Larry Carlton Biography

Larry Carlton, like so many other Los Angeles studio musicians, was confronted with a decision a few years ago: go solo and make a reputation for himself, or stick with the less dangerous, more profitable life of a session guitarist, earning excellent money and recording with well-known performers. Thankfully for admirers of this diverse guitarist, he selected the former, and since 1978, he has recorded under his own name for Warner Bros., MCA Records, GRP Records, and a variety of other companies. Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Bobby Bland, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and scores of other performers and groups are among Carlton's studio credits during the 1970s and early 1980s. Joni Mitchell's critically praised Court and Spark album and Donald Fagen's Nightfly album were two of his most famous accomplishments as a session guitarist. Carlton worked as a session guitarist for most of the 1970s, recording up to 500 records each year. Despite the fact that he released a number of albums under his own name as early as 1968, He didn't sign a major-label contract until 1978, when he signed with Warner Bros., with a Little Help from My Friends, and 1973's Playing/Singing. When Carlton was six years old, he began taking guitar lessons. In 1962, he landed his first professional engagement at a dinner club. He was motivated to perform jazz and blues after hearing Joe Pass on the radio. Carlton's self-titled debut for Warner Bros. was released in 1978, just a few years after he was acclaimed for his pioneering guitar work on Steely Dan's Royal Scam album. (On Kid Charlemagne, Carlton delivered a famous guitar solo.) Before being dismissed from Warner Bros., he recorded four more albums with the label: Strikes Twice (1980), Sleepwalk (1981), Eight Times Up (1982), and the Grammy-nominated Friends (1983). Between studio sessions and tours, he resurfaced in 1986 on MCA Records with Discovery, an all-acoustic album that included an instrumental version of Michael McDonald's song Minute by Minute. In 1987, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. In 1987, Carlton received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance for his live CD Last Nite. Carlton was shot in the throat by gun-wielding youths outside Room 335, his private studio in Burbank, California, while working on his next MCA album, On Solid Ground. The gunshot broke his vocal cords and caused considerable nerve damage, but Carlton was able to finish On Solid Ground in 1989 thanks to intense rehabilitation and an optimistic attitude. Helping Innocent People (HIP) is a non-profit organization he founded to assist victims of random gun violence. Carlton continued his hectic recording and performance schedule throughout the following two decades, beginning with a series of albums on the GRP label during the 1990s: Kid Gloves, Renegade Gentleman, Larry & Lee (with Lee Ritenour), and The Gift. Christmas at My House, Carlton's 1995 holiday compilation, was also published on MCA. In 1997, he took over for Lee Ritenour in the popular contemporary jazz trio Fourplay, making his debut on the group's fourth album in 1998. Carlton was as busy as ever in the 2000s, recording live and in the studio for a number of labels as both a leader and a collaborator. Fingerprints (with guest performances by Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Kirk Whalum, and Vinnie Colaiuta) and Deep into It (with guest appearances by Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Kirk Whalum, and Vinnie Colaiuta) kicked off the decade for Warner Bros. Carlton was a big concert draw in Japan during the decade, appearing on two live albums from the country: Live in Osaka (with Steve Lukather), released in 2001 on the Favored Nations label, and Live in Tokyo (with Robben Ford), released in 2007 on 335 Records. Meanwhile, Carlton's solo albums continued, with Bluebird/RCA releasing Sapphire Blue and Fire Wire in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and Sony BMG releasing The Jazz King in 2008, which featured Carlton leading an all-star band performing music he composed on commission to commemorate Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 80th birthday and ascension to the throne. Carlton joined Steely Dan on certain dates of their 2009 summer tour in the United States as a guest guitarist. In 2010, Take Your Pick (featuring Tak Matsumoto) was released. Carlton has a lovely, tranquil demeanor that can be heard in his distinctive rhythmic and warm guitar chords and ringing guitar tones, which he is always glad to meet with the press. In 2011, Carlton appeared on and produced Michele Pillar's Christmas album, I Hear Angels Calling. Larry Carlton Plays the Sound of Philadelphia was released in 2011, followed by Four Hands & a Heart, Vol. 1 in 2012.

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