As Dave Alvin tells the story, it all started the day his older brother Phil brought home a Big Bill Broonzy record. As kids, the brothers who would go on to form The Blasters, drawing together roots ...

Dave Alvin was barely into his 20s when he wrote “American Music,” the roots-rock anthem that serves as his watchword. With the Blasters, the Knitters, and on his own, Alvin surveys the expanse of ...