Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in
Downey, CaliforniaDowney is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, 21 km southeast of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,323.-History:...
), is a
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
, singer and
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
.
Dave and his older brother
PhilPhil Alvin is an American singer and guitarist. He is known primarily as the frontman of the roots-rock band The BlastersAlvin grew up in Downey, California in a music-loving family where he and his younger brother...
grew up in a music-loving family in Downey, California. As teenagers, they regularly attended
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
,
rockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, and
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
night clubs where they saw performances by greats like
T-Bone WalkerT-Bone Walker was an American blues guitarist, singer, pianist and songwriter who was one of the most important pioneers of the electric guitar. His electric guitar solos were among the first heard on modern blues recordings...
,
Big Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri...
, and
Lee AllenLee Allen was an American tenor saxophone player born in Pittsburg, Kansas.A key figure in the New Orleans rock and roll scene of the 1950s, Allen recorded with many leading performers of the early rock and roll era...
, who later joined Dave and Phil in The Blasters.
In 1979 Dave and his brother formed
roots rockRoots Rock is a term recently used to describe "a style of rock music that draws material from various American musical traditions including country, blues, and folk." The term is sometimes used in a broader sense to encompass other Americana, including early rock and roll, country rock, and other...
group
The BlastersThe Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
with fellow Downey, California residents Bill Bateman and John Bazz.
Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in
Downey, CaliforniaDowney is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, 21 km southeast of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,323.-History:...
), is a
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
, singer and
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
.
Early musical influences
Dave and his older brother
PhilPhil Alvin is an American singer and guitarist. He is known primarily as the frontman of the roots-rock band The BlastersAlvin grew up in Downey, California in a music-loving family where he and his younger brother...
grew up in a music-loving family in Downey, California. As teenagers, they regularly attended
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
,
rockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, and
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
night clubs where they saw performances by greats like
T-Bone WalkerT-Bone Walker was an American blues guitarist, singer, pianist and songwriter who was one of the most important pioneers of the electric guitar. His electric guitar solos were among the first heard on modern blues recordings...
,
Big Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri...
, and
Lee AllenLee Allen was an American tenor saxophone player born in Pittsburg, Kansas.A key figure in the New Orleans rock and roll scene of the 1950s, Allen recorded with many leading performers of the early rock and roll era...
, who later joined Dave and Phil in The Blasters.
The Blasters
In 1979 Dave and his brother formed
roots rockRoots Rock is a term recently used to describe "a style of rock music that draws material from various American musical traditions including country, blues, and folk." The term is sometimes used in a broader sense to encompass other Americana, including early rock and roll, country rock, and other...
group
The BlastersThe Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
with fellow Downey, California residents Bill Bateman and John Bazz. The Blasters became a sensation in
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
and won an enthusiastic
cult followingA cult following is used to refer to a small or large group of fans that are either somewhat or highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture.-Cult media:...
across the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. However, the Blasters were unable to translate their critical respect and enthusiastic fan base into mainstream success, and in 1986, Dave left the band.
X
Shortly after leaving the Blasters, Alvin joined X as lead guitarist after the departure of
Billy ZoomBilly Zoom is an American guitarist, best known as one of the founders of the punk rock band X.-Early life:...
. Alvin amicably left the group to work on a solo project shortly after the recording sessions for their album
See How We AreSee How We Are is the sixth album by X. It features a less punk rock-oriented sound than their earlier work, instead emphasizing roots rock....
. Dave is also a member of country band
The KnittersThe Knitters are a Los Angeles-based band who play country, rockabilly and folk music. At the time of their formation they were pioneers of country punk, cowpunk or folk punk, the genre which gradually evolved into alternative country...
(composed mainly of members of X), appearing on 1987's
Poor Little Critter on the Road and the 2005 follow-up,
The Modern Sounds of The Knitters.
The Flesh Eaters
In the early 1980s Dave, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman and
Steve BerlinSteve Berlin is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, The Blasters and The Flesh Eaters...
, performed on several albums with the Los Angeles punk band
The Flesh EatersThe Flesh Eaters is an American punk rock band, which formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1977. Their peak of popularity was in the late '70s and early '80s, and their lineup has comprised members of the Los Angeles bands The Plugz, X, The Blasters and Los Lobos...
. These albums are considered precursors to what is now called "
deathrockDeathrock or deathpunk is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979.-Characteristics:...
".
The Gun Club
Dave Alvin also played with the band The Gun Club briefly,
playing guitar on "Eternally Is Here" & "The Stranger in Our Town" from the 1984 album,
The Las Vegas StoryThe Las Vegas Story is the third studio album by punk blues group The Gun Club, released in 1984. This album saw the return of founding member and lead guitarist Kid Congo Powers, after a three year stint with The Cramps.-Track listing:...
.
Solo
Alvin's first solo album, entitled
Romeo's Escape in the United States and
Every Night About This Time in England, added a purer country influence along with a larger side-portion of the blues; while the album was critically well received, it didn't fare well in the marketplace, and Alvin was dropped by his American record label,
ColumbiaColumbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
. Alvin suffered health problems which sidelined him for a while, except for a wild tour with friends
Mojo NixonMojo Nixon is an irreverent American musician, known for playing psychobilly music...
and
Country Dick MontanaThe Beat Farmers were a cowpunk band who formed in San Diego, CA in August 1983, and enjoyed a cult following throughout the 1980s and early 1990s before the premature death of lead singer and drummer Country Dick Montana...
as the Pleasure Barons, which was described as "a
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
revue from acts who aren't going to be asked to play Vegas". (A live album was released of a second Pleasure Barons tour in 1993.)
In 1989,
Dwight YoakamDwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter and actor, most famous for his country music. Active since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than twenty albums and compilations, and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.-Early life:Yoakam was born...
scored a hit on the country charts with Alvin's song "Long White Cadillac", and Alvin used the
royaltiesRoyalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property right. Royalties are typically a percentage of gross or net sales derived from use of an asset or a fixed price per unit sold of an item...
to start work on his second solo set,
Blue Blvd. Released by the California-based roots-music label
Hightone RecordsHighTone Records was an independent record label based in Oakland, California. Hightone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983. The label's first release that year was...
in 1991,
Blue Blvd received enthusiastic reviews and sold well enough to re-establish Alvin as a significant artist in the
roots rockRoots Rock is a term recently used to describe "a style of rock music that draws material from various American musical traditions including country, blues, and folk." The term is sometimes used in a broader sense to encompass other Americana, including early rock and roll, country rock, and other...
scene.
After releasing
Museum of Heart in 1993, Alvin began to turn his attention to
acoustic musicAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
with 1994's
King of California, and over the next several years Alvin moved back and forth between hard-edged roots rock and more introspective acoustic material that still honored his influences (and allowed him to display a greater range as a vocalist).
In 2000, Alvin recorded a collection of traditional folk and blues classics,
Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Contemporary
FolkThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
Album.
Other projects
When not busy recording his own music, Alvin has also worked as a producer for several other roots-oriented acts, including
Chris GaffneyChris Gaffney was a singer and songwriter from the American Southwest. His career, both as a soloartist and as a member of several bands, was as eclectic as his musical tastes. Although he never achieved widespread fame, Gaffney, who died at the age of 57 from liver cancer, left his mark on...
,
Tom RussellThomas George "Tom" Russell is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Texas Country music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, Tex-Mex, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many of his songs have been recorded by other artists, including...
, the Derailers, and Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, as well as collaborating with
rockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
legend
Sonny BurgessAlbert Austin "Sonny" Burgess is a guitarist and singer of classic rockabilly music....
. As a sideman, Alvin has recorded sessions with the likes of
Ramblin' Jack ElliottRamblin' Jack Elliott is an American folk performer.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Elliott grew up Jewish and inspired by the rodeos at Madison Square Garden, wanted to be a cowboy. Though encouraged to follow his father's example and become a surgeon, Elliott rebelled, running away from...
,
Little MiltonLittle Milton was an American blues and soul singer and guitarist, best known for his hit records "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Gonna Make It."-Biography:...
,
Katy MoffattKatherine Louella "Katy" Moffatt is an eclectic American musician, lyricist, composer, vocalist. She is the sister of country singer-songwriter Hugh Moffatt.-Midnight Radio:...
, and
Syd StrawSyd Straw is an American rock singer and songwriter. The daughter of actor Jack Straw , she began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinct voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined the Golden Palominos...
.
Dave has had at least two books of poetry published:
Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You and
Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July. His poetry has appeared in
Caffeine,
the A.K.A. Review,
Rattler,
Asymptote and
Enclitic. It has also appeared in the following anthologies:
Nude Erections,
Hit And Run Poets, and
Poetry Loves Poetry—An Anthology of Los Angeles Poets.
He appeared as "Dave" in the movie
Border RadioBorder Radio is a 1987 independent film directed by Allison Anders, Dean Lent and Kurt Voss, in which two musicians and a roadie who haven't been paid rob money from a club and one flees to Mexico leaving his wife and daughter behind...
(1987), and as "Chauffeur" in
Floundering (1994). He also appeared in
Streets of FireStreets of Fire is a 1984 film directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Larry Gross. It was described in previews, trailers, and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable." It is an unusual mix of musical, action, drama, and comedy with elements both of retro-1950s and 1980s...
(1984) with The Blasters.
Blasters discography
- American Music - 1980
- Blasters - 1981
- Over There - 1982
- Non Fiction - 1983
- Hard Line - 1985
- The Blasters Collection - 1990
- Testament: The Complete Slash Recordings - 2002
- The Blasters Live - Going Home - 2004
The Knitters discography
- Poor Little Critter on the Road - 1985
- The Modern Sounds of the Knitters - 2005
Dave Alvin discography
| Year |
Album |
Chart Positions |
| US Country |
US The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
US Heat Top Heatseekers is a weekly albums chart introduced by Billboard in 1993 whose purpose is to highlight sales by new and developing musical recording artists. Albums appearing on Top Heatseekers may also concurrently appear on the Billboard 200....
|
US Indie |
| 1987 |
Romeo's Escape |
60 |
116 |
|
|
| 1991 |
Blue Blvd |
|
|
|
|
| 1993 |
Museum of Heart |
|
|
|
|
| 1994 |
King of California |
|
|
|
|
| 1996 |
Interstate City |
|
|
|
|
| 1998 |
Blackjack David |
|
|
|
|
| 2000 |
Public Domain |
|
|
|
|
| 2002 |
Out in California |
|
|
|
|
| Outtakes in California |
|
|
|
|
| 2004 |
Ashgrove |
|
|
|
38 |
| 2005 |
The Great American Music Galaxy |
|
|
|
|
| 2006 |
West of the West |
|
|
24 |
35 |
| 2007 |
Live from Austin, TX: Austin City Limits |
|
|
|
|
| 2009 |
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women |
|
|
|
|
Other contributions
- Eklektikos Live (2005) - "Blackjack David"
- Highway 61 Revisited Revisited, UNCUT
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a popular monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes a film section. The magazine also features articles covering music-related books...
(2005) - "Highway 61 Revisited"
External links