Larry Carlton

For other people named Larry Carlton, see Larry Carlton 1978 to 1984, during which his adaptation of Santo Fa(disambiguation).
rina's Sleepwalk climbed the pop and adult contemporary charts and his 1983 LP Friends garnered a Grammy
[1]
Larry Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American nomination. In 1979, Carlton appeared on the Grammy
award winning, self-titled, debut album by Christopher
jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, blues, pop, and rock guitarist. He has divided his recording time between solo Cross. Guitarist Eric Johnson also played on that same
recordings and session appearances with various well- album.
known bands. Over his career, Carlton has won four
Grammy Awards for his performances and compositions,
including performing on the theme song for the television
series Hill Street Blues (1981).[2]

His solo career took a twist in 1985 when he signed with

MCA Master Series for an acoustic jazz album. The result was Alone / But Never Alone, which included a rendition of "The Lords Prayer". During this time Carlton
worked with musicians from around the world, . From
1985 to 1990 Carlton did various solo projects including the 1986 live Last Nite. He won another Grammy
for his cover of the McDonald/Abrams song "Minute by
Minute, from the successful LP Discovery.

Biography

Carlton was born in Torrance, California. He started

learning to play guitar when he was six years old, studying under Slim Edwards near his Torrance home. Taking
an interest in jazz while at high school, his playing style
was inuenced by Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Barney
Kessel, and B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane has
also made a notable impression on Carlton, and Carltons
live albums have featured cuts from Miles Davis' Kind of
Blue.

In 1988, while working on his electric guitar LP On Solid

Ground, which was released in 1989, Carlton was the victim of a random act of violence, shot in the throat outside
Room 335, his private studio in Southern California.[3]
The bullet shattered his vocal cord and caused signicant nerve trauma. Carlton managed to recover quickly
and completed On Solid Ground by the end of the year.
He continued his work with the electric guitar in 1991
when he started to record a blues album, but decided to
delay the project to meet demand for a more commercially oriented jazz oering, which resulted in Kid Gloves.
1.1 Music career
Renegade Gentleman was nally released in 1993, featuring Nashville harmonica player Terry McMillan on sevDuring the 1970s and early 1980s, Carlton was a eral tracks.
session musician in Los Angeles, making up to ve
hundred recording sessions a year, including albums by From 1994 to 1997 Carlton participated in various
Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, tours (notably with the incomparable Toto guitarist Steve
Quincy Jones, The Four Tops, Christopher Cross, Barbra Lukather) and released an album (Larry & Lee) with felStreisand, the Partridge Family, and Charly Garca's Clics low jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour. In 1997, Carlton took
modernos. His guitar work on Steely Dans "Kid Charle- Ritenours place in Fourplay.
magne" from their 1976 LP The Royal Scam has been In 2000, Carlton furthered his solo career with Fingerlisted as the third best guitar solo on record by Rolling prints. His career received another boost the following
Stone magazine. From 1971 to 1977 he played with the year when his live performance with Lukather, No Substijazz-rock group The Crusaders. His playing on their ver- tutions: Live in Osaka, garnered his third Grammy. Carlsion of Carole King's "So Far Away" is one of the high- tons more recent work includes Sapphire Blue (2003),
lights of The Crusaders rst album. In 1977 he signed Fire Wire (2006), and Deep Into It (2001).
with Warner Bros. Records for a solo career. The alAt the beginning of 2007 Carlton released two CDs. A
bum Larry Carlton, also known as the Room 335 allive recording together with blues guitarist Robben Ford,
bum was released in 1978. The album was recorded at
Live in Tokyo, and The Jazz King album. The Jazz King
Larry Carltons Room 335 (studio). In 1979 he played
record is the result of a composition Carlton wrote for
guitar on Michael Jackson's O the Wall. Also in 1979,
H. M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The Jazz
Carlton played Dreamow from Paulinho Da Costa's alKing project was initiated to celebrate the 60th anniverbum Happy People. Although still relatively unknown
sary of King Bhumibols accession to the throne as well
outside his fan-base, Carlton produced six albums from
1

2 DISCOGRAPHY

as his 80th birthday in 2007. Carlton was commissioned

to write this composition by the Royal Project Foundation and Rotary Club of Bangkok. These compositions
were released on CD only in Thailand, the net proceeds
of the CD will be used to support the indigenous hill-tribe
children of Thailand. Carltons compositions for this
Jazz King project resulted in a concert held on January
28, 2007 at BEC-Tero Hall, Suan Lum Night Bazaar,
Bangkok.

Strikes Twice (1980) Warner Bros. Records

In July, August and September 2009, Carlton joined

Steely Dan as guest guitarist for six dates in New York,
Los Angeles and Chicago. Carlton reprised this role with
another special guest guitarist appearance in Steely Dans
September 23, 2011 concert at New Yorks Beacon Theatre.

Discovery (1987) MCA

In June 2010 Carlton released Take Your Pick, an album

made with Tak Matsumoto. This album won the 2011
Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album.[4] Carltons
4th Grammy win.
In February 2011, Carlton released Plays The Sound Of
Philadelphia.

1.2

Carlton is best known for his 1969 Gibson ES-335.

Other guitars he owns and plays include a 1951 Fender
Telecaster, a 1964 Fender Stratocaster, and a 1955
Gibson Les Paul Special.[6] He has worked alongside Gibson to produce a replica under the name the Gibson Custom Larry Carlton ES-335.[7] He also worked with Valley Arts Guitars to produce two signature models (copies
of the Stratocaster and Telecaster) in the mid-'80s to early
'90s.[8] He has used a Fender Vibrolux amplier, but his
standard setup included a Dumble.[5] More recently he
started using a custom-built Bludotone, whose sound resembles the Dumble. It has a 50W to 100W switch.

Personal life

Carlton married contemporary Christian music artist

Michele Pillar in 1987; they divorced in 2013. He is the
father of bass player Travis Carlton and Katie Carlton.

Discography

2.1

Eight Times Up (1983) Warner Bros. Records

Friends (1983) MCA
Last Nite (1986) MCA
Alone / But Never Alone (1986) MCA
On Solid Ground (1989) MCA
Christmas at My House (1989) MCA
Collection (1990) GRP
Kid Gloves (1992) GRP
Renegade Gentleman (1993) GRP
Larry & Lee (1995) GRP
The Gift (1996) GRP
Collection Vol.2 (1997) GRP
Fingerprints (2000) Warner Bros. Records

Gear and equipment

[5]

1.3

Sleepwalk (1981) Warner Bros. Records

Albums

With a Little Help From my Friends (1968) UNI

Singing / Playing (1973) Blue Thumb

No Substitutions: Live in Osaka (2001) Favored Nations

Deep Into It (2001) Warner Bros. Records
Sapphire Blue (2003) Arista Bluebird
The Very Best of Larry Carlton (2005) GRP
Fire Wire (2006) Arista Bluebird
The Jazz King - H.M.The King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Musical Compositions (2006) Sony BMG[9]
Larry Carlton with Robben Ford Live in Tokyo
(2007) 335 Records
Greatest Hits Rerecorded, Volume One (2008) 335
Records
Take Your Pick (with Tak Matsumoto) (2010) 335
(US), Vermillion (JP)
Larry Carlton Plays The Sound Of Philadelphia
(2011) 335 Records
Larry Carlton Trio, The Paris Concert (2011) 335
Records
Four Hands and a Heart Volume One (2012) 335
Records
Larry Carlton & Robben Ford Unplugged (2013)
335 Records[10]

Larry Carlton (1978) Warner Bros. Records

Four Hands and a Heart CHRISTMAS (2014) 335

Records

Mr. 335 Live in Japan (1979) Warner Bros.

Records (Japan)

Larry Carlton David T. Walker @ billboard Live

Tokyo (2015) 335 Records

2.2

Film soundtracks

Elliot Lurie (Epic Records, 1975)

Against All Odds 1984 Virgin Records (with Michel With Carmen McRae
Colombier)
Can't Hide Love (Blue Note, 1976)
Magnum, P.I. television theme (with Mike Post)
With Paulinho Da Costa
Hill Street Blues television soundtrack (with Mike
Post)
Happy People (Pablo Records, 1979)

2.3

Videos

Larry Carlton Live 1987

Star Licks Larry Carlton 1989
Star Licks Larry Carlton Vol.2 1992
Larry Carlton Live At Montreal International Jazz
Festival 1997

2.4

DVDs

Ohne Filter (2002) inakustik

Live at Montreal JazzFestival (2002) Eagle
Larry Carlton Recorded live in Paris July 8, 2004
Carlton Lukather Band The Paris Concert 2005
inakustik
Carlton, Ford + Autour Du Blues The Paris Concert 2008 inakustik
Carlton & The Sapphire Blues Band The Paris
Concert 2008 inakustik
Carlton Trio The Paris Concert 2009 inakustik
Appeared in Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, 2004

2.5

As sideman

With Don Ellis

Haiku (MPS, 1974)
With John Handy
Carnival (ABC/Impulse, 1977)
With Lalo Schifrin
Enter the Dragon (soundtrack) (Warner Bros., 1973)
With Elliot Lurie

3 See also
Katy Lied
The Royal Scam
Aja

4 References
[1] California Births, 1905 1995, Larry Eugene Carlton
[2] Skelly, Richard. Biography: Larry Carlton. Allmusic.
Retrieved March 23, 2010.
[3] Michelle Pilar.
2015-11-03.

Cbn.com.

2006-11-28.

Retrieved

[4] B'z Matsumoto bags pop Grammy. The Japan Times.

February 15, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
[5] Heidt, John (May 2001). Larry Carlton: The Return of
Mr. 335. Vintage Guitar. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
[6] Bolinger, John (July 2014). Rig Rundown: Larry Carlton. Premier Guitar. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
[7] Gear Larry Carlton Ocial Website of Mr. 335.
Larrycarlton.com. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
[8] Davis, Marcus. Larry Carlton Samich Review. Tdpri.com. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
[9] Larry Carlton & Guests - Jazz King: H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej Musical. Smile.amazon.com. Retrieved
2015-11-03.
[10] Larry Carlton and Robben Ford : Unplugged Review.
Guitarhoo!. Guitarhoo.com. 31 March 2013. Retrieved
31 December 2014.

5 External links
Larry Carlton at AllMusic
Larry Carlton Homepage
Larry Carlton Guitar Tabs
Larry Carlton
Live performance images
Magnum-Mania, Magnum, p.i. fan Music page.

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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