Josh ALAN

⬇️ JOSH ALAN ⬇️

(2CD)

 BIOGRAPHY 

Son of author-playwright Bruce Jay Friedman and acting coach Ginger Howard Friedman, Josh Alan grew up in Glen Cove, Long Island, Great Neck and New York City, the eldest of three boys. In 1962, Josh began first grade at South School, then the last segregated school on Long Island.

He was the sole white student. His years attending South School at the flashpoint of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, the childhood friendships forged there and his occasionally life-threatening adventures in Long Island's forgotten Black shantytowns subsequently formed the basis of his "autobiographical novel" Black Cracker. (An early version of Black Cracker appeared in Penthouse in August, 1978.)

Friedman has defined his creative identity as "51% guitar and 49% writing."

"The guitar has always been the most important thing in the world to me," Friedman told the Dallas Times Herald in 1991. "It's a little bit more important than the writing because I've been doing it longer. The writing seemed like a sidetrack or something when I wasn't able to get my [expletive] together."

Though Friedman began playing guitar at 9, a pitching injury at 14 cost Friedman the use of his right arm for two years. "I figured if I ever had the honor of being able to play again, no one's going to pull me away from it." His time as a student with journeyman jazz guitarist Joe Monk in particular left a deep impression on the young musician.

Friedman spent his last five years in New York working as a guitarist with the busy show band City Limits, featuring Richard Lanham, former vocalist for The Drifters.

Following his move to Dallas in 1987, Friedman began recording and performing as a solo artist in earnest. He also recorded and performed extensively with Sara Hickman, and produced Dallas’ KERA 90.1 Sound Sessions. Billed as “Josh Alan” he barnstormed the state of Texas for 20 years, rocking whole arenas with his Guild D-40 and earning three Dallas Observer Music Awards for Best Acoustic Act.

He was noted for his live use of acoustic feedback, the Maestro Echoplex and surf instrumentals, as well as an acoustic medley of Black exploitation movie soundtracks. He has released four albums: Famous & Poor, The Worst! (a musical based on the life and career of "Worst Director of All Time" Ed Wood), Blacks 'n' Jews (the title of which became a documentary on Josh’s life) and Josh Alan Band.

Josh Alan has recorded and/or played with Sara Hickman, Keb' Mo', Kinky Friedman, Bugs Henderson, Phoebe Legere, and was a perennial opener in Texas for dozens of rock and blues acts, including Johnny Winter, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, War, Huey Lewis and the News, Bad Company, Mitch Ryder, Michael Nesmith and Wanda Jackson.