The Kinks' Dave Davies created the band's trademark distorted guitar

chords, which defined its sound on such '60s hits as "You Really Got Me."

While he has been overshadowed by his brother Ray — the Kinks' lead

singer and songwriter — Davies has also pursued a solo career, toured

with his own side band in recent years and published a successful

autobiography.

Dave Davies was born February 3, 1947, in Muswell Hill, London. In 1963

he started the rock band the Ravens, featuring bassist Pete Quaife. While

attending art school, Ray Davies took over the band and added drummer

Mick Avory.

Under their new name, the Kinks, the group topped the UK singles chart

and went top 10 in the U.S. the following year with the hard-driving "You

Really Got Me" (RealAudio

excerpt), which became their signature tune and was a debut hit

in 1978 for Van Halen.

For the next few years, the Kinks had hits on both sides of the Atlantic

with Ray Davies–written songs such as "All Day and All of the Night"

and "Tired of Waiting for You." But as he began writing more about life

in England, on such cuts as "A Well Respected Man," the Kinks' fortunes

in the U.S. began to decline.

The Kinks' appearance on the U.S. TV show "Hullabaloo" resulted in a

dispute with the American Federation of Musicians, which prevented the

band from touring the U.S. The Kinks started to focus on concept LPs,

such as (The Kinks Are) The Village Green Preservation Society

(1969), that celebrated British traditions and customs.

In the meantime, Dave Davies issued "Death of a Clown," a song he wrote

and sang, backed by the rest of the band, as a solo single in the UK. The

track made #3 in 1967, and he followed it with the top-20 "Susannah's

Still Alive" and "Lincoln County." Although he recorded a full album at

the time, Dave Davies never released it in its entirety.

Though the Kinks had a 1970 hit with "Lola" (RealAudio

excerpt), messy live shows and fighting between the Davies brothers

plagued their career. But the following year they managed to sign a lucrative

contract with RCA Records. As the Kinks started touring the U.S. again,

their fanbase here began to increase.

The Kinks enjoyed a gold-selling LP with Low Budget (1979), which

brought them back to U.S. radio with "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman."

At the time, the Pretenders also increased the Kinks' visibility by having

a hit with "Stop Your Sobbing," a Kinks album track from the '60s.

In 1980 Dave Davies issued his solo-debut LP, titled only by its catalog

number, #AFL1-3603. He followed it with Glamour (1981),

featuring "Reveal Yourself" and "World of Our Own." In 1983 he released

Chosen People, including "Charity" and "Take One More Chance."

In the U.S., the Kinks began selling out arenas, enjoying a successful

period on the Billboard Hot 100 with pop-oriented singles such as

"Better Things" and "Come Dancing." After the group fired Avory in the

mid-'80s, their chart success took a downturn.

The Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Three

years later, they issued their first album for Columbia Records,

Phobia, featuring a song about the Davies brothers' troubled

relationship, "Hatred (A Duet)." When the album flopped commercially, the

label dropped the Kinks.

In 1996 Dave Davies issued his autobiography, "Kink," which described the

Kinks' wild years in swinging-'60s London. The following year he began

touring the U.S. with his new band, the Ravens (named after his first

group).

Velvel Records re-released remastered Kinks LPs, including Schoolboys

in Disgrace (1975), in 1998. The same year, Dave Davies issued the

Internet-only Purusha and the Spiritual Planet with his son Russell,

under the name Crystal Radio. Last year, Davies released the Internet-only

Fortis Green.

Also in '99, Davies released Unfinished Business: The Dave Davies

Anthology 1963–1998, a two-CD retrospective including demo

recordings of three Kinks songs, "I Believed You," "Climb Your Wall" and

"Got Your Number," as well as some of his own released and previously

unissued solo tracks and live cuts.

Other birthdays on Thursday: Angelo D'Aleo (Dion and the Belmonts), 60;

Chuck Tharp (Fireballs), 59; Dennis Edwards (Temptations), 57; Eric Haydock

(Hollies), 57; Melanie, 53; Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), 44; Lawrence Tolhurst

(The Cure), 41; Richie Kotzen (Poison), 30; Grant Barry (Reel Big Fish),

23; and Johnny "Guitar" Watson, 1935–1996.