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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZTEN YEARS AFTERUK rock group formed '67 by Alvin Lee (b 19 December 1944, Nottingham; d 6 March 2013) and Leo Lyons (b 30 November 1943, Bedfordshire), who'd formed a blues trio, played in Hamburg after the Beatles; became Jaybirds with Ric Lee on drums (b 20 October 1945, Staffordshire); became Ten Years After with Chick Churchill on keyboards (b 2 January 1949, Mold, Flintshire, Wales). They signed to Decca's progressive Deram label, made an eponymous blues-based LP '67: unusually, no single was issued, setting the trend for such groups. Promoter Bill Graham brought them to Fillmores East and West, establishing USA reputation based on Alvin Lee's speed and dexterity in the post-Clapton 'axe hero' period, confirmed by 11-minute 'I'm Going Home' at Woodstock, which made them superstars, followed by albums Undead '68, Stonedhenge and Ssssh '69, Cricklewood Green and Watt '70: guitar overkill resulted. One-off hit single was 'Love Like A Man' (top 10 '70 UK); there were lesser hits in the USA. They switched to Columbia USA for A Space In Time '71 (top 20 LP), Rock & Roll Music To The World '72, Recorded Live '73, Positive Vibration '74. Intent on living down his image as a fleet-figured guitar hero, Lee made On The Road To Freedom '73 with gospel singer Myron LeFevre, Alvin Lee & Company '74 with a nine-piece band, 2-disc In Flight '74, Pump Iron '75. He toured and recorded as Ten Years Later, with Tom Compton on bass, drummer Mick Hawksworth, albums Rocket Fuel and Ride On '78-9; Free Fall and RX5 '80-1 appeared on Atlantic; Detroit Diesel '86 reunited him with Lyons and guest George Harrison. He re-formed Ten years After for About Time '89 on Chrysalis. Lee's CDs included Pure Blues with Harrison on Chrysalis, Zoom on Domino with Harrison, Clarence Clemmons and Jon Lord. Lee said he was ambivalent about the fame from Woodstock, and that he missed the intimacy of smaller audiences. In 2004 he made In Tennessee with Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana, from Elvis Presley's first band; his last album was Still On The Road To Freedom in 2012. |