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
play people crowds
I just play to the people I can see. So it's almost like you are playing to the first few rows of the crowd. You can see the faces of the first hundred people, but then it becomes a blur as the crowds disappear over the hill.
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.
arenas baseball enjoy good hockey ice playing stadiums
We started playing ice hockey arenas and baseball stadiums which was not as good as the underground circuit. I didn't enjoy it as much.
berry chuck country listened playing roll
My all-time favorite rock and roll players were Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry and Franny Beecher, and I listened to the country playing of Merle Travis.
albert barney bill blues country favorite john lee liked listened muddy player ralph three
My favorite country blues player was Big Bill Broonzy. City blues was Freddie King, but I liked them all - Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Ralph Willis, Lonnie Johnson, Brownie McGhee and the three Kings, B.B., Albert and Freddie. Jazz-wise, I listened to Django, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery.
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.
school practice guitar
I just couldn't take school seriously: I had this guitar neck with four frets which I kept hidden under the desk. It had strings on it so I would practice my chord shapes under the desk and that's about all I did at school.
anniversary thinking band
The chances of a reunion now are less likely. I was thinking of having a 40th anniversary of the band, but now they are really another band, so it's all a bit weird.
music voice gigs
... I'm not conscious of the speed ... it's not my motive ... my motive is displaying a voice through the fingerboard ... it can get to the point where I don't have control over what I am playing ... I never end the gig until I can't sing anymore
book world
Anywhere you go in the world is what you make of it, not what you read in books.
nice people guy
George Harrison was also a pleasure to work with. He was one of the most famous people I've ever known, but in spite of that fame, he was such a nice and friendly guy.
dad listening records
I started off playing the clarinet, after I was inspired by listening to my dad's Benny Goodman records.
thinking modern basics
I think a lot of modern day guitarists start off playing like Eddie van Halen, and they don't take the time to learn the basics.