In Memoriam: Larry Taylor

Larry TaylorSad news to share: Larry Taylor has passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 77 years old.

Nicknamed “The Mole,” Taylor was the founding bassist for Canned Heat and played with the band from 1967 to 1970, including spots at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. The band was known for their hits “Going Up the Country,” “Let’s Work Together,” and “On the Road Again,” all of which featured a boogie rock anchored by the bassist. He would reunite with his Canned Heat bandmates until the late Nineties.

Aside from Canned Heat, Taylor was a hardworking session bassist who worked with The Monkees (hear him on “Last Train to Clarksville” and the Monkees theme) as well as Jerry Lee Lewis, John Mayall, Tom Waits, Albert King, Buddy Guy, and more. He continued playing the rest of his life and worked with John Hammond Jr, Kim Wilson, and John Lee Hooker. Taylor was scheduled to perform with Canned Heat at Woodstock 50 before it fell apart last month.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Larry “The Mole” Taylor.

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  1. David Hedden

    Don’t forget he also did a lot with John Mayall. That is how I first heard of him.

  2. thomas romer

    The Man was a All Star !!!
    Could play with anybody Professionally.
    Part of the Team and a great team
    Look at the Names
    Canned Heat .He’s going up the Country !!!!
    The best Larry

  3. Danny Brent

    His best bass playing was on the
    Hollywood Fats album ! One of the truly great prototyplical blues records ever recorded.