School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Larry Carlton

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Larry Carlton is an American guitarist, born in Torrance, California, in 1948. He had guitar lessons at the age of six and as a schoolboy played surf guitar with Eddie and the Showmen. Jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery, and the bluesman B.B. King, were his models. In the 1970s he grew into one of the most sought-after studio guitarists in Los Angeles. He played on hundreds of records, and on more than a hundred gold records, in pop, rock, soul, jazz and country.

Music and breakthrough

He worked for artists including Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and Barbra Streisand. His guitar work on Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne from 1976 appears on a Rolling Stone list of the best guitar songs. In 1981 he played on Mike Post's Theme from Hill Street Blues, which earned two Grammys. He then had a solo career of his own and was a member of the Crusaders and later of Fourplay. He had already recorded his first solo record in 1968. In the mid-1970s he built a studio, Room 335, named after the Gibson ES-335 for which he is famous. His version of Sleepwalk reached the pop and adult contemporary charts.

Influence

In 1988 he was shot in the throat outside his studio and was temporarily paralysed in his left arm. He recovered and kept on playing. His style is supple and melodic, shaped by jazz and blues, and his work shows how a session musician could define the sound of an entire era.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan and notice the guitar solo, in which he combines bluesy notes with a clear, almost singing tone.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists