Kinks Frontman Ray Davies Becomes Rock Icon

LONDON (October 4, 2006) — The former frontman of the groundbreaking British rock band the Kinks was presented with an Icon award on Tuesday for what organizers said was his enduring influence on generations of music makers.

With artists as diverse as Morrisey, Blur, Oasis and Who guitarist Pete Townshend all crediting Ray Davies for having influenced their sound, the legendary lyricist was feted at a lavish dinner and ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel.

The awards were hosted by BMI, a nonprofit group representing more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.

Davies, 62, co-founded the Kinks with his brother, Dave, in London. They went on to become one of the most influential and long-lived bands of the 1960’s, and are best known for such classics as “You Really Got Me,” “A Well Respected Man,” “Lola,” and “Sunny Afternoon.”

Davies was the principal lyricist, and the Kinks were a big component of the British music invasion of the 1960s that flooded American airwaves with the sounds of British rock.

Davies was honored by the Queen in 2004 when he was named a Commander of the British Empire. He was inducted into the British Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Kinks entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Previous recipients of the Icon award part of the BMI London awards that recognize the past year’s most-played songs on U.S. radio and television include Steve Winwood and Van Morrison.

Davies thanked his bandmates for their inspiration when he accepted the award.

“It’s always great to be able to accept things like this for the guys in the band as well,” he said. “They were great. They were my muse.”