“If you don’t work, you can’t eat”-James Brown

And the people who have keeping the funk alive have been doing just that.  Working tirelessly in bars, dance halls, and venues all around the country to make a living. This new series is about documenting and paying tribute to those who have pioneered it and are keeping it alive. These are The Figures of Funk.

By Jesse Davidson

On our first interview, we talked with GVR Records and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly bassist, Larry Kimpel.

Here’s a short bio:

Larry Kimpel is the Founder of GVR Records and its President/CEO. His songwriting, arranging, and production skills have proven invaluable to the label from a creative output standpoint. Larry started his musical career on piano at the tender age of five years old and from there he turned to the bass guitar as his weapon of choice. He has worked with countless Major artists such as Frankie Beverly & Maze, Anita Baker, Boney James, Rachelle Ferrelle, Alanis Morisette, George Duke and Steve Perry of Journey fame just name a few. (taken from GVR Records)

JD: Can you give us some info about getting your start in the industry?

LK: If you want to go all the way back to the very beginning, my first professional job, if you will, was with my high school band director’s big band. Which was quite a learning experience early on. He recognized that I had talent and he wanted to cultivate that. The band consisted of all his friends who were all doctors, lawyers, etc. My director’s name was George Hunter and they were called George Hunter and the Moonlighters because of their jobs during the day. That one was the first. It really was a learning experience, not only in music but also about how to carry myself as a man.

The next was my introduction to the studio scene in Chicago and that was also through him. Along with his big band, he was also a studio session musician as a saxophone player. He could play all of them baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano. He called me in for sessions with Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, and Shirley Bassie, who was the lady that sang the Goldfinger theme. I was eighteen and around all that which was pretty cool. I kind of got in on the tail end of the Chicago recording scene. You saw the movie Cadillac Records?

JD: Yeah

LK: That was based on Brunswick Records and I got to see first hand some of that part of the industry before that went away. After that, I got into a group called Aura. We played at a club in Chicago called The Burning Spear opening up for The Staple Singers. A couple months later, Pops Staples tracked me down and called me. At first, I thought it was a joke but it was him and he asked me to audition for the group. I got the job and worked with them for about five years. That was my first outside the country and national stuff I did. It was a very cool introduction. I never had problems getting paid and dealing with people who were unscrupulous. I saw it happening but wasn’t involved with it. Pops was a very shrewd businessman and very good to his musicians. We were young guys so he was our mentor or patriarch if you will. Keeping us in line and teaching us how we needed to handle ourselves on the road. Even in the studio I was mentored.

JD: What was the audition process like for The Staple Singers?

LK: They had a band studio that they invited me to come to and told me to bring a drummer. The first guy I called his name was Ed Gosa and he didn’t answer the phone! (Laughs) So I called my buddy Dana Goodman, who was at home, and he went down with me. When we got to the studio, there were some other guys playing before us. I can’t remember the bass player’s name. One thing that I remember about him was that he was very good but it looked like he didn’t care about being there. He was slouching in his chair. Then we came in and played. I’m still good friends with the drummer as well as the keyboard player (Michael Logan) who were there and they told me later on that when we sat down with our instruments they thought, “Oh, well these guys are gonna get it.” (Laughs). We wanted to be there and we were hungry. So we got the jobs. I think we were the only other people auditioning that day, as far as I know.

JD: That’s great. It’s really cool that Pops Staples took you both in and mentored you. Especially being such young guys, there are so many unscrupulous things about the business; it’s good that he taught you how handle yourself.

LK: That’s very true. One thing that he showed us was that we never left town unless we had the money (laughs) For touring, we would rent a station wagon and put all the instruments in the back. Pops wouldn’t leave the city of Chicago until he got a call saying, “The money is in the account. You can go.” (Laughs)

JD: Along with finding good mentors, how have you learned to navigate the business and communicate with various business people?

LK: That’s a good question. A lot of things I’ve learned through the years, number one, is to be as prepared for the job in advance. I always say you get out of whatever job that you put into it. So always be prepared, have your equipment straight, and also have what you get out of the gig in mind. If you need to communicate with someone, do it in a professional manor. Business is business regardless if it’s music or anything else. How you handle people is the same across the board. You need to be assertive and say what you need. Also, know what you need when you’re negotiating a gig. You want it to be a win-win for everyone concerned. You don’t want to take advantage of anybody but you don’t want to be taken advantage of. It’s a tightrope you have to walk. If people try to take advantage, you have to decide for yourself, “Well, this is not being cooperative with me. But I do really need this gig.” Chances are that if it happens once with someone, it’s going to happen again. It’s like that Kenny Rodgers song; you got to know “when to walk away and when to run” (laughs).

JD: (Laughs) Exactly. When I was taking a class about the music industry in my Commercial Music Program at Antelope Valley College, we had a guest speaker named Benjamin Wright (arranger for Motown, Justin Timberlake, etc.). When asked about how to approach the music industry he basically said to approach it like you need to pay your rent with it. By approaching it that way, you will probably play and sing more soulfully as a result. Would you say that’s true?

LK: That’s interesting. I know Benjamin and have worked with him periodically through the years. He’s pretty much spot on with that. You have to be hungry. What is your clear-cut goal? Are you doing this for a living? Are you doing this for a hobby? Most people who go to school for music, want to do this for life. Like the young man who auditioned before me, he could really play but looked he didn’t want to be there and didn’t care. That’s a problem. You have to figure out what motivates you or as they say nowadays, “What’s your why?” Why am I here? Why am I doing this? I’ve talked at LA Music Academy and a couple other schools and asked other bassists, “Why do you want to be a bass player?” Most of them sit there and are quiet. They don’t really have a clear-cut concrete reason. They’ll say, “I love the bass”. Well that’s something. But you have to take it a step farther. What are you trying to accomplish with music?

With anything you do that’s worthwhile, ask yourself why you are doing it. When you have a reason behind it, you can march toward that goal. Otherwise, it’s just not there. Backtracking, when you do an audition, you’ve got to give it 110%. You have to make yourself memorable in a good way. Not slouching in your chair (laughs).

JD: Since you’ve been in the industry a long time, what do you think has helped you stay in good health, working and maintained a good reputation?

LK: It sounds trite and cliché but I just do my very best. After a while your reputation precedes you and people know what to expect. The band I tour with right now is Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. He’s built up his reputation for his live shows. Early on he was doing two shows a night for six nights a week. He developed a very strong live show. Now, years later, there’s still an intensity that is unparalleled, bar none, in R&B music. So he’s built up this reputation to when people by a ticket to see Maze, they expect that. If you do things the right way, people expect it of you and rightfully so. That’s how it gets built. It’s mostly word of mouth. People begin to talk about you. They’ll talk about you negatively and positively. For me, fortunately, it was mostly positive. When I get called, people expect a certain level of professionalism, musical prowess, intensity, integrity, and intensity and I provide that every time I go out. There will be times where you have a bad night or a bad show but the audiences don’t need to know that.

JD: With your label GVR Records, what are the differences between running your own business and being an independent musician?

LK: Owing your business is a completely different animal. I never knew all the things you had to go through and have in place to own a real, live record label. Being in the business as long as I have and being around record company people, you have no clue the amount of work it takes to go into it. It really is another animal. I’m the A&R person for my label so I deal with the artists. It’s a good place for me because I like to help people achieve what they need to achieve. But, it’s very time consuming and challenging to keep everyone happy. The challenges of the industry now are such, especially being a Soul/R&B label, are getting that music out there to the people looking for it. But it’s been a rewarding transition for me. I’m still producing, playing, and recording. But also, having the desire to bring other artists to the forefront that need to be heard, that’s rewarding for me. It really is.

Artists on the GVR roster include:

If you would like a full bio on Larry, click here or visit GVR Records