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Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band
the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies. He is the longest-serving member of the band, apart from the Davies brothers. He is also the most prolific member, again apart from the Davies brothers, who has played on twenty studio albums or nearly all of the band's creative output.


Before the band (1962–1963)

Before he joined the Kinks, Avory was a member of the band Bobby Angelo & The Tuxedos, who had a No. 30 hit with "Baby Sittin'" in August 1961. After leaving that group, he was asked twice to rehearse on drums at the Bricklayers Arms pub in London during late May/early June 1962 for a group of musicians who were later to become
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
. It has been said that he also went on to play at their first show at The Marquee Club on 12 July 1962, yet Avory himself says "I think Tony Chapman did the gig at the Marquee. I didn't. I just rehearsed twice in the Bricklayers Arms in Soho."
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
has said he has no recollection of playing any gigs with Avory.


The Kinks (1964–1984)

Avory joined the Kinks in January 1964, after their previous drummer Micky Willet left the band.Hinman, Doug (2004). pp. 9–20 Avory was hired to replace him after their management saw an advertisement Avory had placed in the trade magazine ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
''.Hinman, Doug (2004). pp. 17-20 He attended a rehearsal at the Camden Head in Islington shortly before Christmas of 1963, and was then offered the job by manager Robert Wace just after New Year. Despite his ability, early Kinks recordings (including hits such as "
You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by frontman Ray Davies and released as their third single in 1964. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead B ...
") commonly did not feature Avory on drums; producer
Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (August 11, 1937 – November 13, 2024) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger, best known for his work in England in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks, and many other artists. Talmy arranged and produced hits ...
hired more seasoned session drummers (most notably
Clem Cattini Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini (born 20 August 1937) is an English rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and 60s, who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician. He is one of the most prolifi ...
and Bobby Graham) for studio work well into 1965, but with Avory often providing supporting percussion. He drummed on certain tracks on the first and third albums and all but one song on the second album, '' Kinda Kinks''. The first single A-side Avory played on was " Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy", and he went on to play on all Kinks recordings from the 1966 album '' Face to Face'' until his departure in 1984. Avory was always considered the quietest and most easy-going member of the Kinks lineup and was
Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...
's best friend. However, his turbulent working relationship with guitarist Dave Davies resulted in many legendary onstage fights. In the most notorious incident, at the Capitol Theatre, Cardiff, South Wales, during the Kinks' 1965 UK tour, Avory struck Dave over the head with his hi-hat stand, in reprisal for Davies kicking over his drum kit as revenge for a drunken fight the previous night in a Taunton hotel, apparently won by Mick. He then fled into hiding for days to avoid arrest for
grievous bodily harm Assault occasioning grievous bodily harm (often abbreviated to GBH) is a term used in English criminal law to describe the severest forms of battery. It refers to two offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the ...
. On other occasions, fuming, he would hurl his drumsticks at Dave. According to Ray, their problems began during the time Mick and Dave shared a flat in London for a short period in early 1965. Ultimately, the relationship between Avory and the younger Davies brother deteriorated to the point where Avory left the band. By agreement with Ray Davies, he ceased performing and recording with the band in 1984, but accepted an invitation to manage Konk Studios, where the band and the Davies brothers record most of their records – a position he has held ever since. Ray explained the situation: In another interview, Ray said: Avory was replaced by
Bob Henrit Robert John Henrit (born 2 May 1944) is an English drummer. He has been a notable member of several musical groups, including Buster Meikle & The Daybreakers, Unit 4 + 2, the Roulettes, Argent and The Kinks. Biography Robert John Henrit was b ...
, former drummer with
The Roulettes The Roulettes were a British rock and roll and beat group formed in London in 1961. They were recruited to play as the backing group to singer Adam Faith the following year, and continued to perform and record until the late 1960s. History The ...
,
Unit 4 + 2 Unit 4 + 2 were a British pop band formed in Hertfordshire, England, who had a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1965 with the song " Concrete and Clay". The track topped the UK chart for one week. Career Early days In 1962, Brian Park ...
and
Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
. Later on, it would seem that Dave Davies and Avory settled their differences, as Avory subsequently played the drums on " Rock 'n' Roll Cities", a track on the '' Think Visual'' album written by Dave Davies. Avory was asked to rejoin by Ray Davies, but he declined as he wanted a rest from the non-stop touring, working and performing schedule of two decades.


Current work (1985–present)

Avory was inducted into both the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1990 and the
UK Music Hall of Fame The UK Music Hall of Fame was an awards ceremony to honour musicians, of any nationality, for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom. The hall of fame started in 2004 with the induction of five founder members and five mo ...
in 2005, with original bassist
Pete Quaife Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife (born Kinnes; 31 December 1943 – 23 June 2010) was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bassist for the Kinks, from 1963 until 1969. He also sang backing vocals on s ...
and the Davies brothers. In the 1990s, he also formed Shut Up Frank with Dave Clarke (no relation to the Dave Clark of "
The Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...
"),
Noel Redding Noel David Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress. Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 a ...
, and Dave Rowberry of The Animals. They toured extensively, and released two EPs and a live album. In the mid-'90s, he and Clarke started playing with The Kast Off Kinks, who over the years have enlisted
John Dalton John Dalton (; 5 or 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist and meteorologist. He introduced the atomic theory into chemistry. He also researched Color blindness, colour blindness; as a result, the umbrella term ...
, John Gosling,
Jim Rodford James Walter Rodford (7 July 1941 – 20 January 2018) was an English musician, who played bass for several British rock bands. He was a founding member of Argent, which was led by his cousin Rod Argent, and performed with them from their forma ...
and Ian Gibbons. He has performed with them ever since, recording an EP and a live album. Also, during the mid 90s (late 1994 to 1995) Mick Avory spent a year working for Royal Mail at Paddington West London Mail Centre as a part time postal sorter. By April 2004 at the request of
the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...
, who were about to do their 40th anniversary tour, Chip Hawkes (formerly of
The Tremeloes The Tremeloes (formerly Brian Poole and The Tremeloes) are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with ...
) was asked to form a band to tour along with them. He brought together former original members of British 1960s groups, including himself, Avory, and
Eric Haydock Eric Haydock (born Eric John Haddock; 3 February 1943 – 5 January 2019) was a British musician, best known as the original bass guitarist of the Hollies from December 1962 until July 1966. Career Haydock's first group, The Deltas, would b ...
of
the Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...
, performing as The Class of 64 (referring to the year of the
British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...
), also featuring guitarists 'Telecaster Ted' Tomlin and Graham Pollock. The band have toured around the world, and have recorded an album of their former bands' hits. In 2007, Avory left the Class of 64 and, with other former 64 members Haydock, Pollock, and Tomlin, formed a new band called The Legends of the Sixties, adding Martin Lyon. Avory made a special guest appearance onstage at Ray Davies'
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
performance on 10 May 20 playing tambourine, guesting alongside Ian Gibbons. Avory also plays in The '60s All Stars' band with British 1960s group members John Dee (The Foundations), Alan Lovell (The Swinging Blue Jeans), and Derek Mandell (The George Harrison Band). Avory was selected to drum for From The Jam following
Rick Buckler Paul Richard Buckler (6 December 1955 – 17 February 2025) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band the Jam. Although the Jam's creative output came to be attributed primarily to Paul Weller, its rhythm section of Buckle ...
's departure, and toured with them in December 2009.


Personal life

Avory lives in
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...
, west London and has a daughter. He has stated that she is not "terribly musical". Avory married Marliesa Mladek in January 2018.


Discography


With Shut Up Frank

EPs * ''No More Christmas'' (1993) * ''Another Day in Danger'' (1993) Live album * ''Alive!'' (1996)


With The Kast-Off Kinks

EP * ''The Archway EP'' (2001) Live album * ''Live at The Brook'' (2010)


References


Bibliography

*Doug Hinman, ''All Day and All of the Night: Day by Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1964-1997'', Backbeat Books, 2004,


External links


Mick Avory's page at Drummerworld
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avory, Mick 1944 births Living people The Kinks members English rock drummers People from Molesey People from Chipping Barnet British rhythm and blues boom musicians Musicians from the London Borough of Barnet