Love

LARRY CARLIN & CLAUDIA HAMPE:

JAN. 22, 2022, IN SAN ANSELMO, CA,

& APRIL 30, IN PHOENIXVILLE, PA

By Kellie Patrick Gates

May 8, 2022

Eager to hear bluegrass artist Peter Rowan play, Larry scanned the original Sweetwater for a good seat. There sat Claudia, the friend-of-a-friend he had met two months prior outside the same Northern California venue and with whom he shared a geographical past.

"You're that gal from Wayne, Pa." said Larry in his gregarious way. They didn't know each other when they were growing up two miles apart. The puzzled look on Claudia's face told him she had no idea who he was on that 1995 night, either. He reminded her, and she invited him to sit next to her. Before the show started, they learned they not only shared the same musical taste, but are also musicians themselves.

Larry mentioned he often played with Dr. Elmo. Outside bluegrass circles, Dr. Elmo is best known for the novelty song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." But Claudia knew the gifted musician hosted parties where everyone plays music together. She would love to attend one, she told Larry.

Larry said he, Dr. Elmo, and their Wild Blue band mate, John Pierson, would soon be appearing on the Sweetwater stage and invited her to the show. "This was a test," said Larry. "If she came to see us play, I would invite her to a party, but not otherwise."

Claudia enjoyed the show and afterward, invited Larry, John, and Suzanne Shelhart - the mutual friend who had first introduced them - to her house for more music. In her living room, Larry and Claudia discovered their voices vibed and blended in remarkable harmony and their list of favorite songs matched, too.

A few days later, Larry asked if she'd like to work on some duets together. Claudia, a soprano, and Larry, a tenor, had logged a few rehearsals that were all about the music. Then one night, there was a subtle change in the beat. "It was time for Larry to go home, and I noticed he was taking his time walking toward the door. He was dawdling a little bit," said Claudia. A couple rehearsals later, "She put her arms up and gave me a big hug, and I walked out the door asking myself if this was going to be more than a music thing."

Larry invited her to another performance and gave her his wallet on the way to the stage, in case she wanted anything. It felt like a date, and Claudia liked it. "This man is such a fine person - honorable, and trustworthy, and dependable. I liked him so much." Larry had similar feelings, but debated whether doing anything about them was a good idea. "If you start something musically, and then get involved romantically, and the romance doesn't work out, the music has a tendency to go sideways," he said. Still, there were kisses.

Not long after, Claudia said she wanted to check out the Strawberry Music Festival and asked if he'd like to go with her. Larry had a bit of a panic - this is a four-day event and that's a lot of togetherness for an undefined relationship of six weeks. "I go every year," he told her. "So, um, yeah, we could go together. But what if we don't get along?" "That's ridiculous, of course we'll get along!" said Claudia, now 75. So they went. And it was wonderful.

Shortly after the festival, Larry, who is now 68, got a call from the Sweetwater owner offering him a gig. Larry asked if he could bring another musician with him. That's fine, the owner told him, but the pay remained the same. Rehearsals intensified. Their set went so well that the owner called again with another offer: How would Larry and Claudia like to open for bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley? "We had two months to come up with an act," said Larry. "We didn't even have a name."

They got together every night, learned 16 songs, and declared themselves Keystone Crossing – a reference to the way their paths almost crossed in Pennsylvania and then brought them together decades later in California. "It was my first time playing guitar on stage and we were opening for the most famous bluegrass artist alive," Claudia said.

Harmonies of life

Claudia had left Pennsylvania after graduating from Radnor High School. She earned a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Wisconsin in 1969. The following year, she drove her 1965 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia to California and decided to stick around. In addition to her musical career, she works as a Marin County real estate broker.

Larry graduated from Upper Merion High School, class of 1972, and is on the committee planning their 50th class reunion on July 9. He earned a liberal arts degree from Penn State University. On a cold winter day in 1977, a friend said he was driving to California. Larry asked if he could go with. He returned to Pennsylvania to earn a little more money, and then on his 25th birthday in 1979, moved to California for good. In addition to his musical career, Larry has for the past 28 years been the executive chauffeur for the CEO of a private corporation in San Francisco.

Claudia and Larry had both had their share of romances, but neither had ever married. It didn't take long for what they have together to feel different than what either had experienced. "I love the fact that Larry keeps thinking about the whole community of his life. He's still friends with a lot of people from high school and college, also in the bluegrass community. I love how he connects with everybody," said Claudia.

"She gives me a lot of freedom and is not possessive," Larry said. "She is appreciative of what I do. But the main thing is, she puts up with the likes of me. She is very understanding. And we have a magical connection."

They had a happy routine: Claudia has owned a little house in Mill Valley for more than 40 years. Larry has rented in Sausalito for decades. He spent most nights of the week at Claudia's, but went home Sunday night to get ready for the work week. They were committed for life without marriage, and until recently, didn't think they needed such a thing.

Larry stopped going to his apartment once COVID-19 hit. Then in September 2021, Claudia had a breast cancer scare. "It was found very early, and I'm fine!" she said. "But it brought up a lot of scary thoughts about what happens as we get older."

Some of those thoughts were related to the ability for one partner to visit the other in the hospital even during a pandemic or to make medical decisions on their behalf. Others dealt with tax law - if Claudia goes first, she wants Larry to have her little Mill Valley house at its current tax rate.

Sometimes, Larry and Claudia perform with Gary Bauman as the Keystone Canyon trio. In October, just before Claudia's surgery, the couple was having dinner with Gary and his wife, Sally. Larry and Claudia told them about their medical and tax concerns and a recent phone call with an attorney.

"What did she say?" Sally asked.

"She said, 'Just get married,' " Claudia answered.

"I'll marry you," said Gary.

"OK!" said Larry. "Great!" said Claudia. Proposal accepted.

Jan. 22, 2022

The four gathered in Gary and Sally's yard. Using his online ordination, Gary led them in a three-minute ceremony. "Claudia, are you willing to take Larry as your husband, even though he's bossy and has got very odd working hours?" he asked. "Larry, are you willing to take Claudia even though she sometimes snores while sleeping and crunches when she eats?" After 27 years together, they both enthusiastically said "I do."

April 30, 2022

The couple held what they call their Pennsylvania Celebration and Reenactment at Larry's brother Jim's Phoenixville townhouse complex. Claudia's high school friend Debbie Ward, a Universal Life Minister, led the ceremony. Instead of vows, Larry sang the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "I Love Only You" to Claudia and she sang Claire Lynch's "Sweetheart, Darlin' of Mine" to him. To each other, they sang The Everly Brothers' "Devoted to You."

The couple had early decided they didn't need rings, but Larry surprised Claudia with a silver and diamond band that was delivered by his 2 1⁄2-year-old grandniece, Cassidy, during the ceremony. She also presented Larry's late father's ring, which he used during the ceremony. Claudia now plans to give Larry a ring of his own.

Their 60 guests said toasts and made tributes. The night ended with the couple singing another duet: Earl Thomas Conley and Emmylou Harris' "We Believe in Happy Endings."

Hear the couple’s music at www.carltone.com.