Biography
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Born
6 March 1953 (age 71)
Phil Alvin (born March 6, 1953 in Downey, California) is an American singer and guitarist. He is known primarily as the frontman of the roots-rock band The Blasters
Alvin grew up in Downey, California in a music-loving family where he and his younger brother Dave 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. The group released five albums between 1980 and 1985. While never achieving mass market success in commercial terms, their recordings and concerts drew critical respect 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 and returned to graduate school to pursue a master's degree in mathematics and artificial intelligence. He eventually earned his Ph.D. from UCLA.
In the late 1980s he reconvened The Blasters, albeit without Dave Alvin (who chose instead to focus on a solo career). In 1994, he released a second solo album, County Fair 2000. In 2005, under Alvin's leadership, the revised configuration of The Blasters released a much anticipated studio album, 4-11-44, after more than a decade of touring.
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