Alan Glen: Difference between revisions

Alan Glen
Background information
Origin	Wuppertal, Germany
Genres	Blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Harmonica,Guitar
Labels	China Records, Favored Nations, I.R.S. Records, M&G Records, Fat Possum Records, Big Cat Records, Real World Records, Note Records

Alan Glen (born 1951, Wuppertal, Germany) is a British blues harmonica player, best known for his work with The Yardbirds, Nine Below Zero, Little Axe, and his own bands, The Barcodes and The Incredible Blues Puppies.

Career

Glen started playing harmonica after seeing Muddy Waters, and the 'American Folk-Blues Festivals' which visited London in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His early influences being Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Junior Wells. Early bands he was involved with were Crowjane Bluesband, The Radical Sheiks and Brothers Grimm, before going on to join Nine Below Zero (1991–1995), and The Yardbirds (1996–2003 and 2008–2009).

Glen has played on over 50 albums and recorded/performed with: Alannah Myles, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Slash, John Mayall, Steve Lukather, Skunk Baxter, (on the Yardbirds' album Birdland) and he recorded six albums with Little Axe. In addition he appeared alongside Alan Barnes, Jim Mullen and Roger Cotton on the With Friends Like These album for the Barcodes, which also included Zoot Money. He played with Peter Green, Paul Jones, Junior Delgado and Hubert Sumlin at the Long Beach Blues Festival.

With Dr. Feelgood he recorded the album On The Road Again. Other collaborators include Art Themen, Pee Wee Ellis, Dub Syndicate, Paul Cox, Alan Barnes, Little Axe and Gypie Mayo. Glen has played at Montreux, Brecon Jazz Festival and Nice Jazz Festivals, Hollywood House of Blues, the Hilton, Las Vegas, and The Royal Albert Hall, as well as various television and radio performances.

Glen is cited as "one of the finest blues harp players and slide guitarists of his generation" - Soundcheck magazine. "Alan Glen is one of Britain's top harmonica players and playing of this standard will help to cement that position" - Net Rhythms. "A powerful addition to the band is harmonica player Alan Glen, who replaces Relf on the mouth harp and is himself no stranger to the blues scene" - CNN.

Selected discography

• The Yardbirds -
  • Birdland (Favored Nations) - 2003
• Nine Below Zero –
  • Off the Hook (China Records) - 1992
  • Hot Music for a Cold Night (I.R.S. Records) - 1994
  • Best of Nine Below Zero (I.R.S. Records) - 1994
  • "Ice Station Zebro" ( Pangea Records ) - 1995
  • "'Live' in Europe 1992" - ( Floating World Records ) 2011
• Dr. Feelgood –
  • On the Road Again (Grand Records) - 1994
• Little Axe –
  • Slow Fuse - (M&G Records) - 1996
  • Hard Grind - (Fat Possum Records) - 2002
  • Champagne and Grits - (Real World Records) - 2004
  • "Stone Cold Ohio" ( Real World Records ) - 2006
  • Bought for a Dollar, Sold for a Dime" - (Real World Records) - 2010
  • "If you want loyalty,buy a Dog" ( On-U Sounds ) 2011
• Junior Delgado –
  • Reasons (Big Cat Records) - 1999
• Dub Syndicate –
  • Acres of Space (Lion & Roots) - 2001
  • Rasta Far I (Collision Cause Chap) - 2006
• The Barcodes -
  • Keep your Distance (Note Records) - 2000
  • Independently Blue (Note Records) - 2004
  • With Friends Like These (Note Records) - 2006
  • Live - In Session for the BBC (Note Records) - 2007
  • "Be Cool - The Best of The Barcodes" ( Note Records ) - 2011
• Incredible Blues Puppies -
  • Puppy Fat (Note Records) - 2005
  • In The Doghouse (Note Records) - 2008
• Roger Cotton and Alan Glen -
  • Born in Black & White (Note Records) - 2003
• Gordon Smith -
  • "The Essential Gordon Smith" ( Note Records ) - 2009

See also

• List of harmonicists

External links

• Barcodes website
• Note Records website
• Small Planet Music website