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
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.
acceptable believe change club deal mainstream music people receptive singing stick style touched trends
We want to go more mainstream but stick to what we do, ... Every place we go, the people are receptive with the style of music we're doing. And even if we go into a club setting, we're still singing about God. We want to be the people that change the trends of what's acceptable and what's not. We believe it's in our music, really. And I think it's the music that's touched everyone when they deal with us.
inspired lost music
I lost a big part of me. That's what inspired me to take our music outside.
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.
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.
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.
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.