A Look Back at The Kinks
by Daisay Johnson
2014 marks the The Kinks’ 50th anniversary. Earlier this month, Ray Davies hinted at the possibility of a reunion of The Kinks to celebrate the occasion, and told The Sunday Times, “I met Dave only last week to talk about getting together again. We've also spoken a few times on the phone and emailed…. We both agree we don't want to do old stuff or tour with past hits — it's got to be something new.”
Over the years, there have been plenty of rumours of a reunion, but the fact that they’ve met face to face and discussed a possible reunion, is a big development. It is believed that the Davies’ brothers have had little contact with each other since The Kinks’ disbanded and have only communicated by fax and email for years.
So, here’s a little look back at The Kinks, their music and the impact they’ve had over the past 5 decades.
Ray and Dave Davies formed the band in 1963 under the name ‘The Ravens’ with bassist Pete Quaife, and drummer Mick Avory, but it wasn’t until their manager Larry Page renamed the group and released their first single in 1964, that The Kinks were born.
Dubbed ‘The most underrated Rock N' Roll band of all time’, The Kinks were one of the most influential English rock bands of the 1960s. They were one of the key bands of the ‘British Invasion’ of the mid-1960s, along with The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones.
After signing a recording contract with Pye Records, the band gained popularity in 1964 with the release of their 3rd single, ‘You Really Got Me’, which reached #1 in the UK charts and #7 in the US.
Their experimentation with deeper, louder and harder rock sounds fused with RnB, made the band stand out and led them to be one of the most unique and important rock bands of the 60s.
by Daisay Johnson
2014 marks the The Kinks’ 50th anniversary. Earlier this month, Ray Davies hinted at the possibility of a reunion of The Kinks to celebrate the occasion, and told The Sunday Times, “I met Dave only last week to talk about getting together again. We've also spoken a few times on the phone and emailed…. We both agree we don't want to do old stuff or tour with past hits — it's got to be something new.”
Over the years, there have been plenty of rumours of a reunion, but the fact that they’ve met face to face and discussed a possible reunion, is a big development. It is believed that the Davies’ brothers have had little contact with each other since The Kinks’ disbanded and have only communicated by fax and email for years.
So, here’s a little look back at The Kinks, their music and the impact they’ve had over the past 5 decades.
Ray and Dave Davies formed the band in 1963 under the name ‘The Ravens’ with bassist Pete Quaife, and drummer Mick Avory, but it wasn’t until their manager Larry Page renamed the group and released their first single in 1964, that The Kinks were born.
Dubbed ‘The most underrated Rock N' Roll band of all time’, The Kinks were one of the most influential English rock bands of the 1960s. They were one of the key bands of the ‘British Invasion’ of the mid-1960s, along with The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones.
After signing a recording contract with Pye Records, the band gained popularity in 1964 with the release of their 3rd single, ‘You Really Got Me’, which reached #1 in the UK charts and #7 in the US.
Their experimentation with deeper, louder and harder rock sounds fused with RnB, made the band stand out and led them to be one of the most unique and important rock bands of the 60s.
They’ve influenced a wide variety of bands, including The Clash, The Ramones, The Jam, The Pretenders, Van Halen, David Bowie, Oasis, Queen, The Stooges etc. The list goes on and on.
However, despite their success, the Kinks’ still failed to conquer America during the band’s most important years. Rob Jovanovic, author of Kinks’ biography ‘God Save The Kinks’, writes, "When The Kinks were set for a second tour of America in 1965 it became apparent that the group had been banned from travelling to the US," he writes. "No official reason was ever given, no announcement was ever made and it was never explained to the band or the management." After a 4-year struggle, the band was eventually allowed to tour the US in 1969. During the band's entire 32-year run, they’ve released 25 studio albums, 78 singles, and had 13 members in total, though the Davies’ brothers were the only members to remain in the band from beginning to end. Although their earlier albums and singles were hugely successful in the 1960s and 1970s, The Kinks’ later albums were not as commercially successful. |
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In fact, during the 1980s and 1990s, the band slowly became less active and officially disbanded in 1996.
In 1990, the original 4 members (Dave Davies, Ray Davies, Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After many years, The Kinks have secured their legacy as incredible songwriters and performers. In 2012, Ray Davies sang Waterloo Sunset at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony.
In 1990, the original 4 members (Dave Davies, Ray Davies, Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After many years, The Kinks have secured their legacy as incredible songwriters and performers. In 2012, Ray Davies sang Waterloo Sunset at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony.