MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Dave Davies
The Kinks guitarist maps out his musical journey: “The female voice has had as much of an influence on my music as anything”
LITTLE RICHARD
Here’s Little Richard SPECIALTY, 1957
Little Richard took my breath away when I first heard him and he was always in the forefront of all my music. He was raucous and loud and made you wake up and want to rock. I’ve been thankful to him for his influence and humour – his music is sensational and a one-off, never to be repeated. “Long Tall Sally” was inspiring, so we thought it would be a fun cover to do with The Kinks. Ours holds up as a fun and grittier version. I met Little Richard in an elevator once and I thought he was really funny, but he didn’t say anything about The Kinks’ version of his song. He was very into himself, but I liked that about him. He was quite a character.
ANITA O’DAY
Anita O’Day Swings Cole Porter With Billy May VERVE, 1959