For the past three decades, Larry Carlton has been one of the nation's most sought-after jazz guitarists, dividing his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with more popular bands. Over his career Carlton has won three Grammys for his performances and compositions, including the theme song for the hit television series The Hillstreet Blues. Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music...

Appreciated by smooth jazz fans for his subtle, velvety style, and also by jazz and blues guitarists for his tight phrasing and impressive technique, Carlton learned to play guitar when he was six years old. Taking an interest in jazz in high school, his playing style became most influenced by guitarists Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Barney Kessel, and B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane has also made a notable impression on Carlton, and Carlton's live albums have featured cuts from Miles Davis's hallmark Kind of Blue. Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Passalaqua, January 13, 1929, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, died May 23, 1994, Los Angeles, California, USA), was a virtuoso jazz guitarist. ... John Leslie Wes Montgomery was an African-American jazz guitarist. ... Barney Kessel (17 October 1923 - 6 May 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. ... Davis 1959 album Kind of Blue, likely the best-selling jazz album ever. ...

During the 1970s, Carlton was a busy session musician in Los Angeles, appearing on up to 500 recordings a year, including albums by Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Quincy Jones. His loopy, dazzling guitar work on Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" from their 1978 LP The Royal Scam has been listed as the third best guitar solo on record by Rolling Stone Magazine. From 1971 to 1976 he played with the jazz-rock group The Crusaders. In 1977 he signed with Warner Brothers Records for a solo career. Although still relatively unknown outside his fan-base, Carlton produced six albums from 1978 to 1984, during which his adaptation of Santo Farina's "Sleepwalk" climbed the pop and adult contemporary charts and his 1983 LP Friends garnered a Grammy nomination. Walter Becker (left) and Donald Fagen accepting the Grammy Award for the album Two Against Nature (2000) Steely Dan is an American jazz rock band based around musicians and songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. ... Self portrait by Joni Mitchell, on the cover of her album Both Sides Now Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta), is a legendary Canadian musician and painter. ... Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones II (born March 14, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois) is an United States record, television and film producer, musician, arranger and songwriter. ... Front, Joe Sample; Left, Wayne Henderson; Middle, Wilton Felder; Right, Stix Hooper The Crusaders are an American music group popular in the early 1970s for their amalgamated Jazz, Pop and Soul sound. ...

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 featured warm but sparse and emotive arrangements, including a rendition of "The Lord's Prayer". From 1985 to 1990 Carlton did various solo projects, winning another Grammy for his cover of Michael McDonald's "Minute By Minute" from the successful LP Discovery. Several people bear the name Michael McDonald: Michael McDonald is an American blue-eyed soul singer. ...

While working on his 1989 electric guitar LP On Solid Ground, Carlton was the victim of random gun violence, shot in the throat outside Room 335, his private studio in Southern California. The bullet shattered his vocal cord and caused significant nerve trauma. Amazingly, 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 commerically-oriented jazz offering, which resulted in Kid Gloves. The rawer, southern-blues infused Renegade Gentleman was finally released in 1993, featuring Nashville harmonica legend Terry McMillan on several tracks. Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951 in Port Huron, Michigan) is an African-American author. ...

From 1994 to 1997 Carlton participated in various tours and released an album with similar Los Angeles-based guitarist Lee Ritenour, which featured "Remembering J.P.", a nod to the recently deceased Joe Pass. Shortley thereafter, in 1997, he took Ritenour's place in the successful smooth jazz quartet Fourplay, even adopting a softer, Wes Montgomery-flavored style similar to Ritenour's work. Lee Mack Captain Fingers Ritenour (born January 11, 1952) has been a prominent session musician and successful solo artist since the early 1970s. ... Fourplay is a smooth jazz group in the United States. ...

In 2000, Carlton furthered his solo career with the polished Fingerprints, which at its strongest points demonstrated his continued growth as a composer and also downplayed his blues-roots in favor of jazz-chordal playing and octaves. His career received another considerable boost the following year when his live performance with former Toto lead guitarist Steve Lukather, No Substitutions: Live At Osaka, garnered his third Grammy. TOTO Ltd. ...

Carlton's most recent work includes the guest-appearance laden Deep Into It, the aggressive jazz-blues cut Sapphire Blue, and Firewire, his hardest album yet. While Carlton may not go down as a guitar "legend", his success as a session guitarist is remarkable. Furthermore, it is clear that his versatile playing style trascends "smooth jazz" and cannot be limited to any particular genre, which makes him an intriguing listen for any guitarist.

Gear

Gibson produces a signature Larry Carlton model based on Carlton's own 1968 ES-335. His other guitars include an iconic 1951 blackguard Fender Telecaster. Carlton plays Dumble Amplifiers. The Fender Telecaster is a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender. ... Dumble musical instrument amplifiers are built by hand in very limited numbers by Howard Alexander Dumble of Santa Cruz, California. ...

Discography

• CD
  • With A Little Help 1968 Uni
  • Singing / Playing 1973 Blue Thumb
  • Larry Carlton 1977 Warner Brothers
  • MR.335 Live In Japan (Japan Only) 1977
  • Strikes Twice 1980 Warner Brothers
  • Sleepwalk 1982 Warner Brothers
  • Eight Times Up 1982 Warner Brothers
  • Friends 1983 MCA
  • Alone / But Never Alone 1985 MCA
  • Last Nite 1986 MCA
  • Discovery 1987 MCA
  • On Solid Ground 1989 MCA
  • Christmas At My House 1989 MCA
  • Collection 1990 GRP
  • The Best Of Mr.335 1992 Warner Brothers
  • Kid Gloves 1992 GRP
  • Renegade Gentleman GRP 1993
  • Larry & Lee 1995 GRP
  • The Gift 1996 GRP
  • Collection Vol.2 1997 GRP
  • Fingerprints 2000 Warner Brothers
  • No Substitution Favored Nations 2001 Favored Nations
  • Deep Into It 2001 Warner Brothers
  • Sapphire Blue 2003 JVC Music
  • The Very Best of Larry Carlton 2005 GRP
  • Firewire 2005 Bluebird

• Video
  • 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

• DVD
  • Carlton Lukather Band - The Paris Concert 2001

External link

• Larry Carlton Homepage
• Larry Carlton Guitar Tabs
• Larry Carlton