Dave Davies

:This is about the English musician; for others, see Dave Davies (disambiguation).

Name	Dave Davies
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David Russell Gordon Davies
Born	February 03, 1947Fortis Green, LondonEngland, United Kingdom
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, keyboards, harmonica
Genre	Rock, hard rock, pop rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, audio engineer
Years active	1963–present
Label	Angel Air, Koch Records
Associated acts	The Kinks
Url	Dave Davies.com
Notable instruments	Gibson "prototype" VGibson Les Paul

David Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies (born 3 February 1947, Fortis Green, London) is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks.

In 2003, Davies was ranked 88th in Rolling Stone magazine list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"

Early life

Davies was born at 6 Denmark Terrace, Fortis Green, London. He was born the last of eight children, including six older sisters and an older brother, later bandmate Ray. As children, the Davies 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. The siblings developed a rivalry early on, with both brothers competing for their parents' and sisters' attention.

Davies grew up playing skiffle, but soon bought an electric guitar and started experimenting with rock. The Davies brothers and friend Pete Quaife jammed together in the front room of their house. Activities in the Davies household centred around this front room, culminating in large parties, where Davies' parents would sing and play piano together. The front room and these parties were musically nurturing to the Davies brothers; later influencing The Kinks' interpretations of traditional British music like Music Hall. Dave and his brother worked out the famous two-note riff of their 1964 hit, "You Really Got Me", on the piano in the front room.

Career

Davies founded The Kinks with Pete Quaife in 1963. His brother Ray, who became the best-known member and de-facto leader of the band, joined soon after.

Ray and Dave Davies remained the only two steady members of the band (with the exception of Avory until his departure) throughout their run together. They were accompanied by an oft-changing roster of bassists and keyboardists. Davies played a largely subordinate role to his brother, often staying behind the scenes. Davies would make occasional contributions on Kinks records as lead vocalist and songwriter, with cases such as "Death of a Clown" and "Strangers".

Early years (1963—1966)

Davies was responsible for the signature distorted power chord riff on The Kinks' first hit, "You Really Got Me". This sound was one of the first mainstream appearances of guitar distortion, and it went on to influence many guitarist in the future,

The Kinks released three albums and several EPs in the next two years. They also performed and toured relentlessly, headlining package tours with the likes of The Yardbirds and Mickey Finn, which caused tension within the band. Avory later claimed that it was part of a new act in which the band members would hurl their instruments at each other.

During the late 1960s the group steadily evolved, as Ray's songwriting skills developed and he began to lead the group in a whole new direction. In the past as a member of The Kinks Dave Davies had only released his own compositions on B-sides and as part of albums. The Kinks' record label sensed potential sales in a solo release from the overlooked Davies, and issued "Death of a Clown" as his debut. Although credited to Davies, it was technically a Kinks recording, as his backing band was The Kinks.

Upon its release, "Death of a Clown" rose to number three on the UK Singles Chart. Wanting to profit off of the new buzz suddenly surrounding Davies, a solo LP was slated for release some time in 1968 or 1969. The follow-up single, "Susannah's Still Alive", was released in November 1967; however, it only reached #20 on the Melody Maker chart. The release of the solo album was held back, and it was decided to wait and see how another single would fare. As anticipation grew for the release of the new LP, it was nicknamed it A Hole in the Sock Of. were commercial failures.

"Lola", Muswell Hillbillies, and Theatrical Incarnation

After Arthur, The Kinks made a comeback with their hit single "Lola" and the accompanying concept album Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One in 1970. Dave recorded two songs of his own for this LP, the acoustic "Strangers" and the hard-rocking "Rats". The rootsy country-rock, and Americana themed Muswell Hillbillies was released in late 1971, and was well-received with critics, but failed to sell strongly. This pattern of critical acclaim with less than spectacular commercial success continued with the next albums which added a large theatrical ensemble. & , The Kinks Present A Soap Opera and Schoolboys in Disgrace.

Davies made several attempts at solo albums throughout the '70s, but he never felt enough enthusiasm or interest to see the projects through. He would often act as the producer and engineer at The Kinks' main studio, Konk, in his spare time, producing albums for the likes of Claire Hamill and Andy Desmond. Ray Davies commented on his brother's studio and solo work in a November 1975 interview:

The Kinks left RCA records in 1977, switching to Arista.

1980s and onward

Davies would see the group through both success and failure, as they reached their commercial peak in the early 1980s. The group began adjusting their commercial methods, embracing the MTV culture that was selling records at the time. The music video for their 1982/83 single "Come Dancing" helped hoist the record to #12 on the U.K. charts, and #6 in the U.S - their biggest hit since "Tired of Waiting for You" in 1965.

The group recorded several more records for MCA, their last studio effort for them being 1989's UK Jive. UK Jive was received slightly better than Think Visual, but it failed to enter into the Top 100. Dave Davies contributed the song "Dear Margaret" to the vinyl record - the cassette and CD of the album also contained two further Dave Davies songs, "Bright Lights" and "Perfect Strangers".

The group left MCA and struggled to find a record label that would accept them. All four original members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, but this failed to revive their career. Eventually The Kinks signed onto Columbia records, who released their final studio album together, Phobia, on 13 April 1993. Despite lots of publicity pushing and press attention, the record was unsuccessful, peaking at #166. Singles released failed to chart as well, mainly due to a record label mix-up that delivered the records to store a few weeks late. To Phobia Davies contributed the songs "It's Alright (Don't Think About It)" and "Close to the Wire".

Columbia dropped the group in 1994, forcing them to retreat back to their old Konk Records. The group released To The Bone on the small independent Grapevine records in 1994.

The Kinks eventually disbanded in 1996.

Solo work 80s - Present day

After the aborted solo effort, Davies' solo career was not revived until 1980, with the release of Dave Davies (AFL1-3603), which featured Davies performing all the instruments by himself. The album was named after its own serial number. AFLI-3603 peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200. He went on to release Glamour (1981), which charted at #152. Davies brought in a back-up band to play with him on this record. Chosen People was released in 1983, but failed to crack the Billboard 200.

Davies released his first true solo studio album in twenty years, Bug, in 2002. Fractured Mindz followed in January 2007, his first album of all new material in nearly five years. It was also his first new studio effort since his stroke in the summer of 2004 besides the track "God In my Brain" (which was recorded and released on the compilation album Kinked in January 2006). In February 2010, Davies released a DVD, Mystical Journey. His planned US tour in support of the release was postponed per doctor's advice.

Signature instruments

Davies has played a number of guitars over time, the most recognizable of which is his Gibson Flying V. Davies bought it in 1965, and soon began appearing live and on TV performances with it. Davies was one of the few guitarists who played Flying Vs at the time. It was, in that period, out of issue due to lack of interest upon its 1958 test release, and models were numbered. Guitarists like Lonnie Mack, Jimi Hendrix, Albert King and Davies himself helped stir interest in the instrument, and it would eventually become one of the signature guitars of the Heavy Metal era.

Davies commented on his Flying V:

Davies has played many other guitars throughout his career. He has played several models of Gibson Les Pauls over time, including a "Goldtop" model with P90 pickups and a black '78 model. On his website he lists the following:

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Gibson Les Paul

Fender Elite Telecaster

Fender American Standard Telecaster

'54 Fender Stratocaster

Gibson Artisan

Gibson Futura (early Explorer body prototype played by Davies on the Shindig TV show) (Note that this is in fact incorrect : he played his recently-acquired Gibson Flying V here, and there's no photographic evidence that Davies ever had a Futura model)

Gibson L5-S

Gibson L6-S

Guild 12-string acoustic

Harmony Meteor

Other guitars that were used by Dave Davies during the 60's were amongst others:

Epiphone Casino

Eko solidbody model

A black Guild DE-500 model (stolen during The Kinks´ first US tour in the summer of 1965)

Various Vox guitars : a Phantom VI, a Phantom XII, and a 12-string Folk Twelve model

Guild Starfire III

Fender Electric XII

Stroke and personal life

He married Lisbet in 1967 and they divorced in 1990. From that marriage, Davies has 4 sons: Martin, Simon, Christian and Russell. His three children Daniel, Lana, and Eddie are from another relationship. A daughter Tracy was adopted when he was only 15.

Davies published an autobiography, entitled Kink, in 1996, in which he discussed his bisexuality at length, including a sexual relationship with Long John Baldry. He also wrote of the tense professional relationship with his brother over the Kinks' 30-year career.

On 30 June 2004, Davies suffered a stroke while exiting a lift at Broadcasting House, where he had been promoting his then current album, Bug. He was taken to University College Hospital in Euston. Davies was released from the hospital on 27 August. Davies said in a 2006 interview:

By 2006, Davies had recovered enough to be able to walk, talk and play guitar. He will return to touring in 2010, playing a few gigs in New York and New England, as well as one in Los Angeles.

He is a friend of horror director John Carpenter, and his work is featured on Carpenter's remake of Village of the Damned. Carpenter also acted as godfather to Davies' son, Daniel, who plays in the hard rock bands Year Long Disaster and Karma To Burn.

Discography

Singles

Studio albums

#Dave Davies (AFL1-3603) (1980) #Glamour (1981) # Chosen People (1983) #Purusha and the Spiritual Planet (1998) # Fortis Green (1999) #Fragile (2001) #Bug (2002) #Fractured Mindz (2007)

Live and compilation albums

Solo Live - Live Solo Performance at Marian College (2000)

Bugged... Live! (2002)

Rock Bottom - Live At The Bottom Line (2000)

Transformation - Live at The Alex Theatre (2003 release from Meta Media)

Transformation - Live at The Alex Theatre (2005 release on Angel Air)

Kinked (2006 release on Koch Records)

Belly Up (2008) - recorded live at the Belly Up Club in San Diego on 29 April 1997, which was at the start of Davies' first major solo tour of the United States.

Collaborations

In the Mouth of Madness soundtrack, lead guitar on track # 1 (1995)

Village of the Damned soundtrack (1995)

References

External links

Official website

Category:The Kinks members Category:English rock guitarists Category:English male singers Category:English songwriters Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:E1 Music artists Category:People from Fortis Green Category:Lead guitarists Category:Stroke survivors Category:People from Muswell Hill Category:British rhythm and blues boom musicians