Alvin Lee
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Alvin Lee (born Graham Barnes, December 19, 1944 in Nottingham, England) is an English rock guitarist who became known throughout the 1960s for his work with the The Jaybirds, and got the world fame from the end of the decade as a frontman of Ten Years After.
Born in Nottingham, England, he began playing guitar at the age of thirteen, and with Leo Lyons formed the core of the band Ten Years After in 1960. Originally influenced by his parent's collection of jazz and blues records, it was the advent of rock and roll that truly sparked his interest and creativity, and guitarists like Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore provided his inspiration.
The Jaybirds, as Lee's early band was called from 1962, were popular locally, and had success at Star Club in Hamburg, Germany (since that time lead guitarist Lee also took lead vocals), following The Beatles there the same year. But it was not until the band moved to London in 1966 (for the first time, they arrived British capital in 1964, but soon had to return home) and changed its name, first to Jaybird, dropping 'The' and 's' to make it sound more contemporary, then to Blues Yard (for one gig at the legendary Marquee Club) and finally to Ten Years After (TYA) that international success beckoned. The band secured a residency at the Marquee, and an invitation to the famous Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival in 1967 led to their first recording contract. The self titled debut album surprisingly received play on San Francisco, California's underground radio stations and was enthusiastically embraced by listeners, including concert promoter Bill Graham, who invited the band to tour the United States for the first time in the summer of 1968. Audiences were immediately taken by Lee's distinctive, soulful, rapid fire guitar playing and the band's innovative mix of blues, swing jazz and rock, and an American love affair began. TYA would ultimately tour the U.S. twenty eight times in seven years, more than any other UK band.
Appearing at the famed Woodstock Festival, Lee's virtuoso performance was one of the highlights and remains today a standard for many other guitarists. [citation needed] Captured on film in the documentary of the festival, his inspired playing catapulted him into superstardom, and soon the band was playing arenas and stadia around the globe. Although Lee later lamented that he missed the intimacy of smaller venues, there is no denying the impact the film made in bringing his music to a worldwide audience.
TYA had success, releasing ten albums together, but by 1973, Lee was feeling limited by the band's style. With American gospel singer Mylon LeFevre and a host of rock talents like George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood and Mick Fleetwood, he recorded and released On The Road To Freedom, a highly acclaimed album that was at the forefront of country rock. A year later, in response to a dare, Lee formed Alvin Lee & Company to play a show at the Rainbow in London and released it as a double live album, In Flight. An energetic mix of rhythm & blues and rock, with a tribute to Elvis Presley thrown in for good measure, Lee once, in his understated fashion, called this band "a funky little outfit". Various members of the band continued on with Lee for his next two albums, Pump Iron and Let it Rock. He finished out the 1970s with the trio Ten Years Later who also released two albums, Ride On and Rocket Fuel, and toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States.
The 1980s brought another change in Lee's direction, with two albums that were strong collaborations with Rare Bird's Steve Gould and an extensive tour with the former Rolling Stones' guitarist Mick Taylor joining his band.
Lee's overall musical output includes more than 20 albums, including 1985's Detroit Diesel, and the back to back 1990s collections of Zoom and 1994 (US title I Hear You Rockin'). Guest artists on both albums include George Harrison. Their duet on 1994's The Bluest Blues led one reviewer to call it "the most perfect blues song ever recorded."
Lee's most recent album was recorded with rock and roll legends Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. Titled Alvin Lee in Tennessee, it's an upbeat selection of songs that are timely and forward looking, yet borrow from his beloved 1950s rock and roll. It includes a new version of his 'signature' song, "I'm Going Home", performed here, according to Lee "as it always should have been". This CD and the 2004 extensive UK tour are testimony that Alvin Lee is one of the finest exponents of guitar-driven rock [citation needed].
In April 2006 Lee performed in Girona, Spain, backed by his established rhythm section of Pete Pritchard (bass), and Richard Newman (drums).
