Larrie Londin

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Larrie Londin (born Ralph Gallant on October 15, 1943 in Norfolk, Virginia, died August 23, 1992 in Nashville, Tennessee) was a drummer who played with a wide range of artists including Journey and Steve Perry.

With Journey, he played on Raised On Radio. With Steve Perry as a solo artist, he played on Street Talk.

Larrie also performed with Elvis Presley on tour during Elvis' last years, and can be heard on recordings by:

Diana Ross, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett, Lionel Ritchie, Jerry Lee Lewis, Boots Randolph, Charlie Pride, Randy Travis, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, B.B. King, Albert Lee, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Bobby Bare, Merle Haggard, Hank Snow, Jerry Reed, Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, Don Francisco (Christian singer of "He's Alive" fame -- Larrie Londin played drums on that Dove Award winning song in 1977), Dan Fogelberg, Reba McEntire, KT Oslin, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Hank Williams, Jr., and Chet Atkins.

As young men, Larrie and his bassist brother Lonnie were members of The Headliners, among the very few white acts signed to a Motown record label. Two singles were released on the Headliners in the early '60s.

By the late '70s, Londin had made Nashville his home, becoming a leading A-team session player, raising a family, and hosting his brother Lonnie for a short time. With his wife, Debbie Gallant, he established D.O.G. Percussion (named for Debbie's initials), the area's first dedicated drum shop. Always promoting innovation in the session business, Londin mentored younger musicians and proposed the first cartage services for Nashville session players.

Londin died at 48 in 1992 of a heart attack.

In an article for Drummerworld, musician James Byron Fox commented that "Larrie's resume reads like Who's Who in music. It's impossible to listen to any radio very long before you hear his solid backbeat. He was a real musician's musician and I hope that someday he'll get the widespread recognition he deserves."