"DAYS" 
- My Days with The Kinks                           


 

 

 


 

Auditioned as a temporary replacement for Pete Quaife on Thursday 9th June 1966 at Carling Music, Savill Row, London. Appeared on Top of  the Pops on the same evening at BBC Television Studios, London. The first live gig was two days later at The Plaza, Kings Heath, Birmingham with no time for rehearsals ! This was quickly followed by a tour to Norway and Spain. The first recording session was on 26th June 1966 at Pye Studios, London for "Little Miss Queen Of Darkness". Recorded "Dead End Street" on 28th October 1966 during the evening session (without Shel Talmy !). Many tours followed until Pete decided to return to the Band.

Back as a a full time member on 5th April 1969 for a TV show "It's Dee Time". Whatever happened to Simon Dee ? First recording session in this second spell was in May 1969 at Pye Studio #2 ("Drivin" and "Mindless Child Of Motherhood"). Spent most of June recording the "Arthur" album. My first (eagerly awaited) American Tour started on 17th October 1969 at The Filmore East, New York. The tour lasted nine weeks and included places like The Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles and The Filmore West in San Franciso.

Early in May 1970 saw the arrival of The Baptist (aka John Gosling) on keyboards. His audition was playing piano on "Lola" (not a bad song to have as your first recording !). Baptist was then whisked off on his first tour of America where he was quickly taught how to consume large quantities of ALCOHOL (which he is still very good at today).

For the next six years we did many tours all over the world having loads of fun and drinking lots of beer. These are some of the more memorable gigs in that time :

  • The first one - The Plaza, Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK

  • Hotel Milkar, Beirut, May 1969

  • My first Filmore East (17th Oct 69) and Filmore West (27th Nov 69)

  • Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (10th November 1969)

  • The 1971 Australian Tour in June 1971

  • Carnegie Hall (2nd & 3rd March 1972)

  • Hollywood Palladium (9th March 1972)

  • Drury Lane 14th Jan 1973

  • Royal Festival Hall 8th June 1973

  • White City 15th June 1973

  • London Palladium 16th June 1974

  • Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen 23rd September 1974

  • My last Kinks gig - The Congress Centrum, Hamburg 31st March 1976

We spent most of the summer of 1976 rehearsing and recording "Sleepwalker". I left the band on 8th November 1976.

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