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 Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

band

the Blasters The Blasters are an American rock music, rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman (drummer), Bill Bateman. Their s ...

. 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. He often refers to himself as "Blackjack Dave," in reference to his 1998 album and song of the same name.

Early life

Alvin grew up in

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 and Taco Bell. It is ...

. He and his older brother, Phil Alvin, as teenagers frequented

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

venues.Deming, Mark
Dave Alvin: Biography

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Dave attended Long Beach State University.

Career

With the Blasters

In 1979, Alvin and his brother Phil formed the roots-rock band

The Blasters The Blasters are an American rock music, rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman (drummer), Bill Bateman. Their s ...

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 songwriter. Other artists have covered Alvin's songs. For example, "

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 t ...

" became a British-German top 20 hit in 1980 for Shakin' Stevens and received a

zydeco Zydeco ( ; ) is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by French speaking, Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends African and Caribbean rhythms, blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana ...

treatment in 1987 from Buckwheat Zydeco.

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerable s ...

recorded "Long White Cadillac" in 1989. 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 brother Phil Alvin was the established lead vocalist for the group. 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.

With X and the Knitters

Alvin served a brief stint as the lead guitarist of the Los Angeles–based

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band X. He left X in 1987 to work on a solo project after the group recorded their album '' See How We Are''. Alvin was also a member of the country folk band The Knitters, an offshoot of X. He appeared on their 1985 album ''Poor Little Critter on the Road'' and their 2005 follow-up, ''The Modern Sounds of the Knitters''.

With the Flesh Eaters

In the early 1980s, Alvin, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman and

Steve Berlin Steven M. Berlin (born September 14, 1955, in Philadelphia) is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs, the Blasters, and the Fl ...

, performed on '' A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die'' by the Los Angeles

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band the Flesh Eaters. This lineup, which also included

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used in the British, Canadian, and American legal systems, when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law ...

and D.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.

Solo

Alvin's first solo album, ''Romeo's Escape'' (entitled ''Every 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 with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

was terminated. He then toured with Mojo Nixon and Country Dick Montana, billed as the Pleasure Barons; an album recorded live on their 1993 tour was released. Alvin's second solo album, ''Blue Blvd'', was released by Hightone Records in 1991. It received positive reviews and had moderate sales. His album ''Museum of Heart'' was released in 1993. He recorded '' King of California'', an album of

acoustic music Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the a ...

, in 1994. In 2000, he recorded the album '' Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land'', a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, which earned him a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

award for Best Contemporary

Folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

Album. In 2011, Alvin recorded the album '' Eleven Eleven'', released by

Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Fountains of Wayne ...

. The album marked his return to rock roots. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine, in a review of the album, called Alvin "an underrecognized guitar hero".

Further recordings with Phil Alvin

In 2014, Dave and Phil Alvin, as a duo, released the album ''Common Ground'', consisting of their versions of songs by

Big Bill Broonzy Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1893 or 1903August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African-American audiences. In the 19 ...

. It was the first studio collaboration of the brothers since the mid-1980s. In 2015 they released ''Lost Time'', a collection of covers including four songs by

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him". Turner's greatest fa ...

. In live performance, Alvin assumed the role of emcee and storyteller. The brothers also worked Blasters tunes into the set list.

With Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Alvin and Texas singer-songwriter

Jimmie Dale Gilmore Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer-songwriter currently living in Austin, Texas. Life and career Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amarillo and raised in Lubbock, Texas. His ear ...

teamed on the 2018 album ''Downey 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. 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.

Producer and collaborator

Alvin has produced records for Chris Gaffney, Tom Russell, the Derailers, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys and

Red Meat In gastronomy, red meat is commonly red when raw (and a dark color after it is cooked), in contrast to white meat, which is pale in color before (and after) cooking. In culinary terms, only flesh from mammals or fowl (not fish) is classified ...

. He collaborated with the

musician Sonny Burgess. He has worked as a studio session musician accompanying

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer, songwriter and story teller. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adno ...

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.), number-one R&B single "We're Gonna Ma ...

, Katy Moffatt, and

Syd Straw Syd Straw is an American rock singer and songwriter. She began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinctive and powerful voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined the ever-evolving line-up of Golden Palominos fro ...

. Alvin has lent his guitar playing to other artists' albums over the years. For example, he played with

the Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

and appeared on two songs from their 1984 album, '' The Las Vegas Story''

Film

Alvin appeared in the movies '' Border Radio'' and ''Floundering'' and on the FX television series '' Justified'' in 2011. He also appeared in '' Streets of Fire'', with the Blasters, in 1984.

Poetry and other writing

Alvin has published two books of poetry: ''Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You'' and ''Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July''. His poetry has appeared in ''Caffeine'', the ''A.K.A. Review'', ''Rattler'', ''Asymptote'' and ''Enclitic'' and in the

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

''Nude Erections'', ''Hit and Run Poets'' and ''Poetry Loves Poetry—An Anthology of Los Angeles Poets''. A collection of Alvin's writing called ''New Highway'' was scheduled for release in September 2022. Its subtitle -- Selected Lyrics, Poems, Prose, Essays, Eulogies and Blues -- described the scope of his work.

The Blasters discography

(recordings with Dave Alvin as member) *'' American Music'' (1980) *''

'' (1981) *''Over There (Live at The Venue, London)'' (1982) 6-song EP *'' Non Fiction'' (1983) *'' Hard Line'' (1985) *''The Blasters Collection'' (1990) *''Testament: The Complete Slash Recordings'' (2002) 2-CD *''Trouble Bound'' (2002) *''Going Home: The Blasters Live'' (2004) *''Live 1986'' (2011) *''Mandatory: The Best of The Blasters'' (2023) *''Over There (Live at the Venue, London 1982) – The Complete Concert'' (2024) 2-CD

The Blasters videography

*'' Streets of Fire'' (1984) *''Going Home: The Blasters Live'' (2004)

X discography

*'' See How We Are'' (1987)

The Knitters discography

*''Poor Little Critter on the Road'' (1985) *''The Modern Sounds of the Knitters'' (2005)

The Pleasure Barons discography

*''Live in Las Vegas'' (1993)

Gene Taylor Blues Band discography

*''Live!!! 605 Boogie!!!'' (2008) personnel: Gene Taylor/piano, Dave Alvin/guitar, John Bazz/bass, Bill Bateman/drums.

The Third Mind discography

*''The Third Mind'' (2020) *''The Third Mind/2'' (2023) 6-song EP/CD *''Live Mind'' (2025)

Dave Alvin discography

Other contributions

*lead vocal on "Time After Time" and "I Just Keep Lovin' Her" on Skip Heller's ''Homegoing'' (Innova Recordings 577) (2002) *Lead guitar on "Believe" and "Amazing Disgrace" on Dollar Store's ''Dollar Store'' ( Bloodshot Records BS-098) (2004) *''Eklektikos Live'' (2005) – "Blackjack David" *''Highway 61 Revisited Revisited'', '' UNCUT'' (2005) – "Highway 61 Revisited" *'' The Lone Ranger: Wanted'' (2013) – "Lonesome Whistle" *Produced and arranged Chris Gaffney's 1995 album ''Loser's Paradise'' released on Hightone Records. *Produced Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs' 1995 album ''The Other White Meat'' released on Triple X Records. *Produced Christy McWilson's 2000 album ''The Lucky One'', and her 2002 album ''Bed of Roses'', both released on Hightone. *Produced Carolyn Wonderland's 2021 album ''Tempting Fate'', and her 2025 album ''Truth Is'', both released on Alligator Records.

Writings

* ''Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July'' (Iliteratim 1986) * ''Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You'' (Incommunicado Press, 1996) * ''New Highway: Selected Lyrics, Poems, Prose, Essays, Eulogies and Blues'' (BMG Books, 2022)

References

External links

Official web site

Dave Alvin profile at Music Match

Dave Alvin at NPR Music

Dave Alvin collection
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

's live music archive * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvin, Dave 1955 births Living people 20th-century American poets American blues singers American country rock singers American country singer-songwriters American folk singers American rockabilly musicians American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers California State University, Long Beach alumni Grammy Award winners Musicians from Downey, California The Blasters members The Knitters members Singer-songwriters from California X (American band) members Guitarists from California 20th-century American guitarists The Flesh Eaters members Country musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians Rhino Entertainment artists Yep Roc Records artists Rock musicians from California