Willie Alexander
Encyclopedia
For the football player of the same name see Willie Alexander (American football)
.
Willie "Loco" Alexander (born 13 January 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
) is an American singer and keyboard player based in Gloucester, Massachusetts
.
He played with The Lost, The Bagatelle and The Grass Menagerie before becoming a member of The Velvet Underground
in late 1971, joining fellow Grass Menagerie alumni Doug Yule
and Walter Powers
and replacing Sterling Morrison
, who had gone off to pursue an academic career.
With the Velvet Underground, Alexander toured England
, Scotland
and the Netherlands
in support of then-current album Loaded. After completing the tour on November 21, 1971 in Groningen
, the band planned to start recording a new album, but band manager Steve Sesnick
sent all of the band but Yule home, presumably to retain maximum control of the product (the resulting album was Squeeze, released in 1973) and effectively ending Alexander's time with the band.
After leaving The Velvet Underground, he enjoyed a chequered career, both solo and with his Boom Boom Band, that lasts to this day. In-between, Alexander teamed up with Powers to tour France
in 1982 for French
punk
record label
New Rose Records, in 1987 opening for Dramarama
and in 2006 for a tour with the legendary Boom Boom band.
In addition to his storied music career, in 1994, Willie narrated a local film entitled Middle Street made by fellow Gloucester
native, independent filmmaker, Henry Ferrini
. Willie has also contributed many songs to the soundtracks for Henry's other films.
Willie Alexander (American football)
Willie Alexander is a former professional American football player who played defensive back for the National Football League's Houston Oilers from 1971 - 1979. Before his professional career, Alexander played for Alcorn State University...
.
Willie "Loco" Alexander (born 13 January 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
) is an American singer and keyboard player based in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
.
He played with The Lost, The Bagatelle and The Grass Menagerie before becoming a member of The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
in late 1971, joining fellow Grass Menagerie alumni Doug Yule
Doug Yule
Douglas Alan Yule is an American musician and singer, most notable for being a member of The Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973.- Early career :Yule began playing with various bands in Boston in the 1960s...
and Walter Powers
Walter Powers
Walter Powers III is an American bass guitarist best known for having been a member of The Velvet Underground from late 1970 until late 1971.Walter Powers was born in Boston, Massachusetts...
and replacing Sterling Morrison
Sterling Morrison
Holmes Sterling Morrison, Jr. was one of the founding members of the rock group The Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and singing backing vocals.-Biography:...
, who had gone off to pursue an academic career.
With the Velvet Underground, Alexander toured England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in support of then-current album Loaded. After completing the tour on November 21, 1971 in Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, the band planned to start recording a new album, but band manager Steve Sesnick
Steve Sesnick
Stephen Sesnick was a club owner who served as manager of The Velvet Underground after the band ended their association with Andy Warhol in 1967....
sent all of the band but Yule home, presumably to retain maximum control of the product (the resulting album was Squeeze, released in 1973) and effectively ending Alexander's time with the band.
After leaving The Velvet Underground, he enjoyed a chequered career, both solo and with his Boom Boom Band, that lasts to this day. In-between, Alexander teamed up with Powers to tour France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1982 for French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
New Rose Records, in 1987 opening for Dramarama
Dramarama (band)
Dramarama is a Los Angeles, California-based alternative rock/power pop band. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994...
and in 2006 for a tour with the legendary Boom Boom band.
In addition to his storied music career, in 1994, Willie narrated a local film entitled Middle Street made by fellow Gloucester
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
native, independent filmmaker, Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini is an American non-fiction filmmaker best known for his portraits of Jack Kerouac and Charles Olson.Ferrini attended Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA where he studied music...
. Willie has also contributed many songs to the soundtracks for Henry's other films.
Solo
- Solo Loco (1981)
- Tap Dancing on My Piano (1986)
- The Dragons Are Still Out (1988)
- Greatest Hits (1988)
- Fifteen Years of Rock & Roll with Willie Alexander (1991)
- Willie Loco Boom Boom Ga Ga 1975-1991 (1992)
- Private WA (1993)
- The Holy Babble (1996)
- Loco in Beantown (1999)
- The New Rose Story 1980-2000 (2001)
- Solo Loco Redux (2002)
- Vincent Ferrini'sVincent FerriniVincent Ferrini , age 94, was an American writer and poet from Gloucester, Massachusetts.-Early life:Vincent Ferrini was born in Saugus, Massachusetts on June 24, 1913. Vincent's parents emigrated from Riano and Bella, Italy in the province of Abruzzi to work in the shoe factories of Lynn,...
Greatest Hits (2009)
Willie Alexander and the Persistence of Memory Orchestra
- Willie Alexander's Persistence of Memory Orchestra (1993)
- The Persistence of Memory Orchestra: The East Main St. Suite (1999)
Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band
- Sperm Bank Babies (1978; authorized bootleg)
- Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom BandWillie Alexander and the Boom Boom BandWillie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band is a 1978 New Wave album by Boston singer Willie Alexander and his band, engineered by Craig Leon for MCA Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band unless otherwise stated...
(1978) - Meanwhile... Back in the States (1978)
- Pass the Tabasco (1996 - reissue of the two first albums)
- Loco Live 1976 (2001)
- Dog Bar Yacht Club (2005)
Willie Alexander and the Confessions
- Autre Chose (live, 1982)
- A Girl Like You (1982)
Sources
- Anonymous. "Velvet Underground ist wieder da!" In: Sounds, November–December 1971. Interview with the band. link
- Henry Daniel. "Velvet Underground". In: Frendz, November 5, 1971. Interview with the band. link
- Arjan de Weerd. "Despite All the Amputations, the Name of This Band Is Velvet Underground", July 2, 2004. Interview with Willie Alexander on his V.U. stint link