Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Larry Taylor is a strong vocalist who is at home covering Johnnie Taylor's "Jody Got Your Girl and gone" as he is reviving Howlin' Wolf...Taylor's originals, "Blues, Hard Luck & Trouble" and "Green Line Blues" (inspired by Chicago's mass transit) are solid songs and like the rest of the album, nicely played...He sings with plenty of soul which is matched by his backing band. This is well worth checking out and giving a listen to. - DC Blues Society News 5/2004
Besides his great vocals, Larry propelled the band with a crisp percussive edge. This kind of drumming is rare in today's blues world. The best of the best. - Berlin, Germany
Like so many younger blues artists, Chicagoan Larry Taylor grew up immersed in the music. The stepson of the late Eddie Taylor Sr., Jimmy Reed's guitarist during his most productive years, Larry took up drums as a youth. He recently moved out from behind the kit to display his vocal chops, which lend themselves perfectly to the soul-blues material on this debut CD.
Co-produced by Taylor, keyboardist Barrelhouse Bonni, and Steve Wagner of Delmark Records, "They Were in This House" is one of the best-sounding blues albums of the year. And the material is well-chosen, particularly "Jody Got Your Girl and Gone", a funked-up military cadence, and "Last $2" both by Johnnie Taylor (no relation). Taylor covers Howlin' Wolf as well, and his no-nonselse original tunes sound like they, too, could be taken from the Wolf's songbook. - Jeff Johnson, Showcase
Taylor's own "Blues, Hard Luck & Trouble" has a Wolfish lope that showcases his rhythmic sense and quivering down-home vibrato...While many soul and blues singers today smooth the edges off their songs, Taylor revels in the aggression and unbridled sensuality that infuses classic R&B and soul. - David Whiteis, reviewer
It's refreshing to see a new chicago band that neither approaches bluesvia a funk/modern R&B sensibility, nor is consciously retro. - Scott Barretta, editor
Taylor's vocals are confident, soulful and intense; he could front any band on his microphone presence alone. "They Were in This House" is Chicago's real House of Blues. - Tom Hyslop, reviewer
This fine record gives us 112 exclusive excursions into the world of authentic early Chicago blues with a dash of soul and mighty Mississippi attitude. Just when you think the last of this breed may have left us or is nearing retirement, a fella like Larry comes along to give us all a priceless gift. It's a sound that predates the rock'n'roll by about a decade... Expect really great songs, fine arrangements, some tasty horns, genuine West Side Chicago electric guitar licks, and perfect vocal executions. "They Were in This House" has a spirit and personality that are 100% for real. - George Seedorff, reviewer
We have all heard copycat bands throughout the UK attempting Chicago blues--this is what it is meant to sound like. It's a sound your soul can't shake--and why the hell should it? - Billy Hutchinson
CHicago. West Side. Blues. LarryTaylor knows how to lay it down...A great singer with great attitude...A ton of good performances on this disc...Check him out on the original composition "Tell Me Baby" parts one and two, (on his CDBaby website)... He moans and groans in sync with the guitar. It's a wonderful little exchange that just rides the amazing groove and keeps on going. - Bill Fountain, reviewer
Don't miss it! Highly recommended. - Jean Luc Vabres, reviewer
Discography
Larry has played drums on records by his brother Eddie Taylor Jr., his uncles Eddie and Jimmy Burns. His first CD as a band leader, They were in This House, was released on his own AndriannaVannah label in May 2004; it's available from CDBaby and from North Country distributors. Larry is also highlighted on Wolf Records "Chicago Best of West and South Side Singers Vol. 2"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Larry Taylor has something rare in tough, windy Chicago these days: soul. In a town bursting with guitar players of every hue, battling over who is the fastest and loudest, Larry is a drummer turned vocalist who digs deep, unrelenting grooves and sings real, traditional blues and soul songs from the guy. Larry's songs reverberate with the good times and the hard times he has known in his 49 years.
Larry's stepfather, the late Eddie Taylor Sr., is known for the insistent boogie-woogie style guitar licks that made Jimmy Reed's sound famous. As Larry picked up drumsticks in his five year old hands, he had the guidance of drummers like Fred Below, Earl Phillips, SP Leary, and others who played with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. In fact, these blues giants were frequent visitors to the house where Larry grew up on Mozart street on the West Side of Chicago; his mother Vera cooked platefuls of steaming greens for the Wolf himself. Over the years, Larry played with just about every big name in blues, and a variety of r&b , soul and jazz artists too. Today, his soulful vocals and precision on the bandstand pack a wallop with audiences at Chicago's House of Blues and Buddy Guy's Legends. His CD "They Were in This House " has received rave reviews and airplay worldwide. His cover of Johnnie Taylor's hit "Jody" was on the top 10 of SouthSide Chicago radio WSSD in 2004, as listed in the Chicago Defender. The record was on the ballot for a Grammy in 2005, and Larry sang in the Chicago Blues Fest tribute to the Taylor family . His tunes are being played by his West Side Chcago neighbors who know the real deal when they hear it! He has fans of all ages and ethnic groups and his band rocks the house!
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