b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Vocalist and pianist Willie "Loco" Alexander has been a household name in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, since the mid-60s, although he is virtually unknown outside of that city. Multi-instrumentalist Alexander took the nickname "Loco" while performing as half of a folk duo called Baba and Willie Loco in the early 60s. He founded the Lost in 1964, and that garage band became one of the most popular in Boston, recording three singles for Capitol Records in 1965-66. In 1967, he joined Grass Menagerie which featured Doug Yule and Walter Powers (Yule later replaced John Cale in the Velvet Underground). After that band broke up in 1967 Alexander relocated to New York and joined an integrated nine-piece soul group called the Bagatelle as pianist and occasional vocalist. They released one album, 11 P.M. Saturday, on ABC Records in 1968. After a year Alexander returned to Boston and moved around in a series of bands. In 1970, he was asked to replace the departing Lou Reed in the Velvet Underground. He played keyboards and sang some of his own material with that influential band until its break-up in 1972, then returned to Boston to play in other local outfits. He finally recorded under his own name in 1975, making a single, "Kerouac". In 1976, he formed Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band, which became one of Boston's leading punk bands. They recorded a self-titled album for MCA Records in 1978 and a follow-up, Meanwhile . . . Back In The States, that same year, but interest outside of their home-town was minimal. The band broke up at the end of 1978. Alexander recorded a solo album, Solo Loco, released only on the French New Rose label, in 1982, before forming the Confessions. Another aggressive rock band, they released two albums, A Girl Like You and the live Autre Chose, both in 1982 in France only. They disbanded in 1983 and Alexander continued to record other solo albums for New Rose throughout the 80s. In 1991, he formed yet another band, the Persistence Of Memory Orchestra, and throughout the rest of the decade continued to pursue his idiosyncratic muse. Private WA collects his Beat-influenced spoken-word output.

Listen to Willie Alexander at Finetune.

• Mass. Ave.

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