The Blasters

From early days growing up in the southeast Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California under the tutelage of T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner to their emergence as central figures in the eclectic LA punk/rock scene of the early 80s to their current status as internationally-renowned influences in their own right, the Blasters have spent their lives e... xploring and expressing the deep and diverse musical legacy that is best described by the title of their first album: American Music. A performance by todays Blastersvocalist-guitarist Phil Alvin, drummer Bill Bateman, bassist John Bazz, and guitarist Keith Wyattreflects influences that range from George Jones and Carl Perkins to Howlin Wolf, James Brown and Bo Diddley. The bands 1980 debut album American Music (Rollin Rock) was a powerful collection of fresh, distinctive performances that shattered the artificial boundaries between blues, rockabilly, country, R&B and rock & roll. The next three albums for Slash/Warner Bros. (The Blasters, Non-Fiction, and Hard Line) increasingly featured the unique songwriting voice of original guitarist Dave Alvin as the bands lineup expanded to include pianist Gene Taylor plus saxophonists Steve Berlin and New Orleans legend Lee Allen (the man who put a saxophone in rock & roll). As the Blasters fame grew, they began to draw accolades from artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Queen, and in turn the band encouraged and supported still up-and-coming LA musical peers such as Dwight Yoakum and Los Lobos In 1986, Dave Alvin left the band to pursue a solo career, and over the next decade a series of renowned guitarists including Billy Zoom, Michael Hollywood Fats Mann, Greg Smokey Hormel, and James Intveld filled the position. Phil Alvin simultaneously expanded his own musical efforts with the release of two acclaimed solo albums, Unsung Stories (Slash/Warner) in 1986 and County Fair 2000 (Hightone) in 1994. In 1996, current guitarist Keith Wyatt joined the lineup and the Blasters continued touring steadily in the ...Read More