Robbie Alter plays G&L Guitars
www.glguitars.com
Robbie Alter - Bio
Lead Guitar / Vocals
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Robbie Alter plays G&L Guitars
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| Like
every kid playing guitar in a high school band in the New York City area,
fueled by going to concerts and seeing the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Cream
and the Who, Alter had dreams of going “pro” some day. After simmering
in the funky gumbo of an R & B band, playing the college concert
circuit opening for Issac Hayes, Eddie Kendricks and Kool and the Gang to
name a few, it was time to make a solo stab. With support and seed money
from Columbia and Arista recording companies demo recordings and live
showcases were presented, but no recording deal was consummated. A stint
with recording artist Elliott Murphy in the early 1980s produced some
recorded output and tours of Europe and the East Coast. Teaming up with
ex-Murphy drummer Tony Machine and piano player
Bobby Blaine from the New
York Dolls (version II), bassist Larry Russell (ex-Billy Joel) and
singer/keyboards Judi Dozier (later with Billy Idol) “The Differents”
were born, recording and playing the NYC circuit, but even this talented
combination bore no fruit. Auditions
for established acts like Hall & Oates, Peter Frampton, Billy Squire
and Robert Gordon similarly provided no relief from impending
unemployment. It was while playing a showcase with Mitch Weissman from the
Broadway show Beatlemania, that Alter was “discovered” by
Ian
Hunter, former lead singer of British
band Mott the Hoople which led to several tours of Europe and the U.S.,
television and radio shows and a record album for Columbia records. The
increased visibility was a welcome forerunner to more recording session
work. It was on a break from Hunter
that Alter was asked to help out his friends
in Foghat
on bass when their bassist departed with
a tour beginning in some 10 short days. Five days of rehearsal on a new
instrument was all it took before the first outdoor concert in front of
20,000 followed by two subsequent rollicking, jam-packed, criss-crossing
U.S. tours which were brought to a halt by a ruptured Achilles tendon
while playing tennis; inspiring Alter to seek other forms of avenues of
employment, including scoring movie and television theme songs and playing
on commercials. With the
realization that “If I was gonna be the next big thing, I would have
been it already”, the proverbial white flag was waved in 1986. Although Alter
continues to occasionally appear on record with his friend
Ian
Hunter (including a career best live appearance with Roger Daltrey, Roger
Taylor and Def Leppard at the legendary London Hammersmith Odeon in 1995
for the Mick Ronson tribute concert) and most recently the 2001 Hunter
release on the Fuel2000 label entitled “Rant”, Blue House stands as
the first band Alter has committed to since that time. “I’ve gone full circle and music is a hobby again; playing with a bunch of guys who make it fun. Hope you enjoy it like we do.” |