Larry Crane (born October 8, 1956) is an American rock musician and songwriter from Seymour, Indiana. From 1976 until 1991, he appeared alongside John Mellencamp as guitarist and contributor to the arrangements and production of the Mellencamp sound (often labelled as "heartland rock.")[1]
As Mellencamp's guitarist, Crane contributed to twenty Billboard charted singles, including "Ain't Even Done with the Night", "Hurts So Good", "Jack and Diane", "Hand to Hold on To", "I Need a Lover", "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Small Town", "Lonely Ol' Night", "Rumbleseat", "R.O.C.K in the U.S.A.", "Paper in Fire", "Check It Out", "Cherry Bomb", "Martha Say", "Jackie Brown", and "Pop Singer". Though not often recognized as a songwriter, Crane did receive a co-writer credit for "Play Guitar" on the Uh-Huh album.
After the release of Big Daddy, Crane left the Mellencamp band due to his impression that "he and his band mates were underpaid."[2] Since leaving the band, Crane has launched a solo career. During his thirty-plus year career, he has also toured and recorded with several other influential musicians, including John Prine, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash, Carl Perkins, James McMurtry, Mitch Ryder, Lou Reed, and John Fogerty. He has also collaborated with producer Bob Johnston.
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Eye for an Eye | |
| 1994 | Larry Crane | |
| 2003 | Wire & Wood | |
| 2010 | Tropical Depression |
| Year | Title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Chestnut Street Incident | Lead guitar, back up vocals | |
| 1977 (released in 1983) | The Kid Inside | Lead guitar, back up vocals | |
| 1978 | A Biography | Guitar, background vocals | |
| 1979 | John Cougar | Guitar, background vocals | |
| 1980 | Nothin' Matters and What If It Did | Guitar, backing vocals | |
| 1982 | American Fool | Guitar | |
| 1983 | Uh-Huh | Guitar | |
| 1985 | Scarecrow | Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals | |
| 1987 | The Lonesome Jubilee | Guitar, mandolin, harmonica, autoharp, banjo, backing vocals | |
| 1989 | Big Daddy | Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin |
| Year | Artist | Titles | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Never Kick a Sleeping Dog | Vocals, guitar[3] | ||
| 1985 | Rhythm & Romance | Guitar[4] | ||
| 1987 | King's Record Shop | Guitar | ||
| 1988 | Various Artists | Guitar[5] | ||
| 1989 | Too Long in the Wasteland | Vocals (background), guitar[6] | ||
| 1991 | Various Artists | Falling from Grace | Composer, vocals, performer, producer, guitar | |
| 1995 | Retrospective | Guitar | ||
| 1996 | Go Cat Go | Guitar[7] | ||
| 1996 | Downtown America | Arrangement, guitar | ||
| 1997 | Live on Tour | Vocals (background), guitar | ||
| 2002 | Keith Sykes | Don't Count Us Out | Additional guitar[8] |