UK: RAY DAVIES RELEASES HIS SOLO ALBUM "THE STORY TELLER" BASED ON HIS SUCCESSFUL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STAGE SHOW

Record ID: 387514

  • Title: UK: RAY DAVIES RELEASES HIS SOLO ALBUM "THE STORY TELLER" BASED ON HIS SUCCESSFUL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STAGE SHOW
  • Date: 11th March 1998
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 11, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) DAVIES SAYING, "IT'S NOT A DIFFICULT ALBUM "THE STORYTELLER". I'M GROWING TO LIKE THE TITLE. I THINK IT COULD BASICALLY BE SUBTITLED "THE FRONTROOM" BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT ME COMING INTO YOUR HOUSE AND SINGING TO YOU AND READING TO YOU AND KEEPING YOU OCCUPIED FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS UNTIL I GET EITHER THROWN OUT OR YOU ASK ME TO STAY OR WHATEVER YOU DO. I'M DOING THE JOB THAT A LOT OF THOSE TRAVELLING SALESMEN USED TO DO. THEY COME INTO THE HOUSE AND SELL YOU A BILL OF GOODS BUT I HOPE I'M DOING IT IN A KIND OF ENTERTAINING WAY. IT'S ALSO A DOCUMENT AND IT'S ABOUT A BAND, MY BAND AND THE LITTLE MARK THAT WE MADE ON THE 20TH CENTURY AND WE ENDED UP WITH A POP SONG THAT BECAME NUMBER ONE WHEN NOBODY ELSE GAVE US A CHANCE. NOBODY GAVE US A CHANCE AND WE DID IT, IN THE FRONTROOM." (ENGLISH)
  • Embargoed: 26th March 1998 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA957E0NBBSIE49BXJJ927CMMM7
  • Story Text: Thirty years after topping the charts with his hit "You Really Got Me", Ray Davies is riding high.He's affectionately referred to as the 'Godfather of Brit Pop' and is cited as a major influence on 90's bands.

    Reuters caught up with Davies before this week's release of his latest album, "The Storyteller", based on his successful autobiographical stage show.

    Davies founded the rock band, The Kinks, with his brother Dave in London in 1963.

    The band had a string of top 10 international hits which began with "You Really Got Me", followed by "All Day and All of the Night", "Tired of Waiting" and "Lola" among many others.

    At the height of their fame, the Kinks' popularity rivalled that of the Beatles with many Davies' songs becoming hits for other bands such as The Jam, Van Halen, The Pretenders and The Stranglers.

    In 1981, Davies collaborated with Barrie Keefe on his first stage musical "Chorus Girls".During the eighties he wrote and composed music for television films, and composed and performed the song "Quiet Life" for the film "Absolute Beginners" starring Patsy Kensit.

    Davies also composed several pioneering rock operas including "Arthur" and "Soap Opera".

    In 1995, the writer/composer published his unauthorised autobiography, "X-Ray" to much critical acclaim.It changed the course of his career.

    Since then, Davies has toured internationally with his one-man show "20th Century Man/The Storyteller".

    The idea of the show came while he was doing in-store readings to promote his book "X-Ray".

    "Someone suggested that as my songs were so closely lined to my own life, that it would be an idea to put some examples of these songs in during the readings.I thought about a passage in my book about the front room in the house where my parents lived," he explained.

    Davies revealed that it wasn't until he wrote the book he realised how important his songs were.They became the 'narrative' of his life outside his career.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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