Samuel Lawrence "Larry" Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat.

While living in California, Taylor was sent by his mother back to Tennessee to join a mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps to punish him and teach him discipline as he was an "incorrigilbe" child.

[2]His first exposure to music was through brother Mel, who was a bluegrass guitarist at the time as opposed to the surf rock drummer he was known for.

He switched to bass guitar after seeing local California musician Wesley Reynolds at the Sea Witch club.

Its personnel also included Elliot Ingber, a future member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, Fraternity of Man and Captain Beefheart's The Magic Band; Bruce Johnston, half of the Bruce and Terry duo with Terry Melcher from 1962–66 and longtime "sixth" member of The Beach Boys, for a time brother Mel Taylor, and guitarist-songwriter-bandleader Derry Weaver, who would record and perform in several capacities during the early 1960s.

The Gamblers had a local hit in the Los Angeles area with "Moon Dawg" and Taylor played on the recording.

In 1970, when John Mayall moved to Los Angeles, Taylor and Mandel quit Canned Heat to join him in the Bluesbreakers.

After the Bluesbreakers tours in 1977, Taylor played briefly with the Sugarcane Harris Band (later called Pure Food and Drug Act).

In 1972, Larry joined his brother Mel's band to play on the Ventures album Rock and Roll Forever.

[6] In 2010, Taylor and Harvey "The Snake" Mandel reunited with Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra and the rest of the current Canned Heat line-up to perform certain shows.

He was featured in a concert DVD released in winter 2013, from the album Time Brings About A Change by Floyd Dixon.

This concert features three elder piano players – Dixon, Pinetop Perkins and Henry Gray — and was filmed at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix, Arizona on 1 and 2 June 2006.

Taylor played on numerous Tom Waits albums and was the bass player in his touring band.

[9] Larry Taylor died at his home in Lake Balboa, Los Angeles on 19 August 2019 at the age of 77 after a 12-year long battle with cancer.

[12] Tom Waits remembered Taylor by writing on his website: Everything that Larry was... knowing, hilarious, obstinate, short fused, direct and unflinching in his complaints and opinions... is there in the dig-into-it rhythms of his playing.