The Blasters

The Blasters emerged as an all-American roots music ensemble built primarily around the core of brothers Dave and Phil Alvin. Their early encounters with blues masters molded the group's approach and positioned both siblings as modern-day singer-songwriters who have sustained a lasting commitment to roots rock.

Raised in Downey, California, near Disneyland, the brothers formed the initial lineup with drummer Bill Bateman and bassist John Bazz. Their informal schooling came through time spent alongside musicians such as Lee Allen, Marcus Johnson, and T-Bone Walker, who introduced the fundamentals of blues and R&B. By the moment the quartet began performing in Los Angeles venues, the punk rock surge had reached its peak, creating an unexpected fanbase among punk enthusiasts—especially devotees of X, with whom the Blasters often shared stages.

The 1980 release American Music assembled a mix of roots covers and original material in a similar vein. The follow-up, The Blasters, appeared on Slash in 1981 after the addition of pianist Gene Taylor, baritone saxophonist Steve Berlin, and tenor saxophonist mentor Lee Allen; the album climbed to number 36 on the charts. A live EP titled Over There came out on Slash in 1982, and Non-Fiction followed in 1983. By this point Dave Alvin had taken over as the principal songwriter, steering the band away from strict rockabilly revivalism, while Berlin departed to join Los Lobos.

Hard Line, issued in 1985, carried a more refined production and incorporated contributions from Ry Cooder and John Mellencamp; the latter wrote and produced the track “Colored Lights” expressly for the group. The band disbanded after that album, although Phil Alvin later revived it as a touring unit without Dave.

Dave spent a short period with X before embarking on a steady solo career, while Phil issued a single solo album and then returned to academic studies, ultimately earning a postgraduate degree in mathematics. Gene Taylor has also maintained a solo recording career. In spring 2002 the original configuration—Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, John Bazz, Bill Bateman, and Gene Taylor—reconvened for six reunion performances across California. Recordings from two of those shows at the House of Blues in Hollywood yielded the live album Trouble Bound. Additional reunion concerts produced a second live collection, The Blasters Live: Going Home, released alongside a home video of the same event.

With renewed visibility, Phil Alvin’s version of the Blasters—featuring Phil Alvin, bassist John Bazz, guitarist Keith Wyatt, and drummer Jerry Angel—delivered the long-awaited studio album 4-11-44 in 2005. Seven years later, in 2012, Rip Cat Records issued Fun on a Saturday Night, which brought together Phil Alvin, John Bazz, Bill Bateman, and Gene Taylor, with Keith Wyatt handling guitar duties in place of Dave Alvin.