My Take
Larry Carlton is one of those guitarists who shaped the sound of an entire era without most casual listeners even knowing his name — and that's actually kind of impressive. The Torrance, California kid who came up through the studios became the secret weapon behind so many iconic records: Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, countless others. His tone on that Gibson ES-335 is instantly recognizable — warm, fluid, never showy for its own sake. Three Grammy wins, including back-to-back Best Pop Instrumental Performance awards in '81 and '87, tell part of the story, but the real testament is those hundreds of sessions and over 100 gold records. As a solo artist he brought that same taste and groove to his own records. I genuinely think he's one of the most underrated names in American music history.
Overview
Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts including Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought-after guitarists of his era, Carlton has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorded on hundreds of albums in many genres including more than 100 gold records, in addition to music for television and mo…
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Larry Carlton
- Name (Japanese)
- ラリー・カールトン
- Reading
- らりー・かーるとん
- Born
- March 2, 1948 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rat
- Origin
- Torrance, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- guitarist / composer / music educator / jazz musician / singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Narbonne High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
- 1981 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
- 1987 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.