Larry Dunn

Larry Dunn (born Lorenzo Russell Dunn; June 19, 1953) is an American keyboardist, producer and musical director. He was one of the early members of the music group Earth, Wind & Fire. Dunn was later inducted, as a former band member, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Within which he's also been bestowed with ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, 7 Grammy Awards, 4 American Music Awards and a Grammy Lifetime  Achievement Award. Dunn is a co-composer of EWF's "Shining Star", a song that's been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Dunn has also worked with other prominent artists such as Ronnie Laws, Raphael Saadiq, Ramsey Lewis, Level 42, The Emotions, Lenny White, Brian Culbertson and Stanley Turrentine.

Career

Earth, Wind & Fire
Born as Lorenzo Dunn to an Italian mother and African American father, he early on became fond of music and later attended East High School in Denver, Colorado. During 1972, while in Los Angeles, Dunn joined a new band led and founded by a Chicago musician known as Maurice White by the name of Earth, Wind & Fire. As a keyboardist Dunn played with the legendary band for the next 11 years until his departure in 1983.

Dunn went on to make a guest appearance on EWF's 2013 album Now, Then & Forever.

Production 
Dunn produced Caldera on their 1977 album Sky Islands. Sky Islands rose to No. 18 on the Cashbox Top Jazz Albums chart. He then co-produced Ramsey Lewis' 1977 studio LP Tequila Mockingbird. Tequila Mockingbird peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. Dunn then produced Lenny White on his 1978 album Streamline. Streamline reached No. 27 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

Along with White he co-produced  Twennynine's 1979 LP Best of Friends. That album reached number 15 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. Together with Lenny White he again co-produced the group's 1980 album entitled Twennynine with Lenny White. That LP reached No. 22 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. Dunn went on to produce Ramsey Lewis on his 1980 album Routes. Routes reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. He later produced Stanley Turrentine's 1981 LP Tender Togetherness. That album got to No. 13 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. He then co-produced Level 42's 1983 album Standing in the Light. Standing in the Light was certified Gold in the UK by the BPI.

Guest appearances
Dunn performed as a keyboardist on The Emotions' 1976 album Flowers, Deniece Williams' 1977 album Song Bird, Dee Dee Bridgewater's 1977 LP Just Family and Ronnie Laws' 1977 album Friends & Strangers. He also performed on the Emotions' 1977 album Rejoice, the Pockets's 1978 LP Take It On Up, Caldera's 1978 album Time and Chance, and Lenny White's 1978 album The Adventures of Astral Pirates. Dunn went on to play the keyboards on Ronnie Laws 1978 LP Flame, Hubert Laws 1979 LP Land of Passion and Dee Dee Bridgewater's 1979 album Bad for Me.

He then played on Ronnie Laws' 1980 LP Every Generation 
and his 1981 album Solid Ground. Dunn then performed on Ronnie Laws' 1983 album Mr. Nice Guy and Jennifer Holliday's 1983 LP Feel My Soul.

Dunn later featured on Morris Day's 1985 album Color of Success and Ronnie Laws 1986 LP Mirror Town. He then appeared on Ramsey Lewis 1987 album Keys to the City and Ronnie Laws' 1989 LP True Spirit.

He later composed on Ronnie Laws' 1991 album Identity and his 1992 LP Deep Soul. Dunn also worked as an arranger on Laws' 1995 album Brotherhood. He then played on Dean James 1997 LP Intimacy and Reel Tight's 1999 album Back to the Real. Dunn also appeared on Ronnie Laws' 2000 LP Dream a Little and his 2004 album Everlasting.

Dunn later performed on Brian Culbertson's 2008 album Bringing Back The Funk, Raphael Saadiq's 2010 LP Stone Rollin' and Culbertson's 2014 album Another Long Night Out.

Discography

References

External links
Official Website

Larry Dunn at IMDb.
Interview with Larry Dunn NAMM Oral History Library (2013)

American male organists
African-American pianists
American session musicians
Grammy Award winners
Living people
1953 births
Musicians from Denver
Earth, Wind & Fire members
21st-century organists
21st-century American keyboardists
20th-century American keyboardists
American organists