Pete Quaife

Peter Quaife (born Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife on December 31 1943) is an English musician. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969.

Related Topics:
December 31 - 1943 - English - Music - Bass guitar - The Kinks

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Quaife was born in Tavistock, Devon. Many stories falsely stated that it was Ray and Dave Davies who formed the Kinks. In fact, it was Ray and schoolfriend Pete Quaife who happened to form the band and then asked Dave to join. Quaife was often considered the quiet member of the group, and was often seen performing with the Rickenbacker 4001 bass guitar model. His rhythm support (with drummer Mick Avory), backing vocals, and sense of humor were integral to the band's rise to fame in 1964-1965. Accessible and outspoken, he was commonly the voice of the band in early press interviews, rather than the moody, serious Ray, or the unfocused Dave. He was temporarily replaced in the Kinks in mid-1966 by John Dalton, after a serious car crash left Quaife unable to perform. He resigned from the band shortly thereafter, but reconsidered and returned in November 1966. For the next two years he played on classic albums such as Something Else By The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, and helped rehearse some songs on the album 'Arthur'. Quaife left the Kinks permanently in April 1969, having grown tired of the band's musical direction, and the dominant role of Ray Davies. He was again replaced on bass, this time permanently, by Dalton.

Related Topics:
Tavistock, Devon - Mick Avory - John Dalton - Something Else By The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society - Ray Davies

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Quaife briefly played with his own London-based band Maple Oak, in 1969, then retired from music to work as a graphic artist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the original Kinks in 1990. He currently lives in Canada. Quaife has no formal association with the Kinks, but still enthusiastically talks of his time in the band, and makes appearances at fan gatherings.

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