AVO SESSION Basel Awards

The winners of this year’s awards are:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
= honours the life’s work of a performing artist

RAY DAVIES

There have been many debates about who was more important for British pop and rock: the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. The fact that there was a third band, one that had just as big an influence on these music genres, is often forgotten: The Kinks. The head of this unforgettable cult band was the British musician, composer and writer Ray Davies. He wrote unforgettable hits like «You Really Got Me», «Sunny Afternoon», «Lola», «Waterloo Sunset» and many more. After the Kinks, Davies made his mark as an extraordinary songwriter and constant pioneer in popular music, as someone who was able to switch between styles with ease and avoided getting involved in scandals. In 2004, the Queen of England awarded him the title «Commander of the British Empire». This year, the jury of the AVO SESSION Basel has awarded this all-round legend the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The following music experts selected the winners of these golden awards: Martin Schäfer, Christoph Schwegler, Sina, Zeno van Essel, Chris von Rohr, Beatrice Stirnimann and Matthias Müller.