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 AVAILABLE NOW! Larry Vann’s book “MY JOURNEY IN MUSIC” is now available So grateful for all the kind words and 5-star ratings! As an avid reader of good, well written books, I look forward to enjoying the adventures of authors who can inspire me. "My Journey In Music" By Larry Vann, is an excellent read. Each page sends you on a “journey” of what its like to be a professional musician, and the happy and sad times they experience. I love music, especially “back in the day soul” and taking the journey with Larry was both entertaining and Inspiring. If you are searching for a great book as a Christmas gift for someone who has been touched by the miracle of music, and those like Larry who sacrificed their lives to bring it to you, this story is more than worth it. Enjoy!! – Ray Bradshaw Take a trip with Larry Vann on his exciting musical journey in the 60s in Oakland, CA., as a young Black musician in Oakland. Big performances with some major artists at that time like the girls from Inkster, Michigan, the “Marvelletes”, and on the chitlin circuit tour with the mighty Whispers ‐ this book tells it all  Get your copy here Enjoy the journey with the “Groove Merchant” Larry Vann 🎶 |
KING OF THE GROOVE – “GROOVE MERCHANT” T–SHIRTS  Front  Back Get your T–shirts now!: LARRY VANN – Producer, Songwriter, Composer, Arranger, Drummer, Percussionist, Vocalist   Hang with LARRY VANN    |
Get the groove going at your event;
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| Music Talks Featured Artist:
June 23, 2016 | Larry Vann Larry Vann | R&B Legend Larry Vann shares some highlights of his music career… I am from Oakland, CA where the Oakland Raiders Football team, Warriors Basketball team, Oakland Athletics Baseball team reside and a lot of great musicians have come out of this area: SLY STONE, LARRY GRAHAM, TOWER OF POWER, THE WHISPERS; the list goes on, and on, and on… I had the pleasure of performing with a lot of the acts that have come out of this area, such as THE WHISPERS, MARVIN HOLMES & THE UPTIGHTS, spent some time with THE NATUAL 4, worked with MERL SAUNDERS, JERRY GARCIA, toured Australia with CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE. Got my feet wet with these groups, did a lot of recording. This is a unique, exciting area for music – R&B, Funk, Jazz, some of the Jazz Greats, Pharoah Sanders, John Handy, the great Ed Kelly, the great Earl “Fatha” Hines lived here. It’s just a melting pot of great music. My interest in music started pretty early. I took music lessons when I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade, I took piano lessons but then I discovered the drums and once I discovered the drums, there was no turning back! So, I started playing drums when I was in the 4th grade. The 1st year I started, the teacher kicked me out of class! because I was coming late to class. But then I asked my parents if I could sign up the next year for drums and my mother said she would only sign the paper if I was going to stick with this, so I told her “I really want to do this”. So she signed the paper and I haven’t stopped playing drums since. I played all the way through school, elementary school, junior high school, played in the orchestra, the band, started playing in R&B Bands while in junior high school, continued on in high school, played in the jazz band, sang in the high school chorus, then after high school got into a band called THE SHADES OF SOUL which began getting recognition in the area. We were on the TEMPTATIONS REVIEW, also were the backup band for the MARVELLETTES, and CURTIS MAYFIELD AND THE IMPRESSIONS. We started playing with major groups that were happening locally, THE BALLADS, THE WHISPERS. I eventually went on my first tour with THE WHISPERS! A long legacy here in the Bay Area. I love it – there’s no place like it. A lot of great music that has come out of the area over the years, it’s a melting pot here in the Bay Area of great artists. That’s where I come from. My earliest performances started with the NAACP Talent Shows in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area where I lived. Through these shows, I was able to get my “chops” together by playing behind so many acts â there was a lot of time to prove ourselves, a lot of recognition and exposure to the up and coming Bay Area young talent. Next, we played the Oakland clubs. We were able to get our feet wet with great R&B acts such as The Whispers, The Ballads, Marvin Holmes and the Uptights. We gained a lot of ground. It was a great time to learn and be on the scene – getting our feet wet with great R&B acts, the great talent in the area. We played the big rooms in the area. One was the Continental Club in Oakland – they brought James Brown, Bobby Bland, Charles Brown; another was The Sportsman Club – one of the premier Black clubs in Oakland. Some of the artists they brought were Jerry Butler, The Impressions, and Major Lance. And history tells us that Billy Holiday also played there, but that was before my time, but still very interesting information. Another premier club in Oakland was the Showcase. Some of the artists they brought were Johnny Talbot and Johnny Hartsman. These were all premier “cats” in the area we had to gauge ourselves from and learn from. It was an important time in my musical growth. In 1966 or ’67 I went on my first tour – it was with The Whispers. We were part of a “review”. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was able to be on the “Chitlin’ Circuit” right before it ended. Many of the clubs in the circuit unfortunately closed. At that time it was an incredible circuit – you could see some of the biggest names. While out on that tour, I met: Buddy Miles in Omaha, Nebraska at the Paul B. Allen Showcase; Sam and Dave – we opened for them in Buffalo, New York at the Dellwood Dance Hall. We almost starved a week before they came because something went wrong with the booking and we were there one week before they arrived, in the dead of winter. I also met Dike of Dike and the Blazers who did “Funky Broadway” down in Phoenix where he lived. He used to always come see us all the time when I was with The Whispers. This was an incredible tour for me – a big, big journey for me in my career. I learned and grew a lot – I learned a lot about life. My work with Motown started in the late 60’s, working in the backup band for The Marvalettes. We got picked up to play in their backup band while they were in our area. Also in the late 60’s, I was a part of the Temptations Review. We didn’t back them up, just in the same review. That was really a treat - they were really hot at that time. I had the pleasure of working with Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions – their drummer spent a lot of time with me. He saw I was just a young brother, new to the scene. He was the first one to show me about rudiments, taking me aside to give me some training. I learned a lot just hanging out with him and watching him play – he was a master drummer. He came to an unfortunate end. While touring down south, driving over an icy bridge, they lost control of the car. They were also pulling a trailer. The car fell over into an icy river and everyone perished. It was a really sad, sad note for me to find out about that. I always looked forward to them coming to the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area. We would usually get together and kick it, so this was really a big loss for the music community and me. Another highlight in my career was in the ’70s, while working with Marvin Holmes and Justice. We worked with Rufus Thomas â Mr. “Do the Dog”, the father of the great Carla Thomas. Rufus Thomas taught me how to end songs. I used to just do âa feelâ, then do a lot of rolls/movements, playing off the cymbals. He stopped me at a rehearsal â he said, “drummer, don’t ever end like that. End like this…”. He then showed me how to do a flam and then roll on the cymbals, making a big swell with the ending chord. I never forgot that – he showed me how to end a song. That was an incredible highlight to perform behind Rufus Thomas. Also in the 70’s, I was back with The Whispers. I went to Europe for the first time, Geneva, Switzerland. We performed there for about a month. After that, I became a staff musician for the Soul Train Records, developed by Don Cornelius and the great Black promoter, Dick Griffey. We recorded the first Soul Train Gang LP, down on Sunset Boulevard at the RCA studio. During that time, we also did the “Midnight Special” television show. Working as a staff musician for Soul Train Records was a big moment for me. It was also great working with Don Cornelius and Dick Griffey. Really, I started out playing blues in blues and R&B clubs. I actually always looked to jazz. If it wasn’t for the area I grew up in and the guys I was around, I probably would have been a hard–core jazz musician. Jazz was really pulling me, but I’m glad I came up the way I did and was able to start out the way I did. It gave me the foundation I needed for where I’ve been headed. There’s nothing like having a strong backbeat. Don’t never go outside without a strong backbeat, drummers. I thank God for the backbeat – being able to understand it and develop it and have it as part of my arsenal. To sum up how I am, I’m a groove merchant, always searching for a groove. That’s my mission – to find the grooves, me grabbing it and locking it in. Every time I play, I want to be able to capture it. When a band locks down on a groove, it’s powerful. It can become hypnotic. It gets people dancing, excited. Once you’ve experienced that, you’re always in search of it. There’s power in it – it’s joyous. You’re giving it and the crowd is giving it back to you. It makes you want to play all night long – you just don’t want to stop. Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LARRY-VANN-60574209431/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lvann YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCXUgNg9xLK-EJuYcutrlQ |
Play drum grooves on the gig with drum apps such as Pocket Drummer App recommendations by: the “Groove Merchant”: Garage Band, Rhythm Pad, Narada Michael Walden’s “Big Bang” – these apps have “no lag time” a great and inexpensive way to get your child interested in music also a wonderful teaching tool for music instructors  : your children will have hours and hours of funplaying with the Drummmerz Tablet Drumsticks |
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Interview with Larry Vann – about how he got his “LARRY VANN POCKET”, and much more…  THE JAKE FEINBERG SHOW – THE LARRY VANN INTERVIEW |
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– A JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
~ A JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
With
Larry Vann, Drums, Vocals ~ formerly with Elvin Bishop
Paul Branin, Guitar, Vocals ~ formerly with Levon Helm
Michael Warren, Bass,Vocals ~ formerly with Merl Saunders
“All I'm gonna do is just go on and do what I feel” ~ Jimi Hendrix.
PRESENTING
The Band of Gypsys Revisted – Trailer
hear The Band of Gypsys in rehearsal
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Creator of the “OAKLAND SCRATCH GROOVE”, Recipient of The Blues Society’s West Coast Hall of Fame DRUMMER OF THE YEAR AWARD, and Larry Vann’s family connection with the Jackson 5 revealed! |
