Blues rock, rock and roll, stoner rock, proto-punk and proto-metal – Alvin Lee played them all, and most of them before they even had a name. One of the most under-appreciated guitarists of the 1960s and 70s, Alvin Lee was born today in 1943 in England and he found fame as the singer and lead guitarist of the band Ten Years After. He played Woodstock in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 and along the way laid a foundation that the likes of Angus Young, Slash, Joe Satriani, Black Sabbath and the Ramones would expand upon.
Known as The Fastest Guitar in the West, Lee took his own influence from jazz and the blues and started playing guitar by age 13. By the age of 17 he joined forces with Leo Lyons, an absolute animal on bass, and the two formed the core of multiple bands that eventually evolved into Ten Years After in 1966. Ten Years After became the house band at the Marquee Club in London in 1967, following in the footsteps of acts like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. (Lee helped Black Sabbath secure their first major gig in London at the Marquee Club in 1969.)
Shortly after starting at the Marquee, Ten Years After secured a record deal and released their self-titled debut album in October of 1967. The following year the band released their second album, a live record called “Undead”, which included the blistering “I’m Going Home” which showcased Lee’s shredding ability. In 1969 Ten Years began an incredible year that saw them play the Newport Jazz Festival, the Seattle Pop Festival and Woodstock along with the release of their third album, “Stonedhenge”.
Lee lit it up in front of hundreds of thousands of fans at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 and Ten Years After released their biggest album, “A Space in Time”, in 1971. Lee’s biggest hit, “I’d Love To Change the World”, came off that album and marked the highpoint of Lee and the band’s career. The band broke up in 1974 but Lee continued making music. Over the following years he put out over ten more albums and recorded with luminaries like George Harrison, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Frampton, Ronnie Wood, Jerry Lee Lewis, Steve Winwood and Rory Gallagher. Alvin Lee died in Spain in 2013.
“Spoonful” off the album “Ten Years After” 1967:
“Rock Your Mama” off the album “Undead” 1968, live in France 1968:
“I’m Going Home” live at Woodstock 1969:
“Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” off the album “Ssssh” 1969 (contrast this with the Grateful Dead version that GratefulBuck will inevitably post):
“Bad Scene” off the album “Ssssh” 1969:
“Stoned Woman” off the album “Ssssh” 1969:
“Hear Me Calling” off the album “Stonedhenge” 1969:
“Love Like a Man” off the album “Cricklewood Green” 1970, live in San Francisco 1975:
“I’d Love to Change the World” off the album “A Space in Time” 1971:
“Baby Won’t You Let Me Rock and Roll You” off the album “A Space in Time” 1971, live in San Francisco 1975:
“Choo Choo Mama” off the album “Rock & Roll Music to the World” 1972, live in San Francisco 1975:
