Larry Taylor
Encyclopedia
Larry Taylor is an American
bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat
from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session
bassist for The Monkees
and Jerry Lee Lewis
. He is the younger brother
of Mel Taylor
, long-time drummer
for The Ventures
.
Taylor played with Canned Heat from 1967 to 1970, and appeared with them at various festivals
including the Monterey International Pop Festival and Woodstock. His band nickname was "The Mole." In addition to playing bass, he also played lead guitar
on occasion. An example can be heard on the track "Down In the Gutter, But Free," on the album Hallelujah
. In 1969, due to a dispute with Taylor, Henry Vestine
left the band. Guitarist Harvey Mandel
filled the void as the band's lead guitarist. In 1970, when John Mayall
moved to Los Angeles
, Taylor and Mandel quit Canned Heat to join him in the Bluesbreakers
. After the Bluesbreakers tours, Taylor played briefly with the Sugarcane Harris Band (later called Pure Food and Drug Act
).
In 1974, Taylor became part of The Hollywood Fats Band led by Mike "Hollywood Fats
" Mann. The two of them joined Canned Heat for a King Biscuit Flower Hour
concert
in 1979. Taylor recorded Reheated in 1988, again with Canned Heat. He toured and recorded with his former band a few more times until 1999. In 2007, Taylor and Harvey Mandel reunited with Fito de la Parra and the rest of the current Canned Heat line-up to perform certain shows. Taylor, Mandel, and Fito were all in the line-up that played Woodstock.
Recently, Larry Taylor has become a leading exponent and practitioner of the acoustic upright bass in the contemporary blues scene. He is quite prominently seen with his upright bass in the live blues film, Lightning in a Bottle.
Taylor has played on numerous Tom Waits
albums and is the bass player in his touring band.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat
Canned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
bassist for The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
. He is the younger brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
of Mel Taylor
Mel Taylor
Mel Taylor , was the longtime drummer for The Ventures from 1962-1996. He was the older brother of Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor.-Tenure with The Ventures:...
, long-time drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
.
Taylor played with Canned Heat from 1967 to 1970, and appeared with them at various festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
including the Monterey International Pop Festival and Woodstock. His band nickname was "The Mole." In addition to playing bass, he also played lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
on occasion. An example can be heard on the track "Down In the Gutter, But Free," on the album Hallelujah
Hallelujah (album)
Hallelujah is the fourth album by Canned Heat, released in 1969. It was re-released on CD in 2001 by MAM productions with four bonus tracks.-Track listing:#"Same All Over" – 2:51#"Change My Ways" – 2:47...
. In 1969, due to a dispute with Taylor, Henry Vestine
Henry Vestine
Henry Charles Vestine a.k.a. "The Sunflower", was an American guitar player known mainly as a member of the band Canned Heat. He was with the group from its start in 1966 to July 1969...
left the band. Guitarist Harvey Mandel
Harvey Mandel
Harvey Mandel is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career...
filled the void as the band's lead guitarist. In 1970, when John Mayall
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Taylor and Mandel quit Canned Heat to join him in the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and...
. After the Bluesbreakers tours, Taylor played briefly with the Sugarcane Harris Band (later called Pure Food and Drug Act
Pure Food and Drug Act (band)
Pure Food and Drug Act was a band that was formed in the early 1970s by Don "Sugarcane" Harris. The band began with Paul Lagos on drums, Larry Taylor on bass and Randy Resnick on guitar...
).
In 1974, Taylor became part of The Hollywood Fats Band led by Mike "Hollywood Fats
Hollywood Fats
Hollywood Fats was an American blues guitarist, active in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Hollywood Fats was born Michael Leonard Mann in Los Angeles, and started playing guitar at the age of 10...
" Mann. The two of them joined Canned Heat for a King Biscuit Flower Hour
King Biscuit Flower Hour
The King Biscuit Flower Hour was a syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock artists.-History:...
concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in 1979. Taylor recorded Reheated in 1988, again with Canned Heat. He toured and recorded with his former band a few more times until 1999. In 2007, Taylor and Harvey Mandel reunited with Fito de la Parra and the rest of the current Canned Heat line-up to perform certain shows. Taylor, Mandel, and Fito were all in the line-up that played Woodstock.
Recently, Larry Taylor has become a leading exponent and practitioner of the acoustic upright bass in the contemporary blues scene. He is quite prominently seen with his upright bass in the live blues film, Lightning in a Bottle.
Taylor has played on numerous Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
albums and is the bass player in his touring band.