Larry van Loon

Greetings and welcome!

I'm a keyboard player with a specialty in Hammond B3 styles. I live in a wee dell at the foot of Gleng'ry Hill in Nashville where I raise turkeys, occasionally displaying them here on MySpace.....

The rest of the time I spend in the studios, on stage, or on the bus. I have a blues/RnB/gospel/soul background, which I morph into pop, country, RnR, funk, folk, and jazz. I've played this city's more notable venues, from the Grand Ol' Opry and the CMA Festival, to BB King's, Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie, and the Jefferson Street Festival. I have production, songwriting, tracking, singing, arranging and performance experience with a variety of artists. Nuendo, Digital Performer, ProTools and Reason are my DAW's of choice so far...

I love it all. I've had the privilege of performing and/or recording with T. Graham Brown, Steve Cropper, Charles "Wigg" Walker, Bonnie Bramlett, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Son Seals, Nils Lofgren, Al Green, Lee Oskar, Michael Peterson, Oleta Adams, Johnny Neel, Jo-El Sonnier, Kelley Hunt, the Rev. Jimmie Bratcher, and Bo Diddley, as well as performing with the excellent house band at the historic Starlite Dine and Dance Club.

"Come sit for a while on my favorite divan" is the feel Larry lends to a live performance. The Hammond B-3 is the punch that he serves.

---Music City Bluesletter, Nashville, May '03

Influences:

Johnny "Guitar" Watson, thank you. Blues Brother Matt "Guitar" Murphy, certainly Kent "Vito" Raine, the Rev. James Cleveland, Mike Finnigan, Donny Hathaway, Billy Preston, T-Bone, Sista Aretha, Gladys, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Jimmy McGriff, Chester Thompson & Tower of Power, Ray Charles, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Bill Payne & Little Feat, Little Milton, Oleta Adams, Tom Waits, Riley "B.B." King, Freddy King and of course the steatopygous not to mention straightup boo-yaa, fo' shizzle, bootypoppin' Miss Francis from "Ding Dong School". True, she may have looked alot like Aunt Bea from Mayberry, but Lawdy, she could ring a bell just like playin' the guitar.

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I'm totally digging playing the blues with sista Shaun Murphy these days. For the past fifteen years, Shaun's been a front singer with one of my all-time favorite R&R bands, Little Feat. Woohoo! She's also toured and recorded with such luminaries as Eric Clapton, Bob Segar, Bruce Hornsby, Joe Walsh, Herbie Hancock etc etc. For real, an extraordinary singer. Brand new album out, and charting the top positions in the blues/roots category.

"Shaun's one my favorite singers and she's out in full, soulful force on this one!"

---Bonnie Raitt

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