Tony Alva

Tony Alva (born September 2, 1957) is an American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and musician. He is a pioneer of vertical skateboarding and one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team, also known as the Z-boys. Transworld Skateboarding Magazine ranked him eighth in its list of the "30 Most Influential skateboarders" of all time.

Early life Tony Alva was born September 2, 1957, in Santa Monica, California, to Dutch and Mexican-American parents. He first began surfing and skateboarding around 1967 at the age of 10.

In 1974, he joined the Zephyr Skateboard team along with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. Alva and the other Z-Boys (also all surfers), were among the first to bring the dangerous art of skating empty swimming pools into the mainstream. Alva is considered an originator of vertical skating and is credited as the first skateboarder to successfully pull a Frontside Air. That moment, captured on film by photographer Glen E. Friedman, is considered by many to be the birth of modern skateboarding. The 2013 shoot is entitled "Playboy Poolside" and features the four subjects skateboarding in and around an empty swimming pool.

Business ventures

Alva started his long relationship working with Vans in 1974, helping to design the off-the-wall skateboard shoe, the original skate shoe. Alva's father had been buying Vans shoes for his kids since they were young. Vans was established in 1966 and was the shoe of choice for the Santa Monica youth culture.

In 1977, at the age of 19, Alva shunned the major skate companies to form his own company, entitled Alva Skates. Later, Alva was in an early line-up of sleaze rock band Junkyard. In 2007, he formed the band G.F.P. (General Fucking Principle) with Dead Fucking Last vocalist Tom Paul Davis (Crazy Tom), guitarist Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks, Bad Religion) and former Suicidal Tendencies drummer Amery Smith. In 2013, Alva began playing with Los Angeles rock band, His Eyes Have Fangs.

In July 2023, His Eyes Have Fangs participated as a special musical guest at the Los Angeles art and music collective Surf Skate Roots Rock, reuniting with fellow skateboarding-artist pioneers such as Lance Mountain, Lonnie Toft, Mike Smith, Marty Grimes, George Wilson, Steve Olson, etc.

Media appearances Tony Alva was featured in the music video Unenslaved for the band Excel (band) in 1995. Which appeared on their album Seeking Refuge. Tony Alva is featured in the 2001 documentary on Santa Monica and Venice Beach skate culture Dogtown and Z-Boys, which was fictionalized into the 2005 feature film Lords of Dogtown. He also played the role of Tony Bluetile in the 1978 film Skateboard: The Movie. He also played 'T.A.', a member of the bad boy skaters in the 1986 film Thrashin' and served as skate technical advisor. In 2007, he made a guest appearance in Meck's music video for "Feels Like Home". Alva makes an appearance in the 2012 documentary Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, directed by Stacy Peralta. In 2012, Alva appeared on an episode of the A&E reality series, Storage Wars to appraise a skateboard. Alva was featured in the 2005 skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. He is seen on the cover of the album The Action Is Go by stoner rock band Fu Manchu. Alva also featured in the 1978 documentary "Skateboard Kings" produced by director Horace Ové.

Awards 1975 USSA World Invitational Skateboard Champion. Alva was voted "Skateboarder of the Year" in Skateboarder Magazine s readers poll and he set the Guinness World Record for barrel jumping.