man."
