Larry Crane (guitarist)
American songwriter and guitarist (born 1956)
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Larry Crane (born October 8, 1956) is an American rock musician and songwriter from Seymour, Indiana. From 1976 until 1991, he appeared alongside John Mellencamp as guitarist and contributor to the arrangements and production of the Mellencamp sound (often labelled as "heartland rock.")[1]
Larry Crane | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 8, 1956 |
History
As Mellencamp's guitarist, Crane contributed to twenty Billboard charted singles, including "Ain't Even Done with the Night", "Hurts So Good", "Jack and Diane", "Hand to Hold on To", "I Need a Lover", "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Small Town", "Lonely Ol' Night", "Rumbleseat", "R.O.C.K in the U.S.A.", "Paper in Fire", "Check It Out", "Cherry Bomb", "Martha Say", "Jackie Brown", and "Pop Singer".[citation needed] Though not often recognized as a songwriter, Crane did receive a co-writer credit for "Play Guitar" on the Uh-Huh album.
After the release of Big Daddy, Crane left the Mellencamp band due to his impression that "he and his bandmates were underpaid."[2] Since leaving the band, Crane has launched a solo career. During his 30-plus year career, he has also toured and recorded with several other influential musicians, including John Prine, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash, Carl Perkins, James McMurtry, Mitch Ryder, Lou Reed and John Fogerty. He has also collaborated with producer Bob Johnston. Larry announced his retirement from music on Oct 8, 2017 on Facebook.
Discography
Solo recordings
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Eye for an Eye |
| 1994 | Larry Crane |
| 2003 | Wire & Wood |
| 2010 | Tropical Depression |
Recordings with John Mellencamp
| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Chestnut Street Incident | Lead guitar, back up vocals |
| 1977 (released in 1983) | The Kid Inside | Lead guitar, back up vocals |
| 1978 | A Biography | Guitar, background vocals |
| 1979 | John Cougar | Guitar, background vocals |
| 1980 | Nothin' Matters and What If It Did | Guitar, backing vocals |
| 1982 | American Fool | Guitar |
| 1983 | Uh-Huh | Guitar |
| 1985 | Scarecrow | Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals |
| 1987 | The Lonesome Jubilee | Guitar, mandolin, harmonica, autoharp, banjo, backing vocals |
| 1989 | Big Daddy | Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin |
Other recordings
| Year | Artist | Titles | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Mitch Ryder | Never Kick a Sleeping Dog | Vocals, guitar[3] |
| 1985 | Rosanne Cash | Rhythm & Romance | Guitar[4] |
| 1987 | Rosanne Cash | King's Record Shop | Guitar |
| 1988 | Various Artists | Folkways: A Vision Shared | Guitar[5] |
| 1989 | James McMurtry | Too Long in the Wasteland | Vocals (background), guitar[6] |
| 1991 | Various Artists | Falling from Grace | Composer, vocals, performer, producer, guitar |
| 1995 | Rosanne Cash | Retrospective | Guitar |
| 1996 | Carl Perkins | Go Cat Go | Guitar[7] |
| 1996 | Dave Sharp | Downtown America | Arrangement, guitar |
| 1997 | John Prine | Live on Tour | Vocals (background), guitar |
| 2002 | Keith Sykes | Don't Count Us Out | Additional guitar[8] |
- Time to Pay (film)
- Falling from Grace, 1992