Dave Davies

Dave Davies is the brother of Ray Davies, the lead singer and songwriter of The Kinks, of which he was the lead singer up to 1964, when Ray joined. He was also the lead guitarist and backup singer for the Kinks. As children, both brothers were immersed in a world of different musical styles, from the music hall of their parents' generation, to the jazz and early rock 'n' roll that their older sisters listened to. Dave created the distorted power chord sound for "You Really Got Me" by taking a razor blade and slashing the speaker cone on his Elpico amplifier, and driving it into a VOX AC30. He continued to use this sound for much of their early material (notably on "All Day and All of the Night" and "Till the End of the Day"). Compared to his brother, Dave lived a rather lavish lifestyle. He would spend a great deal of money on fancy outfits on Carnaby Streets, and top of the line guitars, such as his Gibson Flying V. It is clear that Ray wrote songs like "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "Dandy", and maybe even "Starstruck" with him in mind. He had his share of feuds with Ray, and other band members often found it hard to get along with him, particularly the drummer, Mick Avory. Nevertheless, he was a brilliant musician, and a decent songwriter. In 1967, he released his first solo single, credited under his name (although co-written by his brother Ray), entitled "Death of a Clown". He contributed other songs such as "Strangers", "Rats", "Living on a Thin Line", "Wait Til the Summer Comes Along", "Mindless Child of Motherhood" and "This Man He Weeps Tonight". The latter few were influenced by a high school relationship which ended in an unwanted pregnancy, something that deeply haunted Davies. He currently continues to tour on his own. Unfortunately, he is not on good terms with his brother, Ray, and both have dismissed the possibility of a Kinks reunion.