| JF: |
When did you first play drums? |
| LL: |
I was a teenager working in a Norfolk, Virginia nightclub that featured local bands. I
was a cook and dishwasher. I moved a lot of beer kegs and I mopped up every night. One
night the band's drummer didn't show up and I volunteered. I had never played a drum
before but I figured it beat washing beer mugs and it paid better.
|
| JF: |
When I was a kid in Norfolk I took some drum lessons from Master Chief Musician
Kennith Malone (USN) who was head of the percussion department at the U.S. Navy School of
Music at Little Creek, Virginia. When he retired from the Navy he joined Danny Davis and
the Nashville Brass and ended up doing session work in Nashville. Do you know him? |
| LL: |
Kenny is a real prince and an amazing talent. When he first came to Nashville I used
to throw a lot of work his way, especially stuff like movie and TV soundtracks. One day he
asked me why I gave him so much choice work and I told him it was because I couldn't read
the charts. Well, he started teaching me right then and within a year or so I could read
well enough to hold my own. I still can't sight-read as well as Kenny, but I can blunder
through most of the charts that come my way. I owe a lot to Kenny; he's a real fine player
and a close friend.
|
| JF: |
What was you first recording session? |
| LL: |
Believe it or not my first record contract was with Atlantic as a singer doing a very
poor Elvis impersonation.
|
| JF: |
That must be a real collector's item. |
| LL: |
I think my mother has the only surviving copy. It was dismal. It convinced me to stick
with the drums and keep my mouth shut.
|
| JF: |
How did you end up playing on all those Motown hits? |
| LL: |
The band I was in was signed to Motown. We were the token white guys on an all black
label. I used to just hang out at the studio all day and do club dates at night. In those
days Motown was a real factory and they used to run sessions in shifts around the clock.
Maybe The Supremes would be in there at 8:00 A.M. and then at Noon The Temptations would
come in and cut a track or two. At 6:00 they'd all break so the musicians could get some
dinner and by 8:00 P.M. Smokey Robinson or The Four Tops would come in and go until
midnight. At Midnight another session would start and go on until three or four in the
morning. By 8:00 A.M. it would all start again with Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder. That
place just cranked out records around the clock (Berry) Gordy never slept. It was the
ultimate sweatshop.
|
| JF: |
Did you just ask to sit-in one day? |
| LL: |
Lord no. In those days Bennie Benjamin played drums on all the Motown records. Benny
was a great soul drummer and I was nothin'. I was just a kid. I used to just watch him for
hours. One day I was in the Motown office and Berry Gordy came rushing in and grabbed me.
He said Bennie had just had a heart attack or something and the ambulance hadn't even
arrived yet. Rather than cancel the days sessions Gordy told me to get down to the studio
and play drums, that's what he paid me for. I was scared to death, I mean, here's all
these great soul artists, and I'm this white boy from Norfolk, Virginia. I mean you don't
get much whiter than that you know?
|
| JF: |
It must have been great. What was it like? |
| LL: |
It was great and terrifying - I can't even remember the first track I played on, there
were so many. It's just all a blur. We worked sixteen hours a day making five or six
records each and every day and it all just runs together in my mind.
|
| JF: |
Does anything stand out as particularly memorable? |
| LL: |
Oh sure. My first trial was to learn the Motown pick-up drum intro. If you listen to
all those records you'll hear that each one starts with a drum lick. Each studio had a
trademark drum pickup and you can actually identify the label by the first bar of the
song. Benny had that trademark fill that started virtually every Motown cut and I had to
learn it. I practiced it a lot. Over time I changed it just a little to give it my own
signature but at first I tried my best to sound just like Benny. After he died I replaced
him.
|
| JF: |
In the book, THE BIG BEAT by Max Weinberg, Bernard Purdie claims that Bennie Benjamin
was a junkie and that he (Purdie) actually played on some 500 of those Motown sessions,
only he claims that the rhythm tracks were cut in New York and shipped to Detroit where
vocals were laid on. |
| LL: |
Well, some of that may or may not be true about Bennie. Bennie was a very sick guy and
it's no secret that he had a problem with the junk. As far as Purdie's claims go I don't
want to get into a big thing about it but the guy's got some kind of a problem of his own.
I mean - his memory's not too good.
|
| JF: |
Without actually naming you he claimed that he, had to fix up go in and overdub a lot
of the Motown stuff, because it wasn't right." |
| LL: |
Yeah, I've read that interview. He also claims he played drums on the early Beatles
records too. There's no doubt that he was a great player, with King Curtis, James Brown,
Aretha ... but I was there and I can tell you he didn't do some of the stuff he claims
because I did it. Those sessions were live, vocals and all, and overdubs were unheard of
in those days. If someone goofed we just did it over.
|
| JF: |
In the Weinberg interview, Purdie seems to be hedging - he's very reluctant to name
any of the tracks he claims he doctored with The Beatles or for Motown. |
| LL: |
Well, that's because he didn't play on COME SEE ABOUT ME, or BABY LOVE or SUGAR PIE
HONEY BUNCH, or any of the others. Lots of witnesses were there, so ask them if it was a
tape from New York or a fat scared white kid named Ralph. (Laughs.) I really hate to call
someone a liar, but he called me one first. Ringo called his story rubbish and said you
don't bother disputing that shit. Those were his words...I just never bothered. There were
other drummers from time to time - Purdie may have been one of them. I don't deny that,
but 500 tracks? I have fond memories of playing double drums with Stevie Wonder on the
UPTIGHT sessions. It was a gas - he was soooo funky!
|
| JF: |
You played with Stevie again many years later didn't you? |
| LL: |
Yeah, SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED, I'M YOURS around '69 or '70. Stevie is just such a
genius. What he lacks in eyesight he makes up for with his music. He's got a great feel -
so much soul.
|
| JF: |
I heard you once say that you used to play tricks on Ronnie Milsap during recording
sessions. Was it because he's blind? |
| LL: |
Ronnie Milsap is a great guy to work for and I used to have a lot of fun at his
expense. When he would record his vocals live with the band he always did a peculiar thing
with his headphone mix. Rather than a regular click track he had this cowbell track in his
left ear really loud and he listened to the rest of the band in his right ear. I always
got a kick out of that cowbell and I found that I could lay back a little - just off the
beat -- and Ronnie would start leaning to the left where he heard that cowbell. The more
I'd lay back, the more he'd lean. If I pushed the beat a little and got a fraction ahead
of that cowbell he would lean to the right where he heard me. It was really funny man, and
we had lots of laughs watching him lean this way and that. Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles
have that leaning back and forth thing down, but I swear that if I laid back too much
Ronnie would just fall over. We must have ruined a lot of tape messing with him like that.
It was a riot but it was good-natured fun. I love Ronnie.
|
| JF: |
When you left Motown where did you go? |
| LL: |
I did a 13-week stint on Tennessee Ernie Ford's summer replacement TV shows. It's a
shock that he's gone so suddenly. I'll miss the ol' pea picker. (Note: Ford had died the
morning this portion of the interview took place, October 18, 1991.)
|
| JF: |
From there it was on to Nashville? |
| LL: |
Music City.
|
| JF: |
How did you make that transition from Motor City to Music City? |
| LL: |
It was easy. I just wanted to keep getting a payday so I just kept working.
|
| JF: |
You did a lot of television when you first got to Nashville, didn't you? |
| LL: |
I had learned the ropes on the Ford show, so I had an edge. I worked on Porter
Wagnor's TV show for a while and it was some tough work. Porter was sometimes difficult to
work with because of some of the stuff he was into in those days and he really used to
beat himself up a lot. But, he was a real star, and he was always very professional, but
we got into it more than once. He was always a fine judge of talent though - I remember
when he brought a little girl in one day and told everyone that she was gonna be real big.
When we saw her we all laughed because she was this tiny gorgeous little thing in a blonde
wig and she was already real big, if you know what I mean. The guys in the band all joked
about her thinking that Porter had found him some extra-curricular activity. But when she
started to sing we all knew Porter was right. Her name was Dolly Parton.
|
| JF: |
Tell the story about the 'orn'. |
| LL: |
I was working with Porter's band in the studio and his producer had a real country
accent. I mean a Deep South backwoods drawl. We rehearsed the track and the producer in
the booth said, "That's fine, but drummer... no orn." Well I was new and I
didn't want to look stupid so I just nodded my head. We played it down again, and he says,
"Drummer. I told you not so much orn!" I looked at the bass player and he just
shrugged, so I said Okay. I had no idea what he was saying. So, we started playing it
again and the producer stops us. "Drummer - quit it. No Orn!" I was really
flustered so I said, "No what?" He came running out of the booth and grabbed a
cymbal yelling, "No Orn, NO ORN! He was saying IRON. He called the cymbals Iron.
(Laughs.)
|
| JF: |
You also worked on the Grand Ol' Opry and on Hee-Haw?
|
| LL: |
Yeah. There wasn't much in Nashville that I haven't been into to at least some extent
it seems. In the old days they didn't allow drums on the Opry. It was a long uphill
battle.
|
| JF: |
In Nashville you've recorded with Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Pride, Hank
Snow, and Elvis to name a few. What was the most memorable? |
| LL: |
Definitely Elvis. I started recording with him and the Memphis Rhythm Section in 1968
and it was one of the biggest thrills of my life. He was just real special.
|
| JF: |
You went to Vegas with him? |
| LL: |
Yeah, those were wild times. You expected Elvis to be this God-like condescending kind
of Rock'n'roll legend...and he wasn't like that at all. He was a good 'ol country boy -
kind’a shy. Moody. Yeah, shy. He was very polite and quiet spoken most of the time.
He loved jokes and he liked to fool around on the bus and stuff like that, but he was
nothing like some of the crap that's been written about him. At least I never saw it. He
had problems but he wasn't a wild man except on stage. He was basically good, I guess. He
had a big heart, always giving gifts. He treated his friends real good. He even treated
strangers good. I remember one show we played in the mid-west somewhere Nebraska maybe -
and Elvis had spotted this old couple in the audience. They looked like farmers. The old
man wore faded overalls. They couldn't get close to him because of the crowd and he was
giving out the scarves so everyone was pushing and shoving trying to get one. Elvis had
one of his security guys escort these old folks up close to the edge of the stage, past
the photographers and the police. Elvis wadded up one of his scarves and placed it very
carefully in the old woman's hands. We all noticed because we had to vamp through the bows
several times while he was doing it. After the show he came on the bus and he was real
excited. He said he bet that couple would be surprised when they unwrapped that scarf. You
see he had slipped a diamond ring worth about ten grand into that scarf. He thought they
were poor, or maybe their farm was being foreclosed or something like that and that ring
would help them survive. What Elvis didn't understand was that, those folks will never
sell that ring no matter how bad things get. He just didn't realize what something like
that means to a fan. Those folks probably never had any idea how much money that ring was
worth, and even if they did, they wouldn't sell it at any price. Elvis loved doing stuff
like that and he loved people. I never heard him speak an unkind word. He was always
giving people gifts - Cars and furs and rings. He was very generous.
|
| JF: |
There has been a lot written about Elvis over the years. Have you ever considered
putting your experiences with him down on paper? |
| LL: |
I've had offers to write a book about Elvis, but you know, they really didn't want to
publish the stories I had to tell. They only wanted the dirt - the scandal. I never saw
him use drugs and I never saw him being mean to people. He had problems, everybody does,
but he was a sweet guy - real religious, and he was patriotic, he really loved America.
The publishers said nobody wants to read about that stuff. I just couldn't be a part of
another book trashing him, he was a real good guy and he was always nice to me. The
writers who badmouth him didn't know the real Elvis and some of the stuff they write about
him makes me mad.
|
| JF: |
In all the photos and films I've seen, you are always very close to Elvis onstage. |
| LL: |
That's funny. Elvis hated drum risers. He wanted the drums on the floor right next to
him, as close as possible. He wanted to feel the bass drum kicking him in the ass. He
roamed around stage, but at critical moments in the show - tempo changes and endings - he
was always right there close - so that I could see him give signals.
|
| JF: |
What was it like near the end? |
| LL: |
(long pause) I think everyone wanted a piece of him - and there just wasn't enough to
go around. When he died it tore me up.
|
| JF: |
What do you think of the stories that he's not really dead? |
| LL: |
Bullshit.
|
| JF: |
Long after Steve Smith replaced Aynsley Dunbar as JOURNEY's drummer you showed up on
their RAISED ON RADIO album instead of Smith. How did that come about? |
| LL: |
I just got a call from Steve Perry one day to come and play drums. I've heard some of
the stories that surrounded that album, but I think the whole thing was kind'a blown out
of proportion. The whole thing boiled down to the fact that Perry and the producer wanted
to use a click track. I never knew whether Steve Smith refused to play with a click track
because he felt it insulted him, or if he just couldn't handle it, I've heard both stories
- but that's why they called me. I laid down the drum tracks and got my paycheck and that
was the extent of my involvement. Steve Smith went out on tour with JOURNEY when the album
came out, so whatever the deal was everything worked out okay in the end. It worked out
especially good for me because Steve Perry had me play on his STREET TALK solo album and I
even got a few points on that one. Oh Sherrie was a giant hit.
|
| JF: |
You endorsed PEARL drums for many years. Everyone's seen pictures of you backing up
Elvis with that double bass drum Pearl set. Why the switch to DW? |
| LL: |
A lot of times Elvis and the drums are all you see in those pictures. The lights
always caught those white bass drumheads with the large PEARL logos. That logo has become
a familiar sight on MTV over the last decade, but in those days I think the only logo
anyone recognized was Ringo's LUDWIG's. The Japanese were very conscious of product
recognition and they always treated me as a VIP whenever I played with Elvis. They gave me
loads of drums, anything I wanted. It's just that they got too big, and they became less
receptive over the years. Maybe the Pearl thing fell apart because the drummer with The
Everly Brothers didn't carry as much weight as Elvis' drummer. When I played with Elvis I
did carry a lot more weight than I do now. (Laughs) You know what I mean? I've dropped
almost a hundred pounds and I'm on a special diet now. I had to shed some pounds - I was
killing myself. My heart couldn't stand it. The PEARL drums were all specially built for
me with customized beveling which added low end and allowed them to "sing."
|
| JF: |
Why have you switched to endorsing DRUM WORKSHOP drums in recent years? |
| LL: |
Several reasons. First, DW makes a quality product. It's made in America and so many
USA companies have folded due to the foreign competition. After endorsing PEARL for many
years I felt sort'a guilty about that - there's been a big push to buy American.
Eventually, every time I called PEARL for parts I'd get some Japanese speaking person on
the phone and it was getting to be a real hassle, I just got tired of it. Don't
misunderstand, PEARL make some quality drums but they also make some econo-models you
know? Their low-end lines are kind’a shoddy compared to the high end. I was reluctant
to continue encouraging people to buy them. I mean, some kid might think he's buying the
same kit I had, but he's not unless he's paying top dollar and had an inside line. For
almost the same money he could get top quality drums built in America. That bothered me
and I just needed a change. I had played some DW's and they were really fine instruments.
The company approached me about possibly representing them so when my contract with PEARL
was up I switched. DW is a great organization and I've had a lot of input with them.
Working in conjunction with DW and the EVANS people, Pete Erskine and myself designed the
Genera EQ Studio Bass Drum head system. They are sold in matched sets and feature a
patented grillwork design on the front head instead of a round hole for close miking. It's
the best bass drum sound I ever heard. Working with Drum Workshop and EVANS has been
great. Both companies are totally dedicated to product research and development and
produce only quality lines. It's the same with SABIAN cymbals, they are top quality and
they manufacture them in North America (Canada). I also endorse PureCussion RIMS and ddrum
products. I'm not a chauvinist patriot, I use some foreign equipment, mostly electronics
like the YAMAHA SP12, and the AKAI sequencer but if all the American drum firms go belly
up, musicians will be at the mercy of imports and I don't think that's right. DW supports
me every step of the way. I travel with my trap case, gig bag; my Sabians and my
electronics and DW makes sure the local music store delivers a DW set to ever gig.
They’ve never let me down.
|
| JF: |
What do you think about all the technological advances in drum machines and computers? |
| LL: |
I love it. I have an ATARI computer with the Creator Program that runs my sequencers
and records what I play. My son does most of the actual programming - I just know how to
turn it on. It's really amazing stuff. I really like the control that sampling gives you
in defining the sound. It saves so much time and trouble. On sessions I can play a chart
once and lock it into the computer then I just play it back during the rehearsals and it
keeps me fresh for the actual take. Lately I've been into sampling and Phil Collins just
sent me some great ones that I want to use on my album.
|
| JF: |
You've played on more hit records than any other drummer. |
| LL: |
(Grins) If you say so. I think maybe it's Hal Blaine.
|
| JF: |
Or Benard Purdie? |
| LL: |
No (Laughs.)
|
| JF: |
What do you have planned for the future? |
| LL: |
I'm working on the solo album and I'm launching a Video Production Company. I've been
working with one of my heros, Joe Morello, and if everything works out I hope to do a
video and a clinic tour with him after the MARLBORO MUSIC FESTIVAL "GUITAR
MASTERS" concerts with Chet wind up and Joe gets some contractual things hashed out.
I've also got some things on the books with Merle Haggard and Chet has asked me to play
with him at the Presidential Command Performance next spring. |
In
October of 1991 I got a phone call from my pal Larrie Londin, The Greatest Drummer In The
World. I know that is a rather provocative assessment of a drummer whose name goes
unrecognized more often than not, but I'm not the only one who holds that belief.
"Larrie Londin is the greatest drummer in the world, at least, that's my opinion, and
it should be yours too," said Chet Atkins as he introduced Larrie during the GUITAR
MASTERS tour in 1991. Chet is a legendary performing artist, writer, producer, and
certainly one of the most influential recording executives in the history of recorded
music. His guitar playing is known the world over and he crosses over into every style of
music. His distinction as "CGP," which stands for Certified Guitar Player, is
his passport. Chet performs with symphony orchestras, he makes Grammy winning albums with
legends of Country as well as Rock music and he's a regular at the Grand ol' Opry. He's a
Vice-President at RCA responsible for launching hundreds of careers. He's got over 50
years of experience in the business of music and I could go on about his remarkable
successes, but the bottom line is that he chose Larrie Londin for his GUITAR MASTERS
concert series which showcased the talents of some of the most talented and versatile
musicians in the world. Whenever Chet plays or says that Larrie was the greatest drummer
in the world, lots of people listen.
I
first met Larrie Londin when he came to Virginia Beach for a Guitar Masters Concert in
September, 1991, and I spent as much time as I could with him, from picking him up at the
Norfolk International Airport, trap case in tow and helping him assemble his drum
kit, to taking him to some local nightspots after the show. I was hoping that some of his
experiences would rub off on me and I urged him to relate stories about his amazing career
that spanned four decades and scores of hit records with some of the world's biggest
stars.
The
day he called me from Nashville to invite me to Philadelphia. I made excuses; my job, my
dog, the six hour drive, my own band's commitments, my perpetual lack of funds, but I
arrived in Philly Wednesday afternoon, October 17, 1991, despite my excuses. In my heart
I'm a journalist and a musician and this was a chance to spend two more days with one of
Elvis Presley’s drummers. I could not resist. You see Larrie had become my friend. We
hung out together at the hotel, backstage and on the streets of Philadelphia. I dogged him
unmercifully and he answered every question I could think to ask, holding nothing back. I
had an idea to help him co-write a book about his extraordinary life and call it, IN
THE COURT OF THE KING, referring to the 9 years he spent recording and often
touring with Elvis, replacing Ronnie Tutt. But the recordings and tours with Elvis were
only a small part of Larrie's legacy. If not the best known, Larrie is one of the most
listened to drummers in the world. He played on more hit records during his career than
any other drummer with the possible exception of the legendary session drummer Hal Blaine,
and his work covers the complete musical spectrum.
A
native of Norfolk, Virginia, Ralph Gallant (Larrie Londin is his stage name) grew up in
Florida, returning to Norfolk in the 50's and cutting his musical teeth on local groups
like Gene Vincent and the Bluecaps. His Mom was one of the first roller-skating waitresses
at DOUMAR'S, a prototype of what would become a national craze of drive-in hamburger
restaurants. Larrie's early environment was saturated in Rock'n'roll music and it rubbed
off on him.
