Americana

The Kinks singer recounts and reflects on his travels in America: “This is no tired rock story but something far more profound, funny, and disturbing.” —The Irish Times

As a boy in postwar England, legendary Kinks singer/songwriter Ray Davies fell in love with America—its movies and music, and 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 history—until the Kinks were 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, Davies—with candor and humor—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. 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 photos from Davies’s own collection and the band’s archive.

“The chapters on the New Orleans shooting [are] astonishing, really riveting.” —The New York Post

“Davies is candid and honest about his personal and creative struggles.” —The New York Times