What Happened to 1960s English Rockers the Kinks?

Lauren Novak October 3, 9:54 am

The Kinks, (L-R) Dave Davies, Ray Davies, Peter Quaife, and Mick Avory, wait on the set of a television show, ready to perform, 1968 — Hulton Archive/Getty Images

It has been 60 years since the Kinks released their debut album and secured themselves as one of the most influential bands of the 1960s. The band formed in London in 1963, and the original members included brothers Ray and Dave Davies joined by Pete Quaife and Mick Avory. Early hits were “All Day and All of the Night,” “Tired of Waiting for You,” and their third single titled “You Really Got Me” was released in 1964 and became an international hit. As successful as the band became, they weren’t without troubles as brothers Ray and Dave fought constantly and the band lineup changed several times.

The only two to remain with the band the entire time were the brothers, but they ultimately split in 1997 after their final performance in ’96 due to creative differences between Ray and Dave. Who remembers when Ray stomped on Dave’s 50th birthday cake in ’97? Yikes! So, what are they up to now, and who is still alive from the Kinks on the 60th anniversary of their debut album?

Will the Kinks reunite in 2024?

British pop group The Kinks, circa May 1964. Clockwise, from left: drummer Mick Avory, guitarist Dave Davies, bassist Pete Quaife (1934 - 2010) and singer Ray Davies

Tom Hustler/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Both Ray and Dave are still alive and just last year they teased a potential reunion. As the years have gone by, the brothers have said their attitudes toward each other have softened. In 2023 Dave said, “We spoke about it only last week. We’re going to meet up again this week and see where the journey might take us. We’ve had loads of stuff in the can for ages so who knows. Stuff we’ve had in demo form or things we didn’t use. There’s quite a few songs we’ve either revamped or done slightly differently so we’ll see.” Ray added that they have around 20 songs for a new album and they hope to eventually make it back to the stage.

Where are Ray and Dave Davies now?

Ray recently turned 80 and Dave is 77. Dave in particular is quite active on social media and recently shared the news that the Kinks albums Sleepwalker and Misfits are being fully remastered from the original 1/4 production and master tapes and will be available on Oct. 18, 2024, on CD, LP and digital (you can preorder here!). While Dave is heavily involved in animal activism and is a vegetarian, Ray mainly focuses on music. He most recently released an album in 2017 called Americana and has written several musicals including Sunday Afternoon, based on his early life and featuring Kinks songs.

While the brothers went on to pursue solo careers, several of the former bandmates reunited including John Gosling, John Dalton and Mick Avory along with Dave Clarke as the Kast Off Kinks. In 2004, the original band hoped to reunite for the band’s 40th anniversary but Dave suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak or play guitar temporarily. As he recovered, the band reunited to be inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Who died from the Kinks?

LONDON - NOVEMBER 16: (L-R) The Kinks band members Mick Avory, Dave Davies, Peter Quaife and Ray Davies pose backstage with the award for their induction into the UK Music Hall Of Fame 2005, the culmination of the two-week Channel 4 series looking at 1950's-1990's popular music, at Alexandra Palace on November 16, 2005 in London, England. Acts are selected by a panel of over 60 artists, journalists, broadcasters and executives, with artists including Alanis Morissette, The Pretenders and Slash paying tribute to their fellow musical artists at the event

MJ Kim/Getty Images

Unfortunately, several of the members have since passed away including Quaife (June 23, 2010, at 66), Jim Rodford (Jan. 20, 2018, at 76), Ian Gibbons (Aug. 1, 2019, at 67) and Gosling (Aug. 4, 2023, at 75). Now tell us, would you like to see the Kinks reunite and release new music?