[Dixielandjazz] Who is that masked man?

[Bryan Livett]

Hey Larry....yer a BUSY BEE @ 65!

Bryan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing" <sign.guy at charter.net>
To: "DIXIELAND JAZZ POST" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 6:57 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Who is that masked man?


I didn't mean to be secretive.  My name is Larry Walton and I am 65. I live 
in St. Louis.   I play all the saxes and until I had an accident last year 
that caused some nerve damage I played all the clarinets, guitar and Banjo. 
I now play soprano sax.  I belong to Local 2-197 AFM.  I will play with or 
for anyone who has money and I try to hire the best in town for my gigs. 
Dixieland is my fun and passion.  I read and improvise and know a lot of 
tunes.  I do my own Dixie arrangements although I wish I was better at it.

I have been a professional musician since I was 15. I got married at age 18, 
I got a 4 year everything paid music scholarship to SEMO University and I 
earned a BS in music ed.  My major instrument was the Oboe.  I served 42 
(trying out at age 17) years in the 571st MOANG band. They featured Concert 
Band, Big Band and Jazz protocol combo. Near the end of my career they tried 
a Dixie band.   I played all the saxes, oboe, clarinet and bass clarinet and 
for a short time banjo.  I have played in about 20 states including Alaska 
and Hawaii and at ground zero in the Pentagon and in Ecuador as well as 
tours with the AF band stationed at Scott AFB.  I retired as a Sr. Master 
Sgt.  I have played with the Jimmy Dorsey band on the Mississippi Queen and 
with the Jan Garber band on the American Queen as well as other big bands 
when they come through town.  I play lead tenor in several big bands here 
and second tenor with the Gary Dammer Big Band which is the best one.  I 
play regularly with the Michael Brooks band ( Route 66 ) that is a six piece 
group with three singers.  He also has a big band that I play Bari or 
sometimes tenor in. His Dixie group is called "Ain't Just Whistle'n Dixie". 
I have several groups depending on the gig.  Razzamatazz - a big Dixieland 
(or at least as big as they will pay for)  Doo Wah Ditty City is a 50's 
group and Larry Walton and friends are a computer backed duo/trio. My band 
plays fairly often for one of the local country clubs. During the day we 
play for several Sr. Citizen homes.  I work them usually with a trumpet 
player and my computer.  I have a library of about 600 tunes in my computer. 
It pays really well considering it's only an hour gig.  My friends and I 
don't really like the computer as well as live musicians but it is a gig 
that pays well.  The computer lets me, as a sax player, do singles and duos. 
It's an area that I was never able to exploit before and the tips are great. 
Computers are getting better and the music programs are improving on a daily 
basis almost.

I taught instrumental music at Missouri School for the Blind.  My most 
notable students are Tony Simmons and Joe McBride who pops up on the Jazz 
stations here from time to time and has a bunch of CD's out.  I now teach 
band (1 of three directors) at Lutheran High School North in St. Louis part 
time.  I also play with a community band and the Scottish Rite Brass.  The 
SRBrass plays  a lot of Dixie too.

I started a sign business about 12 years ago.  I produce most of the artwork 
and films for 18 wheel truck mudflaps (several thousand truck lines) in the 
country (some South America too) as well as supermarket parking lot signs 
for many of the Majors - Kmart, Walmart, Home Depot, Acme.  My work is 
printed by others.  The mud flaps are printed in Canada and I subcontract 
the parking lot signs through a major supplier of shopping carts.

By the way Michael Brooks  owns EMBEE ideas that makes most of the poly 
music stands sold.  Maybe even to some of you.  Look him up in the musicians 
union magazine where he advertises as well as several other publications. 
If you want to see what I look like and hear his band Go to his web site 
www.michaelbrooks.com  I'm the short guy with the Silver 1923 Buescher 
tenor. those are some of his stands.  He does a great job with the artwork 
and sells them to all the majors and a lot of schools.

And I wear size 9 1/2 shoes.

You all now know more than you wanted to know about me and I know nothing 
about any of you.

Larry
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