The self-proclaimed "King of King of Prussia, PA," now living in self-imposed exile in Sausalito, CA, Larry has been singing and performing since the early 1970s, when his first band played "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones at a contest at a local church. With such an inauspicious debut, one can easily see where his sense of humor was born.
Playing rock and roll in his early days, he "stumbled" (it was a surefire way to make money) across bluegrass and country music in the rural college town of State College, PA, where he attended Penn State University in the mid '70s. It was there that he learned to play bluegrass and the standup bass. He also began writing songs and performing solo, playing the coffeehouse circuit as well as some festivals.
In 1979, the lure of warmer climes and a broader music market found him moving west to San Francisco, and in 1981 he began playing bass in a band with Dr. Elmo, the man responsible for the annual Christmas hit "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." He performed with Elmo for 31 years, with the last incarnation of the band being called Wild Blue.
Listening to Larry's songs, you can tell that he has been influenced a bit by the zany doctor's antics and advice. After his three-decade gig with Dr. Elmo came to an end in 2012, he now has a country trio called Keystone Canyon with another former Pennsylvanian, Claudia Hampe, and their longtime California friend, Gary Bauman. Larry and Claudia also have a duo together called Keystone Crossing, and they have a five-piece bluegrass band called Keystone Station. A fourth configuration is a country band called Blithedale Canyon, which went on hiatus in January of 2020.
From "Sympathy For The Devil" to "Grandma," and with tongue planted firmly in cheek more often than not, Larry Carlin's view of the world is a tad different from most, yet one thing is for certain -- he is one of the most entertaining and busiest performers around.
