Larry Dunn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Larry Dunn
Larry Dunn with Earth, Wind & Fire c.1977
Background information
Birth name	Lorenzo Russell Dunn
Born	(1953-06-19) June 19, 1953 (age 71)
Origin	Denver, Colorado, United States
Genres	Funk, disco, soul
Occupation(s)	Musician, producer, songwriter
Years active	1972–present
Labels	Columbia, ARC, Another Hit, 101 South
Associated acts	Earth, Wind & Fire, Twennynine, Lenny White, Ronnie Laws, Caldera, The Emotions, Ramsey Lewis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Brian Culbertson

Larry Dunn (born Lorenzo Russell Dunn on June 19, 1953) is an American musician, producer, and songwriter. He is best known as one of the original members of the famous music group Earth, Wind & Fire.

Larry Dunn has achieved many great things in music. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. He has won 7 Grammy Awards and 4 American Music Awards. He also received a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Larry Dunn helped write "Shining Star", a very popular song that is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Besides playing music, Larry Dunn has also produced songs for other artists. These include Lenny White, Caldera, and Ramsey Lewis. He has also worked with many other talented musicians like Ronnie Laws and The Emotions.

Larry Dunn's Music Career

Joining Earth, Wind & Fire

Larry Dunn, whose birth name is Lorenzo Dunn, was born in Denver, Colorado. He loved music from a young age and went to East High School there. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles. There, he joined a new band started by musician Maurice White. This band became the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire.

Larry Dunn was the keyboardist for Earth, Wind & Fire for 11 years. He played with the band until 1983. Years later, he made a special guest appearance on their 2013 album, Now, Then & Forever.

Producing Music for Other Artists

A music producer helps artists create their songs and albums. They guide the recording process to make the music sound its best. Larry Dunn has produced many successful albums for other musicians.

In 1977, he produced the album Sky Islands for the band Caldera. This album was very popular on the jazz charts. He also helped produce Tequila Mockingbird for Ramsey Lewis in the same year. This album also did very well on the jazz charts.

Larry Dunn continued to produce music for Caldera in 1978 with their album Time and Chance. He also produced Streamline for Lenny White in 1978.

He worked with Lenny White again to produce two albums for the group Twennynine. These were Best of Friends in 1979 and Twennynine with Lenny White in 1980. Both albums were popular on the R&B charts. Larry Dunn also produced Ramsey Lewis's 1980 album Routes. In 1981, he produced Tender Togetherness for Stanley Turrentine.

Later, in 1983, Larry Dunn co-produced Standing in the Light for the band Level 42. He worked with Verdine White from Earth, Wind & Fire on this project. The album was certified Gold in the UK, meaning it sold many copies.

Playing with Other Musicians

Larry Dunn has played keyboards on many albums for different artists. He often joined other musicians as a guest performer.

Some of the albums he played on include:

• The Emotions' Flowers (1976) and Rejoice (1977)
• Deniece Williams' Song Bird (1977)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater's Just Family (1977) and Bad for Me (1979)
• Ronnie Laws' Friends & Strangers (1977), Flame (1978), Every Generation (1980), Solid Ground (1981), and Mr. Nice Guy (1983)
• Lenny White's The Adventures of Astral Pirates (1978)
• Hubert Laws' Land of Passion (1979)
• Jennifer Holliday's Feel My Soul (1983)
• Morris Day's Color of Success (1985)
• Ramsey Lewis' Keys to the City (1987)
• Brian Culbertson's Bringing Back The Funk (2008) and Another Long Night Out (2014)
• Raphael Saadiq's Stone Rollin' (2010)

He also worked as an arranger on Ronnie Laws' 1995 album Brotherhood.

Discography

Larry Dunn has also released his own music. Here are some of his albums: