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Joel Larson (born April 29, 1947) is an Americanrockdrummer and percussionist who is known as a founding member ofThe Merry-Go-Round and for being associated withthe Turtles andthe Grass Roots.

He lived nearLincoln Park until he was 12 years old. He took up drumming at the age of 12 and moved near Avalon Park until he was 17. During these five years he honed his skills in the rock music scene of the early 1960s. He later joinedthe Grass Roots.^[1]

In 1965, Larson joined a band called the Bedouins and helped them win a Battle of the Bands inSan Mateo. In late 1965, they were asked to audition at the San Francisco Whisky A Go Go. They performed for nightclub ownerElmer Valentine andLou Adler, who was the head of the new labelDunhill Records inLos Angeles. They were selected to become the Grass Roots, a new folk rock group created by Adler and producer/songwritersP. F. Sloan andSteve Barri.^[1]

The original Grass Roots were Denny Ellis on rhythm guitar, Willie Fulton on vocals and lead guitar, Larson on drums and Dave Stensen on bass. They moved to Los Angeles, where they took part in recording sessions and played live. They were one of the first house bands for The Trip on theSunset Strip. All of the Grass Roots were under the age of 18 so their parents had to sign their contracts with Dunhill Records.

They performed as the back-up band forthe Mamas & the Papas andJohnny Rivers, appeared on the first color broadcast ofThe Ed Sullivan Show, and performed withBarry McGuire in support of his number one hit "Eve of Destruction".

The group decided it wanted to have more creative input into its songs, but Dunhill Records did not want to vary from its established formula. The group minus Larson returned to San Francisco and continued to perform until Dunhill decided to replace them. Larson was offered to continue with new group members but decided to take an opportunity to play withGene Clark ofthe Byrds.^[1]

Larson then metEmitt Rhodes and formedThe Merry-Go-Round in early 1967. The Merry-Go-Round performed at both days of theFantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival in 1967.

Larson also played withthe Turtles in the late 60s. Starting in 1970, he played withLee Michaels and helped produce his radio hit "Do You Know What I Mean".^[1]

In 1971, Larson rejoined the Grass Roots and played with them through the end of their heyday in 1975. He toured nationwide with the group in support ofTheir 16 Greatest Hits,Move Along,Alotta' Mileage andThe Grass Roots (Haven Records) albums and associated singles. He also recorded with the group in the studio when returning from the road.^[2] From 1976 on, he continued to tour in support of the group's last greatest hits album,The ABC Collection, until the early 1980s.^[1]

In thenew wave era, Larson worked as a dance night promoter in Los Angeles with live radio broadcasts. He then entered into property management and real estate investment, while continuing as a musician in Los Angeles playing with members ofthe Buckinghams andPaul Revere & the Raiders.^[1]

In 2000, he started working as a driver and transportation coordinator in the movie and TV industry. His credits includeMission: Impossible III (2006),The Bucket List (2007),Iron Man (2008),I Love You, Man (2009),Iron Man 2 (2010),Thor (2011) andThe Avengers (2012). In television, he has worked for multiple years on theChuck Lorre hit showsTwo and a Half Men,The Big Bang Theory,Mike & Molly andMom.^[3] Larson continues as a musician, playing live with other musicians in the Los Angeles area.

In 2009, Larson played and recorded with the Merry-Go-Round co-founder and solo artistEmitt Rhodes andCounting Crows co-founderMatt Malley. In 2010, he took part in the US premiere screening of the filmEmitt Rhodes – The One Man Beatles at a Rhino Records pop-up store inWestwood, California.

In 2011, former Gene Clark Group membersChip Douglas, Bill Rinehart and Larson took part in the High Moon Records label launch party at theRoxy in Los Angeles. They celebrated the release of Gene Clark's "Two Sides To Every Story" andLove's "Black Beauty".^[1]

In 2014, Larson participated with a panel of music celebrities includingHenry Diltz,Danny Hutton,Micky Dolenz andGail Zappa at theGrammy Museum in Los Angeles, discussing the new exhibitionCalifornia Dreamin', The Sounds of Laurel Canyon 1965 - 1977.^[4]

(All singles are with The Grass Roots except as noted)

(All albums are with The Grass Roots except as noted)

• Joel Larson atIMDb
• Joel-Larson.com — Official site
• The-GrassRoots.com — Official site

• American rock drummers
• Living people
• 1947 births
• Drummers from San Francisco
• The Turtles members
• 20th-century American drummers
• American male drummers

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