Original KINKS bassist Pete Quaife Dead at Sixty-Six

2 years ago by Jeff Woods | June 25, 2010 12:35 pm

Our friends at BBC news have reported that it is not clear how he died, but that original KINKS bassist Pete Quaife, who left the band in ’69, and had been undergoing kidney dialysis for the past 10 years, has passed on. 

Quaife formed The Kinks in 1962 along with school friend Dave Davies, and then asked Dave’s brother Ray Davies to join.  Originally called the (Golden) Ravens, the became The ‘Kinks’ upon getting a record deal in ’63.

Peter Quaife was commonly the voice of the band in early press interviews. 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.

He left The Kinks permanently in April 1969. He was again replaced on bass, this time permanently, by Dalton.

In the 1980s he moved to Canada, and began earning his living as a graphic artist. When he was diagnosed with renal failure in 1998, he began drawing cartoons about his experience undergoing dialysis treatment. He last played with the Kinks at their induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

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 2007,  Ray Davies, said "I spoke to Quaife about a month ago and he dearly wants to make another record with me". The tabloids picked up on the quote, and turned it into a story saying that the Kinks were reforming for a tour in 2008. However, in an interview aired on the Biography Channel in December 2008, Quaife flatly said he would never participate in any type of Kinks reunion. Shortly thereafter, Quaife released a statement that he was permanently retiring from the public eye.

He died yesterday,  the 24th June, 2010 in Herley, Denmark at the age of 66.

Rest in Peace, Pete Quaife, original bassist and founder of the KINKS, the man that called show business ‘the biggest drug of them all’.

Here’s an interview with Pete, from 1988, from his then home of Belleville Ontario.

Jeff.

 

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add a comment 2 Comments
  • debbie m/over 25yrlistner
    June 25, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    Hi Jeff,
    God I miss your blogs , never enough time on weekends I spend so much time during week on computor the eyeballs are a hurtin…but will catch up.
    Nope, still 80s/90s here or none at all which I rather if it is not Q107 only on late shift can i listen to my wants.
    The other half bday ,,,today must get shopping
    cheers

    (Reply)
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