Alvin Lee  - today                              Chapter 20

2004-Photos by Dragan Tasic

Interview by Robert Silverstein

Tim Hinkley on Alvin Lee 

2004-Photos by Silvia

2007-Photos by Ole Hagen

 

Tim Hinkley on Alvin Lee and Tennessee


I was playing in a band called The Bo Street Runners. It was around 1965 and we had a gig at a place called The Dungeon, in Nottingham, England. Our singer Mike Patto had grown up in Norfolk not far from Nottingham. During our break Mike introduced me to a guitarist who had a band called Jaybirds. Later that year we all ended up living at the Madison Hotel just off Bayswater Road, London. The hotel was full of musicians, we were four to a room and below us Alvin was sharing a room with his drummer, Ric Lee and bass player Leo Lyons. The Jaybirds were backing up a vocal harmony group called the Ivy League and also working with some visiting US acts which was something we all did in those days.

Finally Alvin told us he had reformed the Jaybirds and changed the name to Ten Years After in honor of the ten years since Elvis’ first hit record in 1956, it then it being 1966. They got a record deal with Chrysalis records and went to the US and did a gig in upstate New York at a place called Woodstock. The rest is history.

I lost touch with Alvin for a few years but when we finally met up again in the early 1970’s Alvin was about to record an album with gospel artist, Mylon Le Fevre. We recorded the album in Alvin’s new studio which was still unfinished. I remember helping put up the sound absorbing panels before the recording sessions started. That album, “On The Road To Freedom” was Alvin’s first venture away from TYA and I played on most of the tracks. After tthose sessions played music together a lot, forming a close musical relationship and it has never stopped. I’ve played on nearly all of his solo albums including the live recording of the Rainbow concerts, “In Flight” which I consider to be one of the best examples of Alvin’s enormous talent.

Alvin is steeped in the blues and jazz. His wonderful Dad, Sam who I had the pleasure of meeting a number of times was an avid music fan and introduced Alvin to blues and jazz at an early age.
Alvin has a great knowledge of music and we have become close friends over the years. We will continue to play music together for the rest of our lives.

Now resident in southern Spain, Alvin continues to make great music. His latest recording on which I played B3 organ, was recorded here in Nashville with his hero, Scotty Moore, the architect and guitarist of the early Elvis recordings.
“Alvin Lee In Tennessee” is a superb example of Alvin’s great talent for playing Rock ‘n Roll.

Whilst I was working with George Harrison he once said to me in that Liverpool drawl, “ya know, Alvin plays Chuck Berry bedder than Chuck Berry”. Maybe he’ll do a “Chuck” album next !

© 2004 Tim Hinkley

 

 

2004-Photos by Dragan Tasic

Interview by Robert Silverstein

Tim Hinkley on Alvin Lee

2004-Photos by Silvia

2007-Photos by Ole Hagen

 
 
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