Ten Years After Undead

Ten Years After

Ten Years After was formed in late 1966 by Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals, born in Nottingham on Dec. 19, 1944), Chick Churchill (organ, born Jan. 2, 1946), Leo Lyons (bass, born Nov. 30, 1943), Ric Lee (drums, born Oct. -20, 1945). Brought up in Nottingham on his father's extensive blues collection, Alvin Lee established a successful local trio with Leo Lyons, journeying to Hamburg directly after the Bea-tles, where they established the direction that ultimately sur-faced as Ten Years After. Working in London in a West End production they met Ric Lee, a music scholar, and subsequently Chick Churchill, also well versed in musical styles. As Ten Years After they first gained attention at London's Marquee Club, soon signing a contract with Decca's Deram label, who released an album in 1967, 1st Album, without the benefit of the then obligatory establishing hit single.

American promoter Bill Graham booked them into his Fillmore Auditoriums on the basis of this recording and they soon be-came a major concert attraction in the United States. In 1968 they gained major English and European attention, but it was their fast and furious rendition of 'I'm Going Home' in the Woodstock film that established them as a top world attraction. Many of their subsequent audience, however, viewed this one song as their only style and were unprepared to accept anything else. The group officially disbanded in 1975. In early 1974 Lee played a solo concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, subsequently performing a world tour as Alvin Lee and Co. before retiring once more to his country mansion-cum-studio, where he produced bands that inter-ested him, such as FBI. The other members were similarly engaged in solo projects.