Best known as the bassist for
Canned Heat between 1967-1970, Brooklyn-born
Larry Taylor has had a long and distinguished career as a session musician. Beginning his professional career by touring with
Jerry Lee Lewis when he was 18,
Taylor eventually became the resident bassist for many of
the Monkees' sessions, including the hits "Last Train to Clarksville" and "(Theme From) The Monkees." After joining seminal West Coast blues group
Canned Heat,
Taylor became the bassist for John Mayall's first all-American backing band on the British blues musician's
USA Union album. During his 30-plus-year career
Taylor has supplied bass lines for everyone from
Tom Waits to
Albert King and
Little Milton. He also founded Larry Joe Taylor's Annual Texas Music Festival, which ran for many years.
–
Steve Kurutz, Rovi