He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies.

He is also the most prolific member, again apart from the Davies brothers, who has played on twenty studio albums or nearly all of the band's creative output.

[citation needed] Avory joined the Kinks in January 1964, after their previous drummer Micky Willet left the band.

[6] He attended a rehearsal at the Camden Head in Islington shortly before Christmas of 1963, and was then offered the job by manager Robert Wace just after New Year.

Despite his ability, early Kinks recordings (including hits such as "You Really Got Me") commonly did not feature Avory on drums; producer Shel Talmy hired more seasoned session drummers (most notably Clem Cattini and Bobby Graham) for studio work well into 1965, but with Avory often providing supporting percussion.

In the most notorious incident, at the Capitol Theatre, Cardiff, South Wales, during the Kinks' 1965 UK tour, Avory struck Dave over the head with his hi-hat stand, in reprisal for Davies kicking over his drum kit as revenge for a drunken fight the previous night in a Taunton hotel, apparently won by Mick.

[citation needed] According to Ray, their problems began during the time Mick and Dave shared a flat in London for a short period in early 1965.

... we were doing a track called "Good Day" and I couldn't face having Mick and Dave in the studio, so I did it with a drum machine.

Avory was asked to rejoin by Ray Davies, but he declined as he wanted a rest from the non-stop touring, working and performing schedule of two decades.

[citation needed] In 2007, Avory left the Class of 64 and, with other former 64 members Haydock, Pollock, and Tomlin, formed a new band called The Legends of the Sixties, adding Martin Lyon.

[citation needed] Avory was selected to drum for From The Jam following Rick Buckler's departure, and toured with them in December 2009.