Philip Joseph "Phil" Alvin (born March 6, 1953) is an American singer and guitarist. He is known primarily as the frontman of the roots rock band The Blasters.
Biography
Alvin grew up in Downey, California in a music-loving family where he and his younger brother Dave Alvin 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 four studio albums between 1980 and 1985. While never achieving mass market success on the music charts, the group's recordings and concerts drew critical acclaim 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. He then returned to graduate school at California State University, Long Beach, where eventually earned a master's degree in mathematics and artificial intelligence. Incidentally, before launching his music career, Alvin had taught mathematics at the same university.
Podcasts:
Phil Alvin
ALBUMS
- Common Ground released: 2014
- Un "Sung Stories" released: 2012
- County Fair 2000 released:
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by Beach Boys
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by Moldy Peaches
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by The Moldy Peaches
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by Lonestar
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by John Mellencamp
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by Bruce Springsteen
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by Joe Walsh
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by Chris Ledoux
County Fair
by: Beach BoysIrving Music, Inc. BMI
Brian Wilson/Gary Usher
This time each year in our hometown
The county fair comes our way
Where the folks gather round to be happy and spend their day
A-here's what happened now,
I soon decide that I'd take with me
The most specialest girl I knew
I had her pack us a lunch and on down the dirt road we flew
(Hurry hurry, step right up and win your girl a stuffed koala bear)
[Aw, come on Nicky. Win me a koala bear]
(Break the balloon with a dart)
(Yes you son, come up here. Win your girl a stuffed koala bear)
[Oh please win me a koala bear]
(Break the balloon with a dart. Come on son, step right up)
(Get up there, that's a boy)
Right then I knew what I had to do
(Hurry, hurry)
Before that day was through
(Step right up)
I had to win a stuffed doggie or I'd break her poor heart in two
(Hurry, hurry)
(Win a prize)
A let me tell you now,
I passed up a chance when I walked by a booth
(Hurry, hurry)
Where you throw a dart and break a balloon
(Step right up)
I snuck by a couple more, but I had to get caught real soon
(Hurry, hurry)
(Win a prize)
(Step right up, test your strength.)
(Come on son, ring the bell with the hammer)
[Aww, come on muscles]
(Win your girl a stuffed koala bear)
[Ooohhh]
(Come on son, are you a man or a weakling?)
(Yes you, step up here and test your strength)
(Win your girl a stuffed koala bear)
[Come on baby]
(Come on son)
I hit the rubber stump just as hard as I could
(Hurry, hurry)
But I didn't make it ring the bell
(Step right up)
I tried again and again, but I just didn't do so well
(Hurry, hurry)
(Win a prize)
Can you believe it now,
Up walked a fella and he tapped me on the shoulder, said
(Hurry, hurry)
I can win your girl a prize
(Step right up)
So, he flexed all his muscles and knocked the bell up in the sky
(Hurry, hurry)
(Win a prize)
Yeah the big strong guy knocked the bell in the sky
(Hurry, hurry)
Took my girl and the doggie away
(Step right up...)
Yeah the big strong guy knocked the bell in the sky
(Step right up son, test your strength)
Took my girl and the doggie away
(Come on kid, ring the bell)
Yeah the big strong guy knocked the bell in the sky
[Ah, goodbye muscles. I don't need you anymore]
Took my girl and the doggie away