Phil Alvin County Fair 2000 CD

Personnel: Phil Alvin (vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica, marksophone, piano); Fayard Nicholas, Eddie Baytos (vocals, percussion); Mary Franklin, Top Jimmy (vocals); Dave Myers (guitar, bass); Jerome Bowman (guitar, background vocals); Robert Lily, Gary Masi (guitar); John Bambridge (reeds); Elliot Caine, Ike "Diz" Williams (trumpet); Jim Maihack (trombone, tuba); Bob Ringwald (piano); Travis Dickerson (organ); Phil Thomas, Ken Sara (drums); The Blasters, Billy Boy Arnold, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Cesar Rosas.
Engineers include: Bruce Witkin, Ed Cody, Cesar Rosas.
Phil Alvin's second solo date, County Fair 2000 continues his thorough exploration of Americana with references to tap dancing ("Low Down Rhythm"), Ellingtonia ("the Terror"), Delta blues ("That Thing"), New Orleans brass bands ("Danny Boy's Mourning Sunset"), rockabilly/country ("County Fair 2000"), automobiles ("Wreck Your V-8 Ford"), and the Jimmy Reed styled "Oh, Doctor." Alvin has the good taste to employe an impressive list of guests including the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Billy Boy Arnold, Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos, James Intveld, and members of the Blasters (without brother Dave Alvin.) County Fair 2000 leaves no doubt that Phil Alvin is a premier musicologist, preserving and staying true to what he loves. ~ Al Campbell
Brothers Phil and Dave Alvin were the heart of California roots-rockers the Blasters. After songwriter/guitarist Dave's departure for a solo career, Phil kept the group alive, but mostly on a local performance level, not as a recording unit. He released his first solo album in 1986, but it took him eight years to make another.
Like its predecessor, COUNTY FAIR finds Phil Alvin backed by a shifting cast of characters, exploring an eclectic batch of American roots styles, from blues to country to R&B and rockabilly. On several songs, he's backed by the '90s version of the Blasters, but Alvin goes further afield in collaborations with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and singer Mary Franklin. The solo efforts of each brother underline what the other brought to the Blasters; Dave's singing has never been described as mellifluous and songwriting is not really Phil's forte. The strongest cuts on COUNTY FAIR are those where Phil draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of American musical history by covering obscure blues and R&B gems; the most effective moments are those where he accompanies himself on guitar and breathes new life into such Americana relics as "That Thing" and "Callin' Corrine."