Kinks Photography

Though the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who often get mentioned at the top of British Invasion bands, the Kinks were also churning out groundbreaking music of a similar caliber throughout the 1960s. Led by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, the band unleashed a raucous cocktail of rock ’n’ roll and blues, often peppered with witty observations of English culture.

Some of the biggest hits from their first run include “All Day and All of the Night,” “Lola,” and “You Really Got Me.” The latter boasts one of history’s most iconic guitar riffs, and it even found a resurgence a generation later as the debut single from hard rockers Van Halen.

The Kinks also experienced a second coming across the late ’70s and early ’80s, thanks in part to the hits “Come Dancing” and “Don’t Forget to Dance” prior to retiring from the studio in 1993. Even so, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ fingerprints rubbed off on the mid-’90s Britpop resurgence and beyond with both brothers continuing to perform the timeless material on their solo tours.