The Alpha Band

The Alpha Band
Years active	1976–1979
Labels	Arista Records
Past members	T-Bone Burnett Steven Soles David Mansfield

The Alpha Band was a rock band formed in July 1976 from the remnants of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. Band members were T-Bone Burnett, Steven Soles, and David Mansfield, plus sidemen who differed from record to record and included: David Kemper (later drummer for Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia Band); gospel great Andraé Crouch; and former Beatle Ringo Starr.

The Alpha Band reputedly signed a huge-money deal with Arista Records, Clive Davis's label. But their three albums were remarkably obscure, even upon release: almost straight to the cut out bin. Somehow, the Alphas never gained traction. The group is now recalled mostly as a launching pad for Mansfield, and even more for launching Burnett. Soles went behind the scenes and retired as an artist while writing and producing for films and television. When the band disbanded in 1979, all three members began producing albums for other artists.

Discography

Albums

• Alpha Band, 1976
• Spark in the Dark, 1977
• The Statue Makers of Hollywood, 1978
• The Arista Albums, 2005, two-CD set compiling the above three LPs