Larry Garner
| Larry Garner | |
|---|---|
|
Larry Garner (2013) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Larry Garner |
| Born |
July 8, 1952 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Louisiana blues, swamp blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | Early 1980s–present |
| Labels | Several including JSP and Ruf |
Larry Garner (born July 8, 1952, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States)[1] is an American Louisiana blues musician best known for his 1994 album Too Blues.
Biography
Garner grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his first inspiration being the guitar-playing preacher Reverend Utah Smith. Garner made acquaintance with local musicians such as Lonesome Sundown, Silas Hogan, Guitar Kelley and Tabby Thomas.[2] His musical influences include Hogan, Clarence Edwards, Jimi Hendrix, and Henry Gray.[1][3] He was taught to play guitar by his uncle and two other elders. Garner completed military service in Korea and returned to Baton Rouge, working part-time in music and full-time at a Dow Chemical plant.[1]
Garner won the International Blues Challenge in 1988,[3] and his first two albums, Double Dues and Too Blues, were released by the British JSP label. The latter album's title was in reply to a label executive who judged Garner's original demo to be "too blues".[1] Thomas' nightclub, Tabby's Blues Box, provided Garner with a playing base in the 1980s and gave him the subject matter for the strongest song on Double Dues, "No Free Rides".[2]
You Need to Live a Little (1996) was followed by Standing Room Only (1998), Baton Rouge (1999) and 2000's Once Upon the Blues.[1] Baton Rouge''s 1999 track, "Go To Baton Rouge," offered a tourist's guide to Louisiana music spots.[2]
In 2008, Garner was treated for a serious illness that was the inspiration for his 2008 album, Here Today Gone Tomorrow.[3][4]
Discography
All eight of Garner's CDs have been released by labels in Europe or Britain:[3]
- Too Blues (1994) - JSP
- Double Dues (1995) - JSP
- You Need to Live a Little (1996) - Polygram
- Standing Room Only (1998) - Ruf
- Baton Rouge (1999) - Evidence
- Once Upon the Blues (2000) - Ruf
- Embarrassment to the Blues? (2002) - live album - Ruf
- Here Today Gone Tomorrow (2008) - Dixiefrog
- Larry Garner, Norman Beaker and Friends - Live at the Tivoli (2010) (recorded at The Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne Minster, on 8 October 2009)
- Blues For Sale (2012) - Dixiefrog[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dahl, Bill. "Larry Garner". AllMusic. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- 1 2 3 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 113. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- 1 2 3 4 Wirt, John (2008-08-15). "BR's Larry Garner grateful to be Here Today". The Advocate. p. 18FUN.
- ↑ "Larry Garner | Here Today Gone Tomorrow". Bluesweb.com. Retrieved December 2009. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Larry Garner | Album Discography". AllMusic. 1952-07-08. Retrieved 2015-10-06.