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Dave Alvin
David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the 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 bands X and the Knitters. Early life Alvin grew up in Downey, California. He and his older brother, Phil Alvin, as teenagers attended rockabilly and country music venues.Deming, MarkDave Alvin: Biography AllMusic Dave attended Long Beach State University. Career With the Blasters In 1979, Alvin and his brother Phil formed the roots-rock band The Blasters with fellow Downey residents Bill Bateman and John Bazz. Alvin served as the group's lead guitarist and chief songwriter. ''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 so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in Southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of the Apollo space program. It is also the home of the oldest operating McDonald's restaurant in the world. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 114,355. History 18th century to World War II Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was initially founded on September 8, 1771, near settlements of the Tongva people. It was located in the Whittier Narrows on a bluff overlooking the Rio Hondo, near the intersection of today's San Gabriel Blvd and Lincoln Avenue.Kyle, Douglas E. (1990). ''Historic Spots in California'', 4th ed. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. After five years, flooding forced the relocation of the mission to its present site in San Gabriel. In 1784, Governor Pedro Fages granted to former soldier Manuel Nieto (1734–1804) the largest of the land conce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phil Alvin
Philip Joseph Alvin (born March 6, 1953) is an American singer and guitarist known primarily as the leader of the rock band The Blasters. His voice has been described as "robust...powerful...rich, resonant, ndsupremely confident." Biography Alvin grew up in Downey, California in a music-loving family where he and his younger brother Dave Alvin were exposed to blues, rockabilly, and country. Inspired and influenced by the music they grew up with, Phil and Dave formed the rock and roll band The Blasters in the late 1970s with fellow Downey residents Bill Bateman and John Bazz. Sullivan, Denisebr>"Artist Biography: The Blasters" Allmusic.com. The group released four studio albums between 1980 and 1985. While never achieving mass market success on the music charts, the group's recordings and concerts drew critical acclaim and a cult following across the United States and Europe. In 1986, after The Blasters had disbanded, Alvin released a solo album, '' Un "Sung Stories"''. He then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alternative Rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstream or commercial rock or pop music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to musicians influenced by the musical style or independent, DIY ethic, DIY ethos of late-1970s punk rock.di Perna, Alan. "Brave Noise—The History of Alternative Rock Guitar". ''Guitar World''. December 1995. Traditionally, alternative rock varied in terms of its sound, social context, and regional roots. Throughout the 1980s, magazines and zines, college radio airplay, and word of mouth had increased the prominence and highlighted the diversity of alternative rock's distinct styles (and music scenes), such as noise pop, indie rock, grunge, and shoegaze. In September 1988, Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' introduced "alternative" into their charting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States. The publication has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes. It is owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by the Times Mirror Company. The newspaper’s coverage emphasizes California and especially Southern California stories. In the 19th century, the paper developed a reputation for civic boosterism and opposition to labor unions, the latter of which led to the bombing of its headquarters in 1910. The paper's profile grew substantially in the 1960s under publisher Otis Chandler, who adopted a more national focus. In recent decades the paper's readership has declined, and it has been beset by a series of ownership changes, staff reductions, and other controversies. In January 2018, the paper's staff voted to unionize and final ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerable success throughout the late 1980s onward, with a total of ten studio albums for Reprise Records. Later projects have been released on Audium (now MNRK Music Group), New West, Warner, and Sugar Hill Records. His first three albums''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.'', '' Hillbilly Deluxe'', and ''Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room''all reached number one on the '' Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart. Yoakam also has two number-one singles on Hot Country Songs with "Streets of Bakersfield" (a duet with Buck Owens) and " I Sang Dixie", and twelve additional top-ten hits. He has won two Grammy Awards and one Academy of Country Music award. 1993's '' This Time'' is his most commercially successful album, having been certified triple-platinum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buckwheat Zydeco
Stanley Dural Jr. (November 14, 1947 – September 24, 2016), better known by his stage name Buckwheat Zydeco, was an American accordionist and zydeco musician. He was one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music group was formally billed as Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Sont Partis Band ("Ils Sont Partis" being French for "They have left"), but they often performed as merely Buckwheat Zydeco. ''The New York Times'' said: "Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural leads one of the best bands in America. A down-home and high-powered celebration, meaty and muscular with a fine-tuned sense of dynamics…propulsive rhythms, incendiary performances."Pareles, Jon. ''The New York Times'', February 15, 2008. ''USA Today'' called him "a zydeco trailblazer."Gundersen, Edna"Can't hit Jazz Fest? Let the music come to you" ''USA Today'', April 22, 2009. Buckwheat Zydeco performed with famous musicians such as Eric Clapton (with whom he also recorded), U2 and the Boston Pops. The band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zydeco
Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Although it is distinct in origin from the Cajun music of Louisiana, the two forms influenced each other, forming a complex of genres native to the region. Characteristics Zydeco music is typically played in an uptempo, syncopated manner with a strong rhythmic core, and often incorporates elements of blues, rock and roll, soul music, R&B, Afro-Caribbean, Cajun, and early Creole music. Zydeco music is centered on the accordion, which leads the rest of the band, and a specialized washboard, called a vest frottoir, as a prominent percussive instrument. Other common instruments in zydeco are the electric guitar, bass, keyboard, and drum set. If there are accompanying lyrics, they are typically sung in English or French. Many zydeco performers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shakin' Stevens
Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that his commercial success began. His most successful songs were nostalgia hits, evoking the sound of 1950s rock and roll and pop. In the UK alone, Stevens has charted 33 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits "This Ole House", "Green Door", " Oh Julie", and "Merry Christmas Everyone". Aside from "Merry Christmas Everyone" remaining popular during the Christmas season, his last Top 40 single was "Trouble" in 2005. Early life Michael Barratt, who would later adopt the stage name "Shakin' Stevens", was the youngest of 11 children born to Jack and May Barratt. His father was a First World War veteran who by 1948 was working in the building trade, having previously worked as a coal miner. The oldest of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marie Marie
"Marie Marie" is a song by American rock and roll band the Blasters. It became an international success after being covered by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens. Composition and releases The song was originally released in 1980 on the Blaster's debut album '' American Music'' on the small independent label Rollin' Rock. It was then re-recorded a year later for the Blaster's second album ''The Blasters'', released by Slash Records and distributed by Warmer Bros. This album had much better distribution than their first album and "Marie Marie" was released as a single in Australia in 1981 and France and the Netherlands in 1982. Dave Alvin has said "Marie Marie" was "the third or fourth song I wrote with the Blasters". After joining the Blasters, Alvin came up with the melody, thinking "this would be a great Cajun Balfa Brothers kind of song, and then if you put it to a Chuck Berry beat, this might be pretty cool". However, he couldn't think of any lyrics and the band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Bazz
John Bazz (born July 6, 1952) is an American bass guitarist known for his long service in The Blasters. Bazz's credits also include work with various other notable musicians, including Charlie Musselwhite, Marc Ford, Mike Eldred, Top Jimmy, Ryan Bingham, and Lynwood Slim. Early life Bazz grew up in Downey, California. He was one of four children. His father, Jack, was born in Wyoming in 1923. The 1940 census shows Jack living in Los Angeles. He lived in the L.A. area for the rest of his life. The family name was originally Bazzanella. His grandfather, Giacomo, emigrated to the United States in 1905 and the surname was shortened. Bazz's neighbors in Downey were his future bandmates in The Blasters: Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, and Bill Bateman. In a 1985 interview, he remembered that his family lived across the street from the Alvins, and that their mothers were friends before any of the boys were born. He said that in a sense, they were all brothers. Career With the Blasters I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Bateman (drummer)
Bill Bateman is an American drummer best known for his long service in the Blasters. He has also played for the Flesh Eaters, the Red Devils, and the Cramps. In writing of the talent that the Blasters contained, Henry Rollins singled out Bateman as "one of the best drummers there is." A peer drummer, Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, called Bateman in 1987 "one of the most electrifying drummers I've ever heard. His intensity and spirit make your jaw drop." Early life Bateman was born on December 16, 1951 in Orange, California. He grew up in Downey, California, where he was neighbors with his future bandmates in the Blasters: Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, and John Bazz. As Dave Alvin recalled in 2014, they were all like brothers - and fought like brothers too. From boyhood, the quartet shared a deep and abiding love of all forms of American music, and they ventured together into Los Angeles blues clubs, learning from veterans. With the Blasters In ''Make the Music Go Bang!'' (1997), Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles Times Magazine
The ''Los Angeles Times Magazine'' (also shortened to just ''LA'') was a monthly magazine which supplemented the Sunday edition of the ''Los Angeles Times'' newspaper on the first Sunday of the month. The magazine focused on stories and photos of people, places, style, and other cultural affairs occurring in Los Angeles and its surrounding cities and communities. The ''Los Angeles Times Magazine'' was the successor to ''West Magazine'', and was published between 2000 and 2012. History ''West'' magazine From 1967 to 1972, the ''Los Angeles Times'' produced a Sunday supplement called ''West'' magazine. ''West'' was recognized for its art design, which was directed by Mike Salisbury.Heller, Steven"Go West, Young Art Director,"''Design Observer'' (Sept. 23, 2008). Covers were illustrated by the likes of Milton Glaser, Robert Grossman, Edward Sorel, John Van Hamersveld, Richard Weigand, and Sailisbury himself. ''West'' also published the work of underground cartoonists Victor Moscos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
