Larry Wallis (19 May 1949 – 19 September 2019) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themsel ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and producer. He was best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...

Biography and career

Early bands

In 1968, he formed a band called The Entire Sioux Nation with Terry Nolder on vocals, Tim Taylor on bass and Paul Nichols on drums (born in 1949). The band split up in late 1969.

Shagrat

Steve Peregrin Took and Mick Farren formed Shagrat with Wallis and his ex-Entire Sioux Nation bandmate Taylor in February 1970. (Previously, Took and Farren had been with Twink and girlfriend Sally "Silver Darling" Melzer in a prototype Pink Fairies lineup. Twink and Melzer left the band and in late January 1970, Twink formed Pink Fairies ''Mark 2'' with Farren's former bandmates from The Deviants who had just returned to Britain after having previously sacked Farren in Canada in late 1969, leaving Farren bandless and then found themselves stranded in North America for several months.) Very soon though, Farren left after having a falling-out with Took. Shagrat thus became Took's band outright. Took, Wallis and Taylor were joined by drummer Phil Lenoir, formerly of Black Cat Bones. This lineup recorded three tracks at Strawberry Studios in Stockport played one gig at the Phun City Festival in July 1970 before Taylor and Lenoir left. Took and Wallis carried on with drummer Dave Bidwell and in early 1971 the trio recorded four acoustic Took songs. All seven tracks were released in the early 1990s on limited edition vinyl and were later compiled together on the CD ''Lone Star'' in 2001 by Japanese label Captain Trip Records, later re-released in 2016 on

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, ...

with bonus tracks from the 1972 sessions described below.

Blodwyn Pig, Took and UFO

Wallis then joined

Blodwyn Pig Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams. Career Abrahams left Jethro Tull after their debut album, ''This Was'', was released, due to a falling-out with Tull vocalist Ian An ...

, which changed its name to ''Lancaster's Bombers'' (later shortened to ''Lancaster'') with Jack Lancaster. They were a short-lived band although they toured supporting

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

in 1971. In February 1972, Wallis joined

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...

, but left in October 1972, after a tour by Europe. Wallis did not record with the band, although a bootlegged live recording of a UFO performance featuring Wallis is known to exist, as does a black and white

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...

print of a live set on French TV show ''Rock En Stock''. Sometime during 1972 Wallis recorded sessions with Steve Peregrin Took at Took’s basement flat in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

. These very casual sessions contain appearances by Twink, Mick Wayne, Duncan Sanderson, and almost certainly

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

. Material from these sessions was released in 1995 as ''The Missing Link To Tyrannosaurus Rex'', a posthumous Took solo album on

The Pink Fairies

In November 1972, Wallis joined the Pink Fairies, substituting for Mick Wayne. The band released an album '' Kings of Oblivion'' which contained mostly Wallis-penned tracks. The band played with an extended line-up for a special gig in July 1975. Several years later, in 1982, their only live performance was released as ''

Live at the Roundhouse 1975 ''Live at the Roundhouse 1975'' is a 1982 album of a 1975 concert by the UK underground group Pink Fairies. A one-off reunion concert featuring all five previous members of the group was organised by Ted Carroll, head of Chiswick Records. At t ...

''. In 1991, it was reissued under the name ''At the Roundhouse/Previously Unreleased'', comprising the original live album, plus additional songs by Larry Wallis from 1984, and an EP by Twink from 1977.

Motörhead

While still a member of the Pink Fairies, in May 1975 Wallis joined a new band called

with

Lemmy Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...

and

Lucas Fox Lucas Fox is an English drummer who was a founding member of British rock band Motörhead and London punk rockers Warsaw Pakt. Motörhead In 1975, Fox picked up Lemmy from London Airport after he was sacked from Hawkwind. Lemmy, Fox and Pink ...

. In September 1975 Fox left the band and Motörhead recruited a new drummer, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. Wallis recorded an album with the band, '' On Parole''. It remained unreleased until 1979 when Motörhead had established some reputation for themselves. In February 1976 Wallis was joined by "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar. Later in the same month Wallis left Motörhead.

Steve Took

During 1975 and 1976, Wallis did further recording work with Took although none of these sessions have been released to date. Wallis was present, by chance, at

Pathway Studios Pathway Studios was an independent recording studio in North London. Founded in 1970, the studio became an early favorite of Stiff Records' Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera, and was the location for early recordings by The Damned, Madness, Elv ...

on 29 November 1977 when Steve Took's Horns recorded material which would eventually be released in 2004.

Stiff Records - performer and producer

Wallis remained with Pink Fairies, which continued as a trio, until July 1976 when they gained additional guitarist, Martin Stone. In September 1976 the band released a single, "Between the Lines"/"Spoiling for a Fight" on Stiff Records. Four months later in January 1977 the band split up. In the same month Wallis guested at a one-off gig with members of Thin Lizzy and Rat Scabies of The Damned. Wallis then became an in-house producer at Stiff Records. He released a solo single, "Police Car"/"On Parole" produced by

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Eddie And The Hot Rods; bassist Paul Gray, and drummer Steve Nicol. "Police Car" has been covered by

The Members The Members are a British punk band that originated in Camberley, Surrey, England. In the UK, they are best known for their single "The Sound of the Suburbs", reaching No. 12 in 1979, and in Australia, "Radio" which reached No. 5 in 1982. Ca ...

and Snips. As well as appearing on a

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

A Bunch of Stiff Records ''A Bunch of Stiff Records'', also known as ''A Bunch of Stiffs'', is a various artists album to promote some of the first acts to be signed by Stiff Records. It is subtitled ''Undertakers to the Industry – If They're Dead - We'll Sign 'Em''. ...

'', Wallis was part of an ''ad hoc'' line-up called The Takeaways which included

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always ...

, Nick Lowe and

Sean Tyla Sean Tyla (born John Michael Kenneth Tyler, 3 August 1946 – 17 May 2020) was an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, sometimes known as the "Godfather of Boogie". Best known for his work with Ducks Deluxe and Tyla Ga ...

. Wallis took part in the ''Live Stiffs Tour'' in 1977 and appears as 'Larry Wallis' Psychedelic Rowdies' on the album, '' Live Stiffs Live'', that was released later that year. Wallis also produced albums for a number of Stiff Records artists including Wreckless Eric,

The Adverts The Adverts were an English punk band who formed in 1976 and broke up in late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to enjoy chart success in the UK; their 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart. ''Th ...

and Mick Farren's EP ''Screwed Up'' (November 1977) and album ''

Vampires Stole My Lunch Money ''Vampires Stole My Lunch Money'' is a 1978 album by the UK underground artist Mick Farren. Farren had left music performance after his 1970 album ''Mona – The Carnivorous Circus'' to concentrate on journalism and writing. However, in 1976 ...

'' (August 1978). His song, " As Long As The Price is Right", first appeared on Dr. Feelgood's 1977 album, ''

Be Seeing You ''Be Seeing You'' was the fifth album by Dr. Feelgood, and was released in October 1977. After the departure of Wilko Johnson, this was Dr. Feelgood's first album with guitarist Gypie Mayo. The album reached number 55 in the UK Albums Chart i ...

''; and a live version of the track was later issued as a single in April 1979. In 1980, Wallis recorded an album for Stiff Records but it was left unreleased when Wallis refused to sign a seven album contract with the label and was consequently dropped. Individual tracks have surfaced on various compilations or were rerecorded by Wallis for subsequent projects.

Farren/MC5 collaborations and his own bands

In September 1978, Wallis became a member of another Farren project Mick Farren & The Good Guys; featuring Mick Farren (vocals), Andy Colquhoun (guitar), Willy Stallybrass (harmonica), Gary Tibbs (bass) and Alan ( Hawkwind) Powell (drums). In March 1979 Wallis joined ex- MC5 band member Wayne Kramer, Andy Colquhoun and George Butler for a series of live gigs. In February 1982 Wallis formed Larry Wallis & The Death Commandos of Love with Johnny Reverb on guitar, Big George Webley on bass and Jim Toomey on drums. This line-up was short-lived and Wallis soon began playing a regular series of gigs, mostly at Dingwalls, with a line-up completed by Duncan Sanderson, Andy Colquhoun and George Butler. This line-up began life as 'The Police Cars', playing a Christmas gig as The Police Sleighs before using a large number of aliases such as The Pearl Divers of Death, The Starry Smoothounds, The Knob Artists, The Death Commandoes of Love, The Donut Dunkers of Death (as support to The Deviants, but actually the same band with Mick Farren on vocals) before settling on the more permanent Love Pirates of Doom. This line-up lasted up until the 1987 Pink Fairies reunion, though in 1986 Sanderson was replaced by another bassist called Tony. In 1984 Wallis was once again working with Mick Farren, who resurrected The Deviants name to record a live album, ''Human Garbage'', featuring Mick Farren on vocals, Wayne Kramer and Wallis on guitars, Duncan Sanderson on bass and vocals, and George Butler on drums.

Pink Fairies resurrection

In 1987 the Pink Fairies were revived with Wallis on guitar and vocals, Andy Colquhoun on guitar, Duncan Sanderson on bass and vocals, and both Twink and Russell Hunter on drums. This resulted in the album ''

Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em ''Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em'' is a 1987 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies. This is a reformed Pink Fairies, prompted by an offer from Jake Riviera, head of Demon Records. Of the five original group members, Paul Rudolph wasn't involve ...

''. By 1988 Twink had left the band, who continued to gig sporadically, even playing European gigs in Germany and France, until Wallis too left. A final throw of the dice took place on 5 March 1989 at the Bob Calvert Memorial show in Brixton Academy under the umbrellas name 'Pink Fairies Psychedelic Revue' though in reality this comprised separate sets from Flying Colours (Sanderson, Hunter, Colquhoun) and Larry Wallis' Bandanna Club, featuring various friends such as Pete Thomas (drums) and Canvey Islands Kennedy brothers,

Dr. Feelgood links

Around 1991 Wallis worked with Lee Brilleaux and Phil Mitchell (both from Dr. Feelgood) on the ''On The Bench'' recording, with Ian Gibbons. This led to the formation of Wallis's new band, The Redbirds, featuring Wallis (guitar, vocals), Mitchell (bass) and Chris North (drums). The Redbirds released one 12 inch EP, ''Truth, Justice and a Wholesome Packed Lunch''. Wallis also wrote many songs that Dr. Feelgood later performed, such as "As Long as the Price is Right", "Punch Drunk", "Talk of the Devil", and "Can't Find the Lady", among others.

Back in business

2001 saw the first Wallis solo album to reach release stage, ''Death in the Guitarfternoon''. A comeback gig for The Fairies was planned for

The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhous ...

, Chalk Farm, London on 22 January 2007, however, this was cancelled due to Wallis having a trapped nerve in his back. It was never rescheduled.

Death

Wallis died on 19 September 2019, aged 70.

Discography

;Albums with the Pink Fairies, The Deviants and Mick Farren *Pink Fairies – '' Kings of Oblivion'' – June 1973 *Pink Fairies – ''Flashback'' – July 1975 (compilation) *Mick Farren and the Deviants – ''Screwed Up'' – November 1977 (EP produced by Wallis) *Mick Farren – ''

'' – August 1978 (produced by Wallis) *Pink Fairies – ''

'' – June 1982 *Pink Fairies – ''

Previously Unreleased ''Previously Unreleased'' is a 1984 EP by the English guitarist Larry Wallis, released under the name Pink Fairies. The EP contains "As Long as the Price is Right" which had previously been issued as a single by Dr. Feelgood (who would cover " ...

'' – 1982 *The Deviants – ''

Human Garbage ''Human Garbage'' is a 1984 live album by the UK underground artist Mick Farren and friends, released under the name The Deviants. Farren had relocated to New York but a return visit to London gave him the opportunity for this one-off performan ...

'' – 1984 *Pink Fairies – ''

'' – 1987 *Pink Fairies – ''At the Roundhouse/Previously Unreleased'' – 1991 *The Deviants – ''Fragments of Broken Probes'' – 1998 with Jack Lancaster, Andy Colquhoun *The Deviants – ''The Deviants Have Left the Planet'' – 1999, with Jack Lancaster ;Albums with the 'Live Stiffs' package *''

Stiffs Live ''Live Stiffs Live'' is a live album released in 1978 by Stiff Records. It compiles concert performances by several of the record label's artists recorded during the " Live Stiffs Tour", which ran from 3 October to 5 November 1977. Songs Among ...

'' – 1978 - Larry Wallis' Psychedelic Rowdies - "Police Car", and with

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,I Knew the Bride "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)" is a song written by Nick Lowe and first popularized by Dave Edmunds. It was released on Edmunds's 1977 album '' Get It'' and a year later in a live version by Nick Lowe's Last Chicken in the Sh ...

" and "Let's Eat" ;As a member of

*'' On Parole'' – 1979 ;Solo singles *"Police Car"/"On Parole" - 1977 *"Leather Forever"/"Seeing Double" – 1984 ;Albums with On The Beach *''Escape From Oil City'' – 1991 album shared with Canvey Island All Stars with Lee Brilleaux and Phil Mitchell ;12 inch EP as Larry Wallis and the Redbyrds *''Truth, Justice and a Wholesome Packed Lunch'' – Shagrat Records, distributed by Pyg Track, 1991 ;Albums with The Stranglers and Friends *''Live in Concert'' – 1995 ;Solo Albums *''Death in the Guitarfternoon'' - 2001 *''The Sound of Speed'' (Rare and unreleased) - 2017 ;Various Artists *''

'' – 1977 – one track by The Takeaways – "Food" *'' Hits Greatest Stiffs'' – 1979 – one track by the Pink Fairies – "Between the Lines" *''What's In the Pub in 1996'' – 1995 – one track by Wallis – "Touch and Go"

Albums produced by Larry Wallis

* Wreckless Eric – ''A Louder Silence'' – 1977 *Wreckless Eric – ''Wreckless Eric'' – 1978 (Wallis also plays guitar)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallis, Larry 1949 births 2019 deaths English rock guitarists English heavy metal guitarists English songwriters English record producers Motörhead members UFO (band) members Pink Fairies members Place of birth missing The Deviants (band) members