Larry Taylor

For other people named Larry Taylor, see Larry Taylor (disambiguation).

Larry Taylor
Taylor performig with John Mayall and Sugarcane Harris, 1971, Hamburg
Background information
Birth name	Samuel Taylor
Also known as	The Mole
Born	June 26, 1942 (1942-06-26) New York, New York United States
Genres	Rock and roll, Blues rock, Blues
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Bass, Guitar
Years active	1965 - present
Associated acts	Canned Heat, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, The Monkees, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Waits
Notable instruments
Fender Precision Bass

Larry Taylor (born Samuel Taylor, June 26, 1942, New York, New York) is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis. He is the younger brother of Mel Taylor, long-time drummer for The Ventures.

Taylor played with Canned Heat from 1967 to 1970, and appeared with them at various festivals including the Monterey International Pop Festival and Woodstock. His band nickname was "The Mole." In addition to playing bass, he also played lead guitar on occasion. An example can be heard on the track "Down In the Gutter, But Free," on the album Hallelujah. In 1969, due to a dispute with Taylor, Henry Vestine left the band. Guitarist Harvey Mandel filled the void as the band's lead guitarist. In 1970, when John Mayall moved to Los Angeles, Taylor and Mandel quit Canned Heat to join him in the Bluesbreakers. After the Bluesbreakers tours, Taylor played briefly with the Sugarcane Harris Band (later called Pure Food and Drug Act).

In 1974, Taylor became part of The Hollywood Fats Band led by Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann. The two of them joined Canned Heat for a King Biscuit Flower Hour concert in 1979. Taylor recorded Reheated in 1988, again with Canned Heat. He toured and recorded with his former band a few more times until 1999. In 2007, Taylor and Harvey Mandel reunited with Fito de la Parra and the rest of the current Canned Heat line-up to perform certain shows. Taylor, Mandel, and Fito were all in the line-up that played Woodstock.

Recently, Larry Taylor has become a leading exponent and practitioner of the acoustic upright bass in the contemporary blues scene. He is quite prominently seen with his upright bass in the live blues film, Lightning in a Bottle.

Taylor has played on numerous Tom Waits albums and is the bass player in his touring band.