Ten Years After

Ten Years After's self-titled debut hit the British blues scene with the subtlety and precision of a wrecking ball in 1967, serving notice that what had once been confined to steamy haunts in London was now there for the world to hear. By the time the band electrified half a million hippies at Woodstock two years later, the world was roaring its approval. Immortalized on the silver screen, Ten Years After's landmark performance of "I'm Going Home" at Woodstock galvanized their reputation as road warriors capable of rousing large crowds – such as the 400,000 festival-goers mesmerized by their world-class musicianship. They could also light up a room as small as Klooks Kleek in London (as heard on their second album, 1968's Undead), showing off Alvin Lee's white lightning on his guitar, Chick Churchill's psychedelic organ, and the metronomic telepathy of the Ric Lee/Leo Lyons rhythm section. With 1969's Stonedhenged they stormed the palace and showed the world that they were indeed a major act, and really came into their own with originals. Ten Years After's three classic albums show off a tight band steeped not only in blues, but rockabilly, jazz, folk, and even occasionally psychedelia.