Throughout their iconic career, The Kinks built a blueprint for all British bands to follow for decades to come. However, at the start of their journey, the Davies brothers were still discovering their unique sound and looked further afield for influences. One of their key inspirations was the legendary guitarist Chuck Berry, who the band later admitted they “ripped off” on one early track.
The Kinks’ love of Berry can be distilled into one action, which says everything about their admiration for the late musician. Their self-titled 1964 album was a mix of original tracks and covers of songs from their record collection. The opener is ‘Beautiful Delilah’, which was first recorded by Berry, and sees The Kinks wear their influences firmly on the sleeve.
Additionally, elsewhere on the album, they covered ‘Too Much Monkey Business’, a track originally performed by Berry in 1956. While the lead single ‘You Really Got Me’ is a proto-punk anthem which heavily changed the fabric of British music, there was a strong R&B feel to their debut, which they transported from the other side of the Atlantic ocean.
Berry’s influence on The Kinks’ first collection of songs transcended the covers they elected to place on the album and even found its way into inspiring their own original contributions to the LP. An example is the second track on the record, ‘So Mystifying’, which Ray Davies later said “ripped off” their hero.
During a conversation with The Los Angeles Times, the singer was asked about The Kinks’ creation, which rips off another artist, and he responded by revealing how Berry shaped ‘So Mystifying’. Ray then described the blues musician as “one of the underrated poets in American culture.”
Dave Davies was equally inspired by Berry, once telling Louder Sound: “Chuck Berry was the key to everything that happened in the ’60s. His lyrics were on a par with Dylan and my brother. I eventually met him at an airport in Atlanta. [Long pause] Shit, I’m getting emotional here. He had these great shoes – white and brown brogues, but kind of 50s style. I looked at him and was speechless.”
The guitarist continued to recall the encounter: “Then he started swearing at some flight attendant who’d put him in the wrong seat. I was thinking, ‘Wow, I wish I could swear like that!’ I was just completely in awe of him, while I think he just thought I was some cocky kid.”
He continued: “He ended up saying things like: ‘Sure, yeah, how you doin’?’ and ‘Oh, you’re in a band called the Kinks?’ Humouring me, I suppose. He was looking over his shoulder and waiting for the flight to be called and the lights to go up. He had incredible presence.”
Listen below to The Kinks’ attempt at sounding like Chuck Berry on ‘So Mystifying’ below.
