Davie Allan & The Arrows
Biography
Davie Allan is a guitarist best known for his work on soundtracks to various teen and biker movies in the 1960s. Allans backing band is almost always the Arrows (i.e., Davie Allan and the Arrows), although the Arrows have never been a stable lineup.
Allan grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California and learned to play guitar as a teenager. His career as a musician began when he teamed up with Mike Curb, a friend he met in the choir at Grant High School in Van Nuys, California, to form an instrumental surf combo. In 1963, Curb founded Cude Records, the first of many labels he would run, and released the first Davie Allan single, “War Path.” Allan participated in recording a number of other singles for Curbs label, released under group names like the Sudells, the Heyburners, and the Zanies.
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In 1964, Curb founded Sidewalk Records (which was distributed by Capitol subsidiary Tower Records), brought Allan with him as a session musician, and secured a recording contract for the newly-formed Arrows. Curb had also made a deal to supply Roger Cormans schlock factory American International Pictures with soundtracks. Allan had come to Cormans attention from his playing on the soundtrack of Skaterdater[1].
Early Davie Allan and the Arrows tracks were stereotypical instrumental surf numbers, with clear-as-a-bell guitar sounds and light, crisp drum work. Though these sides were good musically, and modestly successful commercially (“Apache 65” became a local radio hit), Allan would find his greatest success when his sound mutated soon thereafter.
When Curb assigned soundtrack duties for biker film the Wild Angels to Allan and the Arrows, it would prove a breakthrough success. The song from the films opening, “Blues Theme” (sometimes listed as “Blues Theme”), an aggressive, repetitive and very catchy instrumental showcasing Allans new fuzzed-out (heavily distorted) guitar sound became their biggest hit (it was also one of the first songs Eddie Van Halen learned to play on brother Alexs guitar). The song stayed on the Billboard charts for 17 weeks (it peaked at #37); the single, backed with “Bongo Party,” and the soundtrack album both sold well.
Davie Allan and the Arrows went on to record a number of other soundtracks for similar AIP films over the next few years, like Devils Angels, Thunder Alley, and Born Losers, as well as several studio albums. All contained quality material, but none would prove as successful as “Blues Theme.”
By the time Tower Records and Sidewalk Records were dissolved in 1968, Allan had his name on some 14 albums and a prolific string of singles. Allan cut a few singles for MGM Records in the early 70s, continuing his association with Curb, but after that his career faltered.
Beginning with the Loud, Loose and Savage album in 1994, a compilation of tracks recorded over the previous 10 years, Allan (with all-new Arrows in tow) began a bid to revive his career. The album was well-received by critics, and since then he has released several more albums, including a collaboration with the Phantom Surfers, Ramonetures, an album of instrumental versions of Ramones songs, done Ventures-style.
Today, Allan enjoys a strong cult following, and continues to record and play concerts sporadically. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.