Friday, June 25, 2010

Original Kinks Bassist Pete Quaife Passes Away Age 66

Founding Kinks bassist Pete Quaife has died at the age of 66.
He was a member of the band from 1961 until 1969, playing on such classics as You Really Got Me, All The Day And All Of The Night, Dedicated Follower Of Fashion and Waterloo.

After The Kinks, Quaife formed country rockers Maple Oak, but left them in 1970 and virtually gave up playing.  After leaving in 1969, Quaife was replaced by John Dalton, who had previously filled in for him when he broke his leg in a car accident.

He had been quoted as saying how unhappy he was during his time in the Kinks, not least because of the fractious relationship between brothers Ray and Dave Davies.

But he also proudly recalled his work on the band's landmark Village Green Preservation Society album.

"Making that album was the high point of my career," he told Jukebox magazine in 2006.

"For me it represents the only real album made by the Kinks... in which we all contributed something."

In recent times, he’d been working as a graphic artist in Canada. However, in 1990 he did play with The Kinks when the band were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Quaife lived in Canada for more than two decades, but moved to Denmark in 2005 after his marriage ended in divorce. In 2005, Quaife was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame along with the other original Kinks.

In December 2007, Record Collector published an interview with Ray Davies, in which he was quoted as saying, "I spoke to Quaife about a month ago and he dearly wants to make another record with me". The tabloid press picked up on this quote, and turned it into a story saying that the Kinks were reforming for a tour in 2008.

However, in an interview aired on the Biography Channel in December 2008, Quaife flatly said he would never participate in any type of Kinks reunion. Shortly thereafter, Quaife released a statement that he was permanently retiring from the public eye.

It is not clear how he died, but Quaife been undergoing kidney dialysis for over a decade.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

May he RIP. The Kinks left a mark on musical history and were one of the best bands to come out of the British invasion of the mid to late 60s.

TheFanatic said...

Wow...I can't believe that I'm just hearing / seeing this 4 years & 8 months removed!
I Loved Pete's playing.
Quite reserved in his playing style, yet always totally rock-solid, Pete was one of the main reasons for the signature Kinks' sound! He was an innovator on the instrument!
Pete was the main reason that I chose the Bass back in 'round '68~'69.
He was also the main reason that my instrument of choice for years and years was the Rick 4001.
Well...better late than never...
R.I.P. Dear Pete!
M.J. Wright

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