Dave Alvin | |
|---|---|
 Alvin in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | David Albert Alvin (1955-11-11)November 11, 1955 (age 70) |
| Origin | Downey, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Americana,alternative country,rockabilly,country rock,folk rock |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Rhino,Yep Roc |
David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955)[1]is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of theroots rock bandthe Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s and has been involved in various side projects and collaborations. He has had brief stints as a member of the bandsX andthe Knitters. He often refers to himself as "Blackjack Dave," in reference to his 1998 album and song of the same name.
Alvin grew up inDowney, California. He and his older brother,Phil Alvin, as teenagers frequentedblues,rockabilly andcountry music venues.[2] Dave attendedLong Beach State University.[3]
In 1979, Alvin and his brother Phil formed the roots-rock bandThe Blasters with fellow Downey residentsBill Bateman andJohn Bazz.[2][4] Alvin served as the group's lead guitarist and chief songwriter.[4]The Rough Guide to Rock noted the ever-increasing numbers of originals that Alvin wrote for the Blasters, along with his maturation into a great songwriter.[5]
Other artists have covered Alvin's songs. For example, "Marie Marie" became a British-German top 20 hit in 1980 forShakin' Stevens and received azydeco treatment in 1987 fromBuckwheat Zydeco.Dwight Yoakam recorded "Long White Cadillac" in 1989.[2]
Alvin was in the original lineup until 1986. His departure reflected internal tension in the band, but ultimately he wanted to sing his own songs while his brotherPhil Alvin was the established lead vocalist for the group.[6]
Alvin has rejoined the Blasters for some reunion tours and live albums with the original lineup. He has also occasionally performed with the band under other circumstances as well.[7]
Alvin served a brief stint as the lead guitarist of the Los Angeles–basedalternative rock bandX. He left X in 1987 to work on a solo project after the group recorded their albumSee How We Are.
Alvin was also a member of thecountry folk bandThe Knitters, an offshoot of X. He appeared on their 1985 albumPoor Little Critter on the Road and their 2005 follow-up,The Modern Sounds of the Knitters.[2]
In the early 1980s, Alvin, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman andSteve Berlin, performed onA Minute to Pray, A Second to Die by the Los Angelespunk bandthe Flesh Eaters. This lineup, which also includedJohn Doe andD.J. Bonebrake, assembled once again in 2006, performing three shows in California and one in England to mark the album's 25th anniversary. They reunited briefly in 2015 for a five-show tour and again for an eight-show run in 2018. They issued a new album,I Used to Be Pretty, in 2019.[8]
Alvin's first solo album,Romeo's Escape (entitledEvery Night About This Time in England), was released in 1987. It was well received by critics but did not sell well. Because of the album's low sales, Alvin's recording contract withColumbia Records was terminated. He then toured withMojo Nixon andCountry Dick Montana, billed as the Pleasure Barons; an album recorded live on their 1993 tour was released.[2]
Alvin's second solo album,Blue Blvd, was released byHightone Records in 1991. It received positive reviews and had moderate sales. His albumMuseum of Heart was released in 1993. He recordedKing of California, an album ofacoustic music, in 1994. In 2000, he recorded the albumPublic Domain: Songs From the Wild Land, a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, which earned him aGrammy award for Best ContemporaryFolk Album.[2]
In 2011, Alvin recorded the albumEleven Eleven, released byYep Roc Records. The album marked his return to rock roots.[9]Rolling Stone magazine, in a review of the album, called Alvin "an underrecognized guitar hero".[9]
In 2014, Dave and Phil Alvin, as a duo, released the albumCommon Ground, consisting of their versions of songs byBig Bill Broonzy.[10] It was the first studio collaboration of the brothers since the mid-1980s.[11][12] In 2015 they releasedLost Time, a collection of covers including four songs byBig Joe Turner.[13]
In live performance, Alvin assumed the role of emcee and storyteller. The brothers also worked Blasters tunes into the set list.[14]
Alvin and Texas singer-songwriterJimmie Dale Gilmore teamed on the 2018 albumDowney to Lubbock (the title is a reference to where each man grew up).
As seen in his live performances with brother Phil, Alvin's stories between songs were a notable part of the stage shows with Gilmore and their supporting musicians.[15]
In April 2022, Alvin announced his return to public performance after a grueling two-year battle with different forms of cancer that started in May 2020. He chose to do so with Gilmore, scheduling nine dates in California for late June and early July 2022.[16]
Alvin has produced records forChris Gaffney,Tom Russell, theDerailers,Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys andRed Meat. He collaborated with therockabilly musicianSonny Burgess.[2] He has worked as a studio session musician accompanyingRamblin' Jack Elliott,Little Milton,Katy Moffatt, andSyd Straw.[2]
Alvin has lent his guitar playing to other artists' albums over the years. For example, he played withthe Gun Club and appeared on two songs from their 1984 album,The Las Vegas Story[2]
Alvin appeared in the moviesBorder Radio andFloundering and on theFX television seriesJustified in 2011.[17] He also appeared inStreets of Fire, with the Blasters, in 1984.[18]
Alvin has published two books of poetry:Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You andNana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July. His poetry has appeared inCaffeine, theA.K.A. Review,Rattler,Asymptote andEnclitic and in theanthologiesNude Erections,Hit and Run Poets andPoetry Loves Poetry—An Anthology of Los Angeles Poets.
A collection of Alvin's writing calledNew Highway was scheduled for release in September 2022. Its subtitle -- Selected Lyrics, Poems, Prose, Essays, Eulogies and Blues -- described the scope of his work.
(recordings with Dave Alvin as member)
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [19] | US [20] | US Heat [21] | US Indie [22] | ||
| 1987 | Romeo's Escape (also released asEvery Night About This Time) | 60 | 116 | — | — |
| 1991 | Blue Blvd | — | — | — | — |
| 1993 | Museum of Heart | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | King of California | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Interstate City | — | — | — | — |
| 1998 | Blackjack David | — | — | — | — |
| 2000 | Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land | — | — | — | — |
| 2002 | Out in California | — | — | — | — |
| Outtakes in California[Limited Edition] | — | — | — | — | |
| 2004 | Ashgrove | — | — | — | 38 |
| 2005 | The Great American Music Galaxy | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | West of the West | — | — | 24 | 35 |
| 2007 | Live from Austin, TX (Austin City Limits) | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Eleven Eleven | — | 159 | 4 | 31 |
| 2014 | Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy (withPhil Alvin) | — | 144 | 3 | 25 |
| 2015 | Lost Time (withPhil Alvin) | — | — | 8 | 32 |
| 2018 | Downey to Lubbock (withJimmie Dale Gilmore)[23] | 41 | — | 2 | 12 |
| 2020 | From An Old Guitar (Rare and Unreleased Tracks) | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 | TexiCali (with Jimmie Dale Gilmore) | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
