British musician who organized “The Kinks” in late 1963 with his brother Dave after formerly being billed as “The Ramrods.” They built up a following in the London area. Ray was lead singer and electric guitarist, immensely talented and one of rock’s champion wackos who would stop a song cold if the audience was not participating enough. The group helped lead the British invasion of American in the ’60s, became an arena rock draw in the ’70s and enjoyed a popular resurgence in the mid-’80s. After three decades of prominence, he is still a top draw on tour in the ’90s.
Over 23 years, Ray wrote some 250 songs for the Kinks, including such hits as “A Well Respected Man,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “Come Dancing.” The Kinks entered the Rock’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and Davies wrote a semi-autobiography “X-Ray” in 1995.
The son of a London suburbs gardener and a housewife, Ray was deeply introverted, distancing himself from his mom from the time he was a boy. A loner, he drew and painted, played the piano and Spanish guitar or listened to blues records. At 16, he and Dave, 13. began performing rhythm and blues in local pubs. Three years later they formed a band called the “Bo Weevils,” then the “Ravens,” singing Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters classics. They became a hot act at society parties with their wild raging sound and long hair. Someone called him a “kink” as a put-down and the name stuck. In 1964 they recorded their first album and began to stage their truly raucous international concert tours, with onstage rowdiness that often incited the audience to riot. They were barred from Scandinavia, and from the U.S. 1966-’68.
Ray married a fan, Rasa Dictpatris, who gave birth to Louise, the first of their two daughter, the first year of their marriage. They split in 1973. From 1976-’80, he was married to teacher Yvonne Gunner. His third wife was ballet dancer Pat Crosbie.
For three years, Ray had an affair with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. In 1981, Hynde announced to the British press that she was “besotted with Davies;” two years later she gave birth to their daughter Natalie. Davies described their relationship, laced with furious fights, as a “fairy-tale romance written by Alfred Hitchcock.”
A perfectionist, he once insisted on more than 60 takes of a song. Intensely protective of his privacy, he has always resented and avoided interviews.
Davies was shot in the right thigh on 4 January 2004 in New Orleans. He sustained the wound while he was chasing a thief who had stolen the purse belonging to Davies’ female companion. The musician was treated at the hospital and released soon after.
Link to Wikipedia biography