Main Page
Index of Artists
Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
The Koobas
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas
Ray Davies - guitar/vocals (born June 21st 1944, London) Dave Davies - lead guitar/vocals (born February 3rd 1947, London) Pete Quaife - bass guitar (born December 31st 1943, Tavistock) Mick Avory - drums (born February 15th 1944, Hampton Court)
The Kinks bagan their career in a similar way to hundreds of other groups, playing R'n'B and blues music. By drawing on the old British Music Hall and traditional pop, within a few years they developed into the most "English" sounding of all their contemporaries. One of the most influential groups of the era, the Davies' brothers, Quaife and drummer John Start originally came together as The Ray Davies Quartet in September 1962. In early '63 Dave Davies went to see a Vincent Price film called "The Raven", which prompted the group to change its name to The Ravens. After hearing a demo tape, producer Shel Talmy signed them to Pye Records. Avory replaced Start towards the end of 1963 and the group was re-named The Kinks. The first two singles made no impression whatsoever, but the third, "You Really Got Me" was a different matter. This record went to No. 1 in the charts and was to influence virtually every rock guitarist of the Sixties. The next few singles would be in a similar style. Their commercial peak was from 1964-7 when they scored several hit records and affected the appearance of English dandies. During this time, they also embarked on a strenuous touring schedule and at the end of their US tour in the summer of 1965 the American government banned them from re-entering the United States for unspecified reasons. The ban lasted for four years. Possibly as a result of this restriction, in '66 Ray Davies adopted a change in his songwriting style, moving away from the earlier "punk-rock" style that marked the first hits, to songs containing wry, astute social commentary. Singles Feb '64 Long Tall Sally/ Pye 7N 15611 - Apr '64 You Still Want Me/ Pye 7N 15636 - Aug '64 You Really Got Me/ Pye 7N 15673 UK#1 Oct '64 All Day And All Of The Night/ Pye 7N 15714 UK#2 Jan '65 Tired Of Waiting For You/ Pye 7N 15759 UK#1 Mar '65 Everybody's Gonna Be Happy/ Pye 7N 15813 UK#17 May '65 Set Me Free/ Pye 7N 15854 UK#9 Aug '65 See My Friend/ Pye 7N 15919 UK#10 Dec '65 Till The End Of The Day/ Pye 7N 15981 UK#8 Feb '66 Dedicated Follower Of Fashion/ Pye 7N 17064 UK#4 Jun '66 Sunny Afternoon/ Pye 7N 17125 UK#1 Nov '66 Dead End Street/ Pye 7N 17222 UK#5 May '67 Waterloo Sunset/ Pye 7N 17321 UK#2 Oct '67 Autumn Almanac/ Pye 7N 17400 UK#3 Apr '68 Wonderboy/ Pye 7N 17468 UK#36 Jul '68 Days/ Pye 7N 17573 UK#12 Apr '69 Plastic Man/ Pye 7N 17724 UK#31 1969 Drivin'/ Pye 7N 17776 - 1969 Shangri-La/ Pye 7N 17812 - Dec '69 Victoria/ Pye 7N 17865 UK#33 Jun '70 Lola/ Pye 7N 17961 UK#2 Dec '70 Apeman/ Pye 7N 45016 UK#5 E.P.s 1964 Kinksize Session Pye NEP 24200 1965 Kinksize Hits Pye NEP 24203 Oct '65 Kwyet Kinks Pye NEP 24221 Aug '66 Dedicated Kinks Pye NEP 24258 L.P.s Oct '64 The Kinks Pye NPL 18096 Mar '65 Kinda Kinks Pye NPL 18112 Dec '65 Kinks Kontroversy Pye NPL 18131 Sept '66 Well Respected Kinks Marble Arch MAL 612 Dec '66 Face To Face Pye NPL 18149 Selected Re-issues 1989 Greatest Hits - 1997 The Singles Collection 1964-70 - 
