Mick Avory

Michael Charles Avory (born February 13, 1944) was the drummer for The Kinks from their formation in 1963 to 1983. In 1962, before he joined The Kinks, he played drums for The Rolling Stones when they were first formed. He played their first show at The Marquee Club, but his tenure did not last long. He was replaced with their current drummer Charlie Watts.

Avory was always considered the quiet person in the original Kinks lineup, although he had a long-running antagonistic working relationship with guitarist Dave Davies, which resulted in numerous legendary onstage fights. Mick is cited as an influence by various modern rock drummers like Tre Cool of Green Day. His solid-standing performance is similar to that of Charlie Watts (notably both were Jazz drummers before joining their respectable bands). Avory is praised for his style – playing behind the beat, like "for" the song.

Avory was hired by the Kinks (who were changing their name at that time from the Ravens) in August 1963, after they saw an advertisement he had placed in a local paper. Despite his ability, early Kinks' recordings (including hits such as You Really Got Me) commonly did not feature Avory on drums; producer Shel Talmy hired more seasoned session drummers (most notably Clem Cattini) for studio work well into 1965, with Avory commonly relegated to tamborine. After the summer of 1965, Avory played drums on virtually all Kinks recordings. Avory was with the Kinks for over twenty years; by agreement with Ray Davies, he left performing and recording with the band in 1983, after his working relationship with Dave Davies had become unsustainable. He has continued since 1984 in a management role with the Kinks and their Konk Studio in London. Today he plays with the Kast-Off Kinks with John Dalton, Dave Clark, and John Gosling. He is still friends with the Davies brothers, keeps in regular contact and continues manage Konk studios, used by the band. In fact, he have lent a couple of times hand as a producer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with the other original Kinks.