The Kinks' Ray Davies Birthday

The Big Kink It’s very sad that people don’t really get called ‘Terry’ or ‘Julie’ any more. There might be a few Julies I suppose, but Terry has gone the way of Basil, Clive and Kevin. But for any of the Terrys and Julies left out there, today is their day as it’s the birthday of Ray Davies of The Kinks, who immortalised them both in his song Waterloo Sunset. This quintessentially English songwriter, and one of the genius' of the swinging 60s, also provided us with classics such as You Really Got Me, Dedicated Follower of Fashion and Lola.

From their formation in 1963 alongside his brother Dave, to their dissolution in 1996, The Kinks churned out classic pop singles as well as absolutely bonkers conceptual works (such as the Schoolboys in Disgrace album, which features one of the worst covers in music history) propelling Ray into a full-blown national treasure. He still writes and performs as a solo act while a musical about his early life Sunny Afternoon has been a West End smash hit.

Davies also wrote This Time Tommorrow, a song Wes Anderson used brilliantly in the opening scene to The Darjeeling Limited (2007).