The Kinks were an English rock band founded by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963. They are widely considered to be one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band rose to prominence during the heyday of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat and was briefly a part of the British Invasion of America before being banned from touring in 1965.
‘You Really Got Me,’ written by Ray Davies, was their third song, and it became an international hit, topping the charts in the UK and reaching the Top 10 in the US. The Kinks’ music was influenced by a wide range of genres, including American R&B and rock and roll at first, then British music hall, folk, and the country later on.
Face to Face (1966), Something Else (1967), The Village Green Preservation Society (1968), Arthur (1969), Lola Versus Powerman (1970), and Muswell Hillbillies (1971), as well as their accompanying singles, earned the band a reputation for reflecting English culture and lifestyle, fueled by Ray Davies’ wittily observational writing style.
Following a hiatus in the mid-1970s, the band resurfaced in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the releases of Sleepwalker (1977), Misfits (1978), Low Budget (1979), Give the People What They Want (1981), and State of Confusion (1983).
Van Halen, the Jam, the Knack, the Pretenders, The Raincoats, and the Fall, among others, covered their songs, boosting the Kinks’ record sales. Britpop bands like Blur and Oasis hailed the band as a major influence in the 1990s.
Throughout the band’s 33-year tenure, Ray Davies (rhythm guitar, lead vocals, keyboards) and Dave Davies (lead guitar, vocals) remained members. In 1984, Bob Henrit, previously of Argent, replaced longest-serving member Mick Avory (drums and percussion).
In 1969, Pete Quaife, the original bass guitarist, was replaced by John Dalton. Andy Pyle briefly functioned as the band’s bassist after Dalton’s departure in 1976, before being replaced by Argent bassist Jim Rodford in 1978.
In the mid-to-late 1960s, session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins accompanied the band into the studio for many of their records. When keyboardist John Gosling joined the band in 1970, it became an official five-piece.
Gosling left in 1978, and was replaced by ex-Pretty Things member Gordon Edwards initially, and then Ian Gibbons more permanently in 1979. The band’s last public concert was in 1996, and it disbanded in 1997 due to artistic differences between the Davies brothers.
The Kinks have five Top 10 hits on the Billboard list in the United States. Their albums charted in the Top 40 on nine occasions. They have seventeen Top 20 singles and five Top 10 albums in the United Kingdom. The RIAA has certified four Kinks albums as gold, and the band has sold over 50 million records worldwide. They got the Ivor Novello Award for ‘Outstanding Service to British Music,’ among other awards.
However, comments made by each of the Davies brothers in 2020 and 2021 suggest that little (if any) progress has been made towards a genuine Kinks reunion for a new studio band record in the years since the first announcement.
