Formed in 1963 in London, UK, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single "You Really Got Me" (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory and bassist Peter Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 due to a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.

With Ray's splendid songwriting skills and unashamedly English voices, Dave's impressive guitar work and Avory's tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British rock and the "British Invasion" of America, lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from The Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their impressive back catalogue of songs have been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers and Queens of the Stone Age to name but a few.

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rock, classic rock, 60s, british, british invasion