Ray Davies at 69: His Memoir on the Way

Happy birthday to Ray Davies, who was born on June 21, 1944 in London, England.

Shamefully, most of us here in the States have been mispronouncing his name for decades, myself included, but we finally now know that it's pronounced exactly the same as "Davis".

Oh, those Brits sure know how to make us look like fools. :-D

Ray's forthcoming memoir, due out October 1st, "Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road: The Story" is available now for pre-order.

From a review on amazon.com:

"From his quintessentially English perspective as a Kink, Davies—with candor, humor, and wit—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."

According to Ray's facebook page, he'll be playing London's Hyde Park on July 12th with Elvis Costello, Elton John and a host of other great songwriters.

Happy birthday to a true rock legend!