Pete Quaife (1943-2010)

Vandaag is het ook alweer tien jaar geleden dat Pete Quaife, de originele bassist van The Kinks, is overleden.

Pete Quaife was born in Devonshire, but moved to Muswell Hill, London with his parents in early childhood. He founded a group known as The Ravens in 1963 with brothers Ray and Dave Davies. Around late 1963/early 1964, they changed their name to The Kinks, and hired Mick Avory as a drummer. The group scored several major international hits throughout the 1960s. Their early singles, including “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night”, have been cited as an early influence on the hard rock and heavy metal genres. In the band’s early days, Quaife, who was generally regarded as the best-looking member, was often their spokesman. Following a ban from touring the United States in 1965, The Kinks focused their efforts on the UK market. Singles such as “Sunny Afternoon” (1966) and “Waterloo Sunset” (1967) showcased lead singer Ray Davies’ observational writing style and became Top Ten hits throughout Europe and the UK. Quaife played an important role on the group’s influential album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, which featured a strong theme of nostalgia. He departed from The Kinks in 1969 and formed the band Mapleoak, which he left in April 1970. After retiring from the music business, Quaife resided in Denmark throughout the 1970s. He relocated to Ontario in 1980, where he worked as a cartoonist. He moved back to Denmark in 2005. Quaife died of kidney failure.