Pete Quaife
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Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife, (born on December 31, 1943), is an English musician, artist and writer. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969.
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[edit] The Kinks
Quaife was born in Tavistock, Devon. Many stories falsely state that it was brothers Ray and Dave Davies who formed The Kinks. In fact, Dave Davies and school friend Quaife formed the band in 1962 and subsequently asked to Ray to join. [1] The band was originally called the (Golden) Ravens and performed classic R&B at local venues such as the Hornsey Rec Club at Crouch End Secondary School. The "Kinks" name came about only upon the signing of a recording contract in late 1963.
The Kinks became a a top chart act throughout the world beginning with their third single, 1964's "You Really Got Me". Accessible and outspoken, Quaife was commonly the voice of the band in early press interviews, rather than the moody, serious Ray, or the undisciplined Dave. He was temporarily replaced in the Kinks in mid-1966 by John Dalton, after a serious car crash left him unable to perform. He resigned from the band shortly thereafter, but reconsidered and returned in November 1966.
For the next two years Quaife played on classic albums such as Something Else By The Kinks and 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 John Dalton.
[edit] Mapleoak
Quaife left The Kinks in order to found a new band, the country/rock outfit Mapleoak. The group's name derived from the heritage of its members: The "Maple" represented the two Canadian members of the group (singer/songwriters Stan Endersby and Marty Fisher), while the "Oak" represented British members Quaife and drummer Mick Cook.
Quaife had contacts in Denmark, so the group gigged heavily there and in England during most of 1969 and early 1970. Cook left the band in June of 1969, and was replaced by another Canadian: drummer Gordon MacBain, who would write most of the group's original material.
Mapleoak released their first single, "Son of a Gun", in April of 1970 but it failed to chart. Quaife then left both the band and the music business entirely. He has stated his main motivation was disgust with the destructive drug culture prevalent in the industry. He subsequently moved to Denmark, and did not appear on Mapleoak's only album, which was released in 1971.
[edit] 1980s and 1990s
Quaife never returned to the music world as a professional performer. In 1980, he relocated to Belleville, Ontario, Canada to work as a graphic artist. In 1981, he made his only post-1960s concert appearance with The Kinks, playing bass in an encore number at a show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 1999, there was talk among the original members of the Kinks about reforming for an album and possible tour, but nothing came of the discussions at the time.
Along with the original Kinks, Quaife was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. At the ceremony in New York City, Quaife jammed on stage with the other musicians being honoured that year.
Quaife was diagnosed with kidney failure in 1998. To pass the time during dialysis sessions in Canada, he drew a series of cartoons based on his experiences. Following their enthusiastic reception by other patients, they have subsequently been published in book form as The Lighter Side of Dialysis (Jazz Communications, Toronto, 2004). Though he was invariably known as "Pete" during his time with the Kinks, Quaife's books are published under the name "Peter Quaife".
[edit] 21st Century
In a February 2000 e-mail, Quaife stated that he had recently been in the studio recording four demos of his own compositions, which were to be released in CD form accompanying his novel Veritas. As of 2007, the book and CD have yet to be released.
Quaife has no current formal association with the Kinks, but still enthusiastically talks of his time in the band, and makes appearances at fan gatherings. During a Kinks Meeting in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in September 2004, he read excerpts from Veritas, his fictional account of a 1960s rock group. He also joined in with The Kast Off Kinks on a few songs, much to the delight of the fans.
Quaife lived in Canada for more than two decades, but moved back 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 of 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 definitely reforming for a tour in 2008. Given Quaife's poor health and disdain for touring, this is not considered likely.
[edit] Trivia
In 1996, in an interview for the Goldmine Magazine, The Who´s John Entwistle was asked who his favorite bassist was, he responded: "I'd say one of my favorite bass players was Pete Quaife because he literally drove the Kinks along".
[edit] External links
- Publisher's page for "The Lighter Side of Dialysis" giving the background to the book
- Cartoons from "The Lighter Side of Dialysis"
- 1998 interview with Pete Quaife
- 2005 interview with Pete Quaife
- Extensive article on Mapleoak
