Ray Davies Is Back

Joan Anderman loved Sunday night's show. So did I. And after the gig, I was granted about nine minutes with The Man.

I asked him about the first rock show he went to. He recounted going to a Little Richard, Duane Eddy double bill as a teenager.

"I was amazed at Duane Eddy and his horn section. He sounded exactly like the records. Jim Horn on sax and a great drummer. I also remember a band called The Escorts, who were from Manchester, I think, and they were part of that whole northern movement. The Kinks had played a gig and we went to see them in a club in Manchester. I don’t think they had any success but if you cast a movie to be Merseybeat, they looked like it. They did a song we did, which was a cover of the Coasters song, "I’m A Hog For You."

"See my sister, she married a Canadian serviceman and moved to Canada and sent us all rock records. So we got them before anybody else heard them. Early Elvis Presley. For some reason she sent a few blues records as well. 'Smokestack Lightning' as well."

"But one of the best bands I ever saw when I started out – not the first – was a band called the Cyril Davis All Stars. And on the piano was Nicky Hopkins. Cyril played harmonica and they were the backup band for Sonny Boy Williamson. And Cyril had a classic, seminal single called country line single. That’s why I wanted to work with Nicky Hopkins, who played on lots of Kinks songs."

Knowing Ray has a daughter who is just 11, I asked about whether he has found a way to make sure she appreciates good music.

"Her mother and I separated and she lives in Ireland. I used to go over to Ireland and play r & b, jazz in the car just to brainwash her. Not because it’s a bad intention on her mother’s part. But she’s probably got access to all the normal things – Avril Lavigne – but she’s got her dad who plays Chuck Berry at home. She likes Mr. Chuck. She says, 'Mr. Chuck, is he a nice man?' I said, he’s okay. He’s a great writer. But I wouldn’t want you to meet him. She likes Mr. Chuck and she likes Cajun music."