Born in the Bronx, NY, Larry grew up in NYC and New England as a child. After a brief stint in California where Larry started the first grade, his family settled once again in NY when his father retired from the navy. He didn’t play an instrument while young, and only picked up the guitar to play with friends while in college. He played a bit in his 20's and then as family and career took over his life he pretty much gave up playing, picking up a guitar every few months only to put it away again. He spent forty years teaching, writing and publishing, editing, and consulting, loving music all the while, though still not playing very much. About ten years ago, as he was nearing retirement, he thought he’d give the guitar another go. He bought a Martin D-18, still his favorite guitar, and began playing. (He now has more guitars than he needs, he says, and adds that they all deserve better players.) Because his playing skills were limited and he never sang, he had never learned many songs all the way through. Wanting to learn finger-style, “Travis picking,” but having trouble getting the hang of it, he tried a few lessons without great success, and a teacher told him it would be easier to teach a beginner—that he would have to unlearn his self-taught, or rather, self-learned, habits.
Then, about four years ago, being semi-retired at 67, Larry thought he’d try his hand at writing songs—songs that he could play and sing, songs that he could handle, as it were. When he had a couple completed, he went to the Rhinebeck School of Music in the Hudson Valley not far from where he now lives, for guidance and to try them out on Karl Allweier, renowned guitarist and teacher. Encouraged by Karl, he then played at some open mics, and to his delight, people liked his songs, mentioning for comparison such singers and songwriters as John Prine, Greg Brown, Mary Gauthier, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, and Townes Van Zandt. (Larry’s ready to admit that Prine and Townes are conscious influences.) Further encouraged, he thought he would record some of his songs, and began working through the Rhinebeck school with John Ross of the band Wild Pink. Last year Larry finished Some of What I Heard, an album of eleven of his own songs and one cover (Across the Borderline, by Ry Cooder), recorded, mixed, and produced by John, with Larry on guitar and vocals and additional fabulous musicians on most of the tracks.
Larry is currently writing and recording new songs. Look for his second album, to be released this spring.
With his partner Mary, teacher and poet, Larry splits his time between NYC and the Hudson Valley, where he lives close to his children and grandchildren.
Some of What I Heard, soon to be released as a CD, is available on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ea8kIUjq4xy54YBXXGzXD
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Some-What-Heard-Larry-Scanlon/dp/B09FWX14Q9
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/larry-scanlon/ARnvvjlwJ2ml7bP
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/za/album/some-of-what-i-heard/1585417173
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/258108012