Larry O'Connor (see large version)

Larry O’Connor (Bass, Vocals) was born into a large Irish Catholic family of pianists in Chicago 1957, the oldest of six children. In keeping with family tradition, all of the kids were ordered to begin formal musical instruction on the piano. Showing an independent streak even then. Larry refused.  He announced to his mother, “I want a guitar and to be a Beatle, it would be so swell and I could play a thousand shows and dedicate them all to you.”   Larry ended up in his first band when he went to a new school in 1969 and met a kid named Dan O’Reilly. Since the class sat alphabetically Dan sat behind him- he always banging on his desk to some silent beat so Larry asked what he was doing. He said he was the best drummer in the 7th grade and played in a combo with real electric guitars and amplifiers. Larry replied that he was a great singer his band desperately needed.  They came up with Heavenly Heat for their first band. “We were the hottest 13 year-old band in the western suburbs of Chicago,” says Larry.  Larry met Rocko Reedy in 1970, when he showed up to band rehearsal in Larry’s parents’ garage with the biggest homemade amplifier any of the band had ever seen.  They immediately started writing original material.  The band only lasted a few months, but it was the beginning of Larry’s friendship with Rocko.

Throughout the early 70’s the group of musicians played together in different bands or together - depending on who was getting along with whom at the time.  Rocko and Mick had a hot High School Band called Mechmecan, which was the name of some exotic mind altering herb that someone had read about…  Larry’s new partner was a mathematical genius named Chuck Archer, who played guitar and could figure out the most complex Jeff Beck or Pink Floyd riffs note for note. The name of the band was “Sweet Leaf”. Sweet Leaf was featured on the 1974 album Pound release which was reviewed in England’s Fuzz Acid and Flowers.

 VVMO news & reviews: Fuzz Acid and Flowers : Revised Edition! In today!

There was a youth center adjacent to the high school called the Corral, really just a big room with a big stage in the middle of it. In the seventies, going to see live music or actually have the opportunity to play at the Corral was a big deal.  The place held about 1500 people and was run by the students. Some big name acts including Muddy Waters, Styx, Chaka Kahn and Rufus, Willie Dixon, KoKo Taylor and The Ides of March played there. Other big acts to play there were Mechmecan (Rocko’s band) and Larry band Sweet Leaf.  Some of the bands Larry was involved with in the late 70’s, were “Laughing Sam’s Dice”, “Doctor X and the all Electric Test Tube Babies” and the infamous “Raw Meat”. Larry adds, “Without the people that I played with in this period, my life would not have been the same.”  Larry would like to thank his brother Dan, Steve Ignoffo, Chuck, Dave Steve,  John and Bruce Archer, and Ma Archer-  who put up with bands practicing at her house for about ten years straight.

In the 80’s Larry played with a band called, “Ricky’s Friends” - Jeff Jura, Larry Hall, Mike Czubik.  Larry also had the pleasure of working with Dan O’Reilly, Russ Voyta, Steve Korsidas, Don Stolte, Mike Niss, Larry Hall, Tim Scruggs, Jeff Jura, Gary Krantz and the infamous JFK, Jim f*cking Keck.

By now Rocko had a few years under his belt touring with Styx but when he was in town, would get together with Larry’s band on vocals and guitar. Raw Meat found a cheap recording studio in LaGrange, Illinois, to produce the masterpiece, “Beat the Meatles”., produced by Rocko Reedy.  It was a limited release and still a valuable collector’s item in Afghanistan even today.

The 90’s brought the Blues out in the Irish O’Connor.  He played with Chicago blues legend, Joe Kelley for many years and spent some time with the one and only, Ted Alliotta and the Groove Machine. Ted Aliotta and the Groove Machine's Webpage  Ted was responsible for the regional hit, “Lake Shore Drive”. Joe Kelley of the Shadows of the Knight was the guy Larry credit with learned the most from when it came to the Blues.   (http://teardroprecords.com/kelley.htm)  Larry also played with a band called, Armadilla and its offshoot Blues Deville with singer Jeff Jura.  

Currently Larry also works with a band called 1969 (http://www.music1969.com/home.cfm) featuring former members of the Chicago band Tantrum, Pam Bradley, Sandy Caulfield and Phil Balsano and StikMen, Kevin Paul,  StikMen - Chicago Blues with a Twist.  Scott Peterson on drums and Jeff Jura on vocals.

Larry would like to thank his 1969 bandmates for their understanding and support while he works on this little project backing some band from Ireland named U2. Larry says, “I would like to thank my family, the O’Connor’s, Pilarski’s, Ruich’s, Woods, Puga’s, and my kids, John, Jill,  Melissa, my future son in law Joe,  Bobby, Shellie and Jessica. Most of all I would like to thank ROCKO for thinking of me when he was putting this together and his friendship over the last 35 years.  My wife Vivien for her understanding and love and not divorcing me until at least after the Hawaii trip. A long time ago, when I said, “I wish I could …….” my Father would cut me off and say, “If wishes were horses beggars would ride.”

I am riding Sid!