Come on down to Melt’s Tavern this Friday at 7pm to check out Blues guitar legend Larry Amos!!!

Larry Amos Biography:
Widely regarded by his peers as the ‘best blues
guitarist in the country’, Larry Amos is not only that…
Born in Gauteng on the 6th of April, 1952, from a very
young age he aspired to being a musician, and started
playing guitar at the age of 9. Performing at family
parties and school functions his sweet voice was
known to make the women cry! At 15 years he
formed a band that went on to win 3rd prize at a Battle of the Bands held at the City Hall in
Pietermaritzburg.
After school Larry went to Cape Town to pursue his love for music by working during the day
and performing as a guest artist at various nightclubs at night. After 2 years in Cape Town,
Larry came back to Johannesburg and teamed up with his brother Robbi Robb and Govinda
Davidopoulis as a trio doing parties, functions and guest spots around town.
He began his professional career after signing with an agency as a solo artist with his first gig
in the Persian Room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Durban. Touring the country from there,
included at stint as backing vocals and understudy to Riff Raff in the Rocky Horror
production in Lesotho (it was banned at the time in SA). He also performed on the TV show,
“Beat 79” doing one of his own compositions, “Mother Nature”.Baxtop was formed in
Johannesburg in 1978 with Larry Amos on guitar and vocals, Tim Parr (guitar, vocals), Fuzzy
Marcus (guitar, vocals) and Bruce Williams (drums, vocals) and was billed as ‘ the best bluesrock-
boogie band that never came out of the American South.'”Work it out” is rated as one
of the Top Ten Albums of South Africa according to Garth Chilvers.
“Baxtop” became South Africa’s top original blues-rock band, signed a recording contract
with WEA records, and had a number one hit with “JoBangles” and also won a Sarie Award.
The band also toured with Millie Jackson on her South African visit. In 1982 Baxtop
disbanded, and Larry formed the Larry Amos Blues Band…
“However, what struck me about him were his awesome abilities and that phenomenal
guitar work of his and the way he made that instrument work. Everything was so fluid and
slick. He did things that I had never seen and heard of before. Cigarette stuck in the strings
up in the neck, near the keys of his guitar, standing in the light of a solitary flood light and he
would let it crank – slowly and uncertainly at first and then, as he got into his stride …. Things
just happened. This wasn’t a Jimi Hendrix extravaganza (as seen on film). It was just one man
and his guitar and he just went places with it where I have never been or heard of before.”
— Rogan Coles – Music journalist
The Blues Band was followed by the “Naughty Boys” who released one of the last 7 singles
to be pressed in South Africa. Larry composes his own music and currently has over 60 titles
registered with SAMRO. In1994 the R.A.W. CD was released, this was a co-operative effort
with Bruce Williams (previously the drummer for Baxtop), and enjoyed moderate success
with one of the numbers, “Dance of Love” being chosen to appear on ‘Monster Hits’.
In 1991 Larry went to Ireland and joined Tim (Parr) performing at the Galway Busking
Festival, and various venues including as an opening actor two concerts of Don Baker (Bono
of U2’s favourite harp player),where the audiences went wild for his original numbers and
exciting guitar playing. Later, in 1995 Larry and Tim supported “Crosby, Stills and Nash” at
the Standard Bank Arena and were complimented by them for his outstanding song, “Let the
Sun” and performance. “Let the Sun” is featured on his CD “GOING UP” which is on sale at
gigs around the country as a compilation of various aspects of his work. He has also recently
released a demo CD “Un” which comprises mainly of ballads and shows another aspect of
this talented artist.
In 1998 Larry did the vocals on Willem Fourie’s CD released by Makhulu, “Wondering”. He
has also done guitar parts on Frank Lepo’s (Sankamoto) solo album, as well as Sinyaka’s
“Why isonda ma gents”. He has jammed locally with the likes of Johnny Fourie, Alistair
Cokley, Mike Faure, George Worthmore, Jethro Butho, Julian Laxton, Mike Slavin and
numerous others, including a surprise session with Shaun Phillips at Tandoor, Rockey Street!
Larry has done gigs at various venues, including: Frascas, Honeydew; Blues Room, Sandton;
Opiyard, Pretoria; Bohemian, Millpark; Unplugged Kitchen, Broederstroom; Killarney Mall,
Killarney; Rustlers Valley, Free State; Blue Naartjie, Orange Grove; Origin, Orange Grove;
Page 3 StudioTheatre, Magaliesberg; Carry’s, Northriding; Zeplins, Cape Town; Log Cabin,
Cape Town; Barley Corn, Cape Town; Brass Belle, Cape Town; Radium Beer Hall, Orange
Grove; Big Easy; Banbury Cross, Northgate; Caesars Palace, Jhb International; Bass Line,
Melville; Julian’s, Cresta; The Showcase, Northgate; Cliffy’s, Pietermaritzburg; Splashy Fen
2001, Underberg; Tempo’s; Catfish & Caterpillar and Bingelela – KZN; Tusk Inn- DBN;
Churchills & The Stagecoach – PMB, Rags – Gauteng…..
At the end of June 2001, he launched a SAB sponsored event “Blues in the Berg” at the
Caterpillar and Catfish, which was followed by a 3 week working holiday jamming with
Russell Taylor at Bingelela just outside Bergville. The South African Music Week took place
between 24 – 28August and he was invited to feature at various events in Durban and
Pietermaritzburg.
Larry was also involved in the vocals and guitar for the soundtrack of aSABC TV programme
first flighted on 23 October 01, done in conjunction with Louis van Rensburg.
Links:
Videos:



Profile:
http://www.rock.co.za/files/larry_amos.html