Richard “Rick” Davies was born on July 22, 1944, in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, the son of Betty and Dick Davies. He grew up in a working-class family and showed an early interest in music, first playing drums before switching to piano, inspired by jazz and blues pianists such as Memphis Slim. He studied art at Swindon College but left before finishing when his father became ill, taking a job as a welder while continuing to play in local bands such as Vince and the Vigilantes and later Rick’s Blues.