Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee
Alvin Leewas an English singer and guitarist, best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth19 December 1944
guitar green gigs
I went to see John Mayall at the Marquee, with Peter Green on guitar, and that was a particularly good gig.
school years way
Strangely enough, through all those school years I decided at 13 or 14 I was going to be a musician and so school was just something to get out of the way, a waste of time and not to bother with it.
world changing-the-world knows
I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do
sister age supportive
There is a big age gap between my sisters Janice and Irma and myself so I didn't know them that well when I was younger although they have been very supportive in later life.
double-bass firsts double-standard
It will be the first time I've played live with a double bass.
journey thinking names
They have decided to tour under the name of Ten Years After which I don't think is very cool. To be honest, they have had to do that as it's the only way they can get any work.
guitar boring chords
I began to learn a lot of chords and rhythms. It was a bit boring at the time but came in very handy later on.
christian guitar play
It was by listening to Goodman's band, that I began to notice the guitarist Charlie Christian, who was one of the first musicians to play solos in a big band set-up.
thinking artist solo
I think I'll continue to work as a solo artist.
years very-happy ten
So if you see Ten Years After, it's not me anymore. I'm very happy with what I am doing now.
beauty grabbed reached recorded red rock written
That's the beauty of creativity. It comes from the ether. I like to think, sometimes, it's like I haven't written it, it's more like I just reached up and grabbed it from somewhere. That song, 'Song of the Red Rock Mountain,' is one of them. I recorded it and thought, 'Where did that come from?'
conceived solos time
My solos are more tastefully conceived now. But I still get going in places. It's just that I build up to it now. I don't race off on a solo. I take my time.
bill blues both brought ethnic father heart home living parents playing room sitting stuff time
My father was always playing this ethnic blues stuff around the house, and both my parents played. Then one day my father brought home Big Bill Broonzy, and there he was sitting in our living room playing, and blues was in my heart from the time I was 12 years old.
arenas far good playing satisfying seconds sound
It wasn't very satisfying playing the big arenas, but it was good as far as a paycheck. But the sound was terrible, especially in hockey arenas - the sound would go on for 30 seconds after we quit playing.