Joel Larson

Not to be confused with Joel Larsson.

Joel Larson
Born	(1947-04-29) April 29, 1947 San Francisco, California, USA
Genres	Folk, rock, pop
Instrument(s)	Drums, percussion
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Dunhill, ABC, Columbia, A&M, Haven
Website	Joel-Larson.com

Joel Larson (born April 29, 1947) is an American rock drummer and percussionist who is known as a founding member of The Merry-Go-Round and for being associated with the Turtles and the Grass Roots.

Early life

He lived near Lincoln Park until he was 12 years old. He took up drumming at the age of 12 and moved near Avalon Park until he was 17. During these five years he honed his skills in the rock music scene of the early 1960s. He later joined the Grass Roots.

The Bedouins

In 1965, Larson joined a band called the Bedouins and helped them win a Battle of the Bands in San Mateo. In late 1965, they were asked to audition at the San Francisco Whisky A Go Go. They performed for nightclub owner Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, who was the head of the new label Dunhill Records in Los Angeles. They were selected to become the Grass Roots, a new folk rock group created by Adler and producer/songwriters P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.

The Grass Roots

The original Grass Roots were Denny Ellis on rhythm guitar, Willie Fulton on vocals and lead guitar, Larson on drums and Dave Stensen on bass. They moved to Los Angeles, where they took part in recording sessions and played live. They were one of the first house bands for The Trip on the Sunset Strip. All of the Grass Roots were under the age of 18 so their parents had to sign their contracts with Dunhill Records.

They performed as the back-up band for the Mamas & the Papas and Johnny Rivers, appeared on the first color broadcast of The Ed Sullivan Show, and performed with Barry McGuire in support of his number one hit "Eve of Destruction".

The group decided it wanted to have more creative input into its songs, but Dunhill Records did not want to vary from its established formula. The group minus Larson returned to San Francisco and continued to perform until Dunhill decided to replace them. Larson was offered to continue with new group members but decided to take an opportunity to play with Gene Clark of the Byrds.

The Merry-Go-Round and others

Larson then met Emitt Rhodes and formed The Merry-Go-Round in early 1967. The Merry-Go-Round performed at both days of the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival in 1967.

Larson also played with the Turtles in the late 60s. Starting in 1970, he played with Lee Michaels and helped produce his radio hit "Do You Know What I Mean".

Rejoining the Grass Roots

In 1971, Larson rejoined the Grass Roots and played with them through the end of their heyday in 1975. He toured nationwide with the group in support of Their 16 Greatest Hits, Move Along, Alotta' Mileage and The Grass Roots (Haven Records) albums and associated singles. He also recorded with the group in the studio when returning from the road. From 1976 on, he continued to tour in support of the group's last greatest hits album, The ABC Collection, until the early 1980s.

Later work

In the new wave era, Larson worked as a dance night promoter in Los Angeles with live radio broadcasts. He then entered into property management and real estate investment, while continuing as a musician in Los Angeles playing with members of the Buckinghams and Paul Revere & the Raiders.

In 2000, he started working as a driver and transportation coordinator in the movie and TV industry. His credits include Mission: Impossible III (2006), The Bucket List (2007), Iron Man (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012). In television, he has worked for multiple years on the Chuck Lorre hit shows Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly and Mom. Larson continues as a musician, playing live with other musicians in the Los Angeles area.

Revisiting classic music groups

In 2009, Larson played and recorded with the Merry-Go-Round co-founder and solo artist Emitt Rhodes and Counting Crows co-founder Matt Malley. In 2010, he took part in the US premiere screening of the film Emitt Rhodes – The One Man Beatles at a Rhino Records pop-up store in Westwood, California.

In 2011, former Gene Clark Group members Chip Douglas, Bill Rinehart and Larson took part in the High Moon Records label launch party at the Roxy in Los Angeles. They celebrated the release of Gene Clark's "Two Sides To Every Story" and Love's "Black Beauty".

In 2014, Larson participated with a panel of music celebrities including Henry Diltz, Danny Hutton, Micky Dolenz and Gail Zappa at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, discussing the new exhibition California Dreamin', The Sounds of Laurel Canyon 1965 - 1977.

Discography

Singles

(All singles are with The Grass Roots except as noted)

Release date	Title	Flip side	Record label	Chart positions
				US Billboard	US Cashbox	UK
1966	Mr. Jones (Ballad Of A Thin Man)	You're A Lonely Girl	Dunhill	121
	Where Were You When I Needed You	These Are Bad Times	Dunhill	28	33
	Only When You're Lonely	This Is What I Was Made For	Dunhill	96	77
1967	Tip Of My Tongue	Look Out Girl	Dunhill
	Live	Time Will Show the Wiser	A&M - The Merry-Go-Round	63
	You’re A Very Lovely Woman	Where Have You Been All My Life	A&M - The Merry-Go-Round	94
	She Laughed Loud	Had To Run Around	A&M - The Merry-Go-Round
1968	Listen Listen	Gonna Leave You Alone	A&M - The Merry-Go-Round
	'Til The Day After	Highway	A&M - The Merry-Go-Round
1970	Uummmm My Lady	What Now America	A&M - Lee Michaels
1971	Do You Know What I Mean	Keep The Circle Turning	A&M - Lee Michaels	6
	Can I Get a Witness	You Are What You Do	A&M - Lee Michaels	39
1972	Glory Bound	Only One	Dunhill	34	22
	Runway, The	Move Along	Dunhill	39	29
	Anyway The Wind Blows	Monday Love	Dunhill	107
1973	Love Is What You Make It	Someone To Love	Dunhill	55
	Where There's Smoke There's Fire	Look But Don't Touch	Dunhill
	We Can't Dance To Your Music	Look But Don't Touch	Dunhill
	Stealin' Love (In The Night)	We Almost Made It Together	Dunhill
1975	Mamacita	The Last Time Around	Haven	71
	Naked Man	Nothing Good Comes Easy	Haven
1976	Out In the Open	Optical Illusion	Haven

Albums

(All albums are with The Grass Roots except as noted)

Release date	Title	Record label	Chart positions
			US Billboard	US Cashbox	UK
1966	Where Were You When I Needed You	Dunhill
1967	Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers	Columbia
	The Merry-Go-Round	A&M	190
1970	Lee Michaels - Barrel	A&M	51
1971	Lee Michaels - 5th	A&M	16
	Emitt Rhodes - The American Dream	A&M	194
1972	Move Along	Dunhill	86
1973	Alotta' Mileage	Dunhill	222
1975	Self Titled	Haven
1976	The ABC Collection	ABC

External links

• Joel Larson at IMDb
• Joel-Larson.com — Official site
• The-GrassRoots.com — Official site