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Peter Quaife Biography

peter-quaife
  • Born: December 31, 1943 in Tavistock, Devonshire, England
  • Years Active: 1960s-1970s
  • Member of: The Kinks
  • Genre: Rock & Alternative

For many years, Peter Quaife was the odd man out in the Kinks' history -- the first of the original bandmembers to leave the lineup, back in 1969, following work on Village Green Preservation Society. Born in Tavistock, Devon, Peter Quaife grew up in London, where he was a friend of Ray Davies; indeed, Davies and Quaife co-founded the band that became the Kinks, before Ray's younger brother Dave was part of it. Unlike drummer Mick Avory, who was supplanted by Bobby Graham on virtually all of the earliest recordings (through the first album), Quaife played on the group's records from the beginning, and his rock-solid bass work contributed immeasurably to the power of their work on-stage, making possible such moments as the marvelous stretching out on the extended jam from The Live Kinks, in which his instrument holds the sound together as the band drifts between its own songs and a unique take on the "Batman" theme. He also sang backup on a lot of the records during his tenure, most notably -- according to a 1998 interview with Martin Kalin -- on "Waterloo Sunset." He was never permitted to engage in songwriting as such, however, and admitted in the same interview that he and Avory often felt like session players at the band's own recording sessions -- moments such as the Kelvin Hall live album were relatively rare, allowing him to step out in front. Quaife left the band following what was his most substantial contribution to the group, Village Green Preservation Society, the album on which -- perhaps because of its extended gestation -- he was most able to express himself musically. He and Canadian guitarist Stan Endersby formed Maple Oak with drummer Mick Cook and keyboardman Marty Fisher. In more recent years, Quaife has moved to Canada and also embarked on a writing career, and has had intermittent contact with Ray Davies over the years -- he emerged most prominently in interviews connected with the 2004 expanded reissue of Village Green Preservation Society. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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