Biography

Joey Alves was born in August, 1953 in Oakland, California.  He began his life hanging around playgrounds and playing baseball.  As a young adolescent, he began listening to Elvis, then on to the Beatles.  These two musical influences ignited the fire within a young boy to aspire to be a musician himself.

  Joey decided to try playing the drums when he was about 12, but soon switched to guitar.  When he reached high school, he discovered a new band called Led Zeppelin and his focus became hard rock from that day on.  His first live show was Grand Funk Railroad, which confirmed what he felt was his calling.  Hours were spent in his bedroom trying to pick out guitar riffs from his favorite bands, which included the likes of Aerosmith, Deep Purple & most of the other popular groups of the time.

   He soon found himself jamming with local musicians and landed a job in a local band called “CRUTCH”, which lasted about 2 years and then onto “YESTERDAY AND TODAY”.

From there he set his sights on mastering a new form of Rhythm guitar.  A more aggressive approach that had yet to be tested.

He worked over the years attempting to pioneer those unchartered waters by experimenting with diverse tones to make his sound a unique one, as fat and crunchy as possible.

As “YESTERDAY AND TODAY” grew to become “Y&T”, Joey too had matured as a respected rhythm guitarist as well as a notable stage performer.

Today Joey receives countless praise from musicians he influenced over the years and fans who have loved to watch him on stage.  And though this is sometimes overwhelming to him, he also finds it gratifying to know his dedication to his craft did not go unnoticed.

Click here to be redirected to the Y&T Biography pages for additional information on Y&T band mates.