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Born 19
December, 1944 in Nottingham England, Alvin Lee began playing guitar in
local bands at age 13.
By age
15, he and Leo Lyons had formed the core of the band that was to
become Ten Years After.
Ten Years
After, with Lee at the center as lead guitarist, lead singer and primary
songwriter, released their first album in October 1967. By June
1968, they were in America at the invitation of Bill Graham,and
audiences were immediately taken with the band's innovative mix of blues,
swing jazz and rock - and Lee's dinstinctivre, rapid fire guitar playing.
Super-stardom
followed the film release in 1970 of the Woodstock Festival (the
previous year) with Lee's riffing, howling, amazing and now legendary performance
stealing the show.
Although
Ten Years After recorded together through 1974, and toured in 1975 , Lee
began pursuing solo projects as early as 1973, when he released "On
The Road To Freedom" with American gospel artist Mylon LeFevre and
a host of rock & roll greats (like George Harrison, Ron Wood
and Steve Winwood sitting in.)
1974 saw
the release of "In Flight", recorded live on stage in London. In a typical
Lee move, he had a total of four weeks to complete his band, get the
songs together and rehearse - and the result is an amazing concert,
highlighted not only by Lee, but by King Crimson's Mel Collins on
sax, as well.
"Pump Iron" , with many of the same musicians as "In Flight" was Lee's 1975 release, but when the next project came along, in 1978, it was as part of an incredible power trio tagged Ten Years Later. Their first album "Rocket Fuel", was followed up in 1979 with "Ride On". (A 1976 recording, "Let it Rock" was also released in 1978).
True to form, Lee was then ready to move on to other musical styles again, and the Alvin Lee Band was formed. Their two releases, "FreeFall" (1980) and "RX5" (1981) put the emphasis on vocal harmonies.
Lee took
a break from recording after RX5's release, and made us wait five
years for the release of "Detroit Diesel", a blistering, tight rock
offering which was reissued on CD in 1996.
A successful
Ten Years After reunion came in 1989 and after disbanding, Lee turned his
attention back to his solo career, producing what may be the best music
of his career. 1992 produced "Zoom", 1993 saw the release of an
interview/music video "Rockspective". "1994" ( released in the US
"I Hear You Rockin'') was next, a brilliant collection of blues/boogie
numbers. A live release,"Live in Vienna" followed, as did an incredible
anthology album, "Pure Blues", which also features Ten Years After songs.
Alvin once again tested the waters with Ten Years After in 1997, with a successful tour of Brazil and a series of European festivals. Then, late in the year, the release of "Solid Rock", which also features TYA songs. In January 1998, all four members sign with a new manager, and are currently playing together around the world.
November 1998 saw the long awaited reissue of Alvin's solo albums onto CD, with the release of In Flight and Pump Iron, followed in January 1999 with Let it Rock, Freefall and RX5.