Kinks (music group)

The Kinks was an English rock band formed in London, England, in 1963. Originally consisting of brothers Ray and Dave Davies, the Kinks later added drummer Mick Avory and bassist Pete Quaife to the lineup. The Kinks began as a rhythm and blues (R&B) band before adding pop, country, and folk influences to its sound. The band was a major force in the British Invasion that swept the United States in the 1960s, during which British rock music became extremely popular with American listeners. Although the band's popularity waned over the next decade, the Kinks continued to produce music into the 1990s. The group's work has influenced a number of important bands in rock history, including the Ramones, the Pretenders, Queen, Metallica, and Pavement.

Background

Ray and Dave Davies played guitar together during their teenage years, mainly playing rock and roll and a style of jazz known as skiffle. The two decided to form a band in 1963, while Ray Davies was in art school. They recruited their friend Pete Quaife on bass and named the group the Ravens. The band eventually enlisted drummer Mickey Willett to fill in on percussion and began recording demos to send to record labels. A record producer from Pye Records heard the Ravens' demos and helped the band land a recording contract in 1964. Willett was replaced by Mick Avory before the band signed the record deal, however.

Before releasing its first single with Pye, the band was renamed the Kinks. Its debut single was a cover of "Long Tall Sally," a song originally performed by Little Richard. Released in February 1964, the song made little impact on the music charts, as did the band's second single, "You Still Want Me." The Kinks' next single, "You Really Got Me," garnered the band the popular attention it needed to top the music charts. Complete with its signature noisy, fuzz-filled guitar riff, the song reached number one on the UK charts and made the top ten on the US charts. The Kinks released another single in late 1964 titled "All Day and All of the Night," which proved to be yet another hit for the group nationally and internationally. The song peaked at number two on the UK charts and reached number seven on the US charts the following year. Another single, "Tired of Waiting for You," also reached the top ten in the United States. By the end of 1964, the group had released two full-length albums, Kinks and Kinda Kinks. Over the next few decades, the Kinks would produce a vast array of music that would go on to influence new generations of rockers for years to come.

Overview

Alongside their recording efforts, the members continuously toured around the globe in promotion of their material during the band's early years. The unyielding touring schedule led to some tensions within the group. The Kinks also suffered a blow when the United States banned the group from re-entering the country after its 1965 American tour, supposedly because the band had offended the American Federation of Musicians during an appearance on the US television show Hullabaloo. The ban cut the group off from the largest music market in the world, and as a result, Ray Davies' songwriting style became more reflective. The group's sound also began to mellow and was influenced by blues, folk, and country at this time.

The change of pace was evident in the group's 1965 album The Kink Kontroversy. The slow and catchy single "Sunny Afternoon" became a major hit, reaching number one in the United Kingdom. The song's satirical lyrics showed the emergence of Davies' new songwriting viewpoint, a development he would carry over into the band's next album, Face to Face. Considered the band's transitionary album, the tracks were filled with Ray Davies' biting social satire, and the album as a whole contained a wide variety of musical styles. Its next album, Something Else by the Kinks, was released in 1967. This album marked the beginning of the Kinks' gradual loss of mainstream popularity, and its tracks did not fare as well as previous singles on the charts. The 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society also failed to impress listeners, although it was well reviewed by music critics.

The late 1960s saw few hits produced by the Kinks. Frustrated with the band's lack of success, Quaife left in 1969 and was replaced by John Dalton. That same year, the American ban on the Kinks was withdrawn, and the musicians were able to tour the United States. After adding keyboardist John Gosling to the lineup, the band finished off the 1960s with Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), which saw modest success. The Kinks kicked off the 1970s with the most successful album of its career, Lola vs. the Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, Part One. When the band's contract with Pye Records expired in 1971, the group signed a five-album deal with RCA and issued its next album, Muswell Hillbillies, later that year. Although the album was not a commercial success, a few of the songs made the charts. The 1970s was a prolific decade for the band as it released eleven studio albums in total, ending the period with Low Budget, which was a huge success in the United States.

The Kinks began the 1980s withGive the People What They Want, which was certified gold. Its next album, 1983's State of Confusion, produced the massively enduring hit "Come Dancing." Group tensions came to a peak later that year when longtime drummer Avory quit and was replaced by Bob Henrit. The decade yielded three more albums from the band, 1984's Word of Mouth, 1986's Think Visual, and 1989's UK Jive. Following an extensive break, the band released its final studio album, Phobia, in 1993. Dropped from the Columbia label, the Kinks struggled to release new material on their own, and popular interest waned; the group eventually stopped performing live altogether. Ray and Dave Davies continued to pursue solo projects.

The band enjoyed a mild comeback in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s, when popular groups such as Oasis and Blur publically listed the Kinks among their influences. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Several members expressed interest in a reunion show, but they never fully reunited, instead performing Kinks' songs separately with their own bands.

Kinks bassist Redford passed away in 2018 at the age of 76. The band's former keyboardist, Gibbons, died in 2019, and Gosling passed away in 2023. Though the Davies brothers had publicly discussed a reunion, Avory cited differences between the brothers as a reason the reunion could never happen.

Bibliography

"The Band." The Kinks, www.thekinks.info/about-the-kinks/the-band/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2016.

Ganz, Caryn. "Hall of Fame Anniversary Rocks on with Second All-Star Night." Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2009. www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hall-of-fame-anniversary-rocks-on-with-second-all-star-night-20091030. Accessed 24 Oct. 2016.

"The Kinks Biography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/the-kinks-mn0000100160/biography. Accessed 24 Oct. 2016.

"The Kinks' Former Keyboardist John Gosling Dies Aged 75." The Guardian, 5 Aug. 2023, www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/05/the-kinks-former-keyboardist-john-gosling-dies-aged-75. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Myers, Marc. "How the Kinks Roughed Up Their Sound." Wall Street Journal, 29 Oct. 2014, www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-kinks-roughed-up-their-sound-1414596698. Accessed 24 Oct. 2016.

Vinnicombe, Chris. "Queen's Brian May Picks His Favourite Riffs." Music Radar, 24 Nov. 2009. www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/video-queens-brian-may-picks-his-favourite-riffs-227563. Accessed 24 Oct. 2016.