RAY DAVIES

As a boy in post-War England, legendary Kinks singer/songwriter Ray Davies fell in love with Americaits movies and music, its culture of freedom, fed his imagination. Then, as part of the British Invasion, he toured the US with the Kinks during one of the most tumultuous eras in recent historyuntil the Kinks group was banned from performing there from 1965-69. Many tours and trips later, while living in New Orleans, he experienced a transformative event: the shooting (a result of a botched robbery) that nearly took his life. In Americana, Davies tries to make sense of his long love-hate relationship with the country that both inspired and frustrated him. From his quintessentially English perspective as a Kink, Davieswith candor, humor, and wittakes us on a very personal road trip through his life and storied career as a rock star, and reveals what music, fame, and America really mean to him. Some of the most fascinating characters in recent pop culture make appearances, from the famous to the perhaps even-more-interesting behind-the-scenes players. The book also includes a photographic insert with images from Daviess own collection from the bands archive.

As a boy in post-War England, legendary Kinks singer/songwriter Ray Davies fell in love with America its movies and music, its culture of freedom fed his imagination. In Americana, Davies tries to make sense of his long love-hate relationship with the country that both inspires and frustrates him, and where he nearly lost his life in a street shooting. Some of the most fascinating characters in pop culture and the British Invasion make appearances, from the famous to the behind-the-scenes players. The book is interspersed with lyrics and also includes photographs from Daviess own collection and the Kinks archive. From his quintessentially English perspective, Davies with candour, humour, and wit takes us on a very personal road trip through his life and storied career as a rock star, and reveals what music, fame and America really mean to him.