Adler, Larry (1914-2001), an American harmonica player, is considered the greatest player in the history of the instrument. Adler gained acclaim for his virtuoso playing in pop music, jazz, and classical music. Such composers as Ralph Vaughan Williams of the United Kingdom and Joaquin Rodrigo of Spain wrote music especially for him. In a career that lasted more than 70 years, Adler also worked as a composer and teacher.
Lawrence Cecil Adler was born on Feb. 10, 1914, in Baltimore, Maryland. He learned to play the piano and harmonica by ear from listening to phonograph records. In the late 1920’s, Adler began playing in music halls and on the stage. He worked with such star entertainers as Eddie Cantor and Fred Astaire. In the early 1930’s, Adler met the American composer George Gershwin and developed a lifetime appreciation for Gershwin’s music. Adler won praise for his interpretations of such Gershwin works as the opera Porgy and Bess and the instrumental composition Rhapsody in Blue.
Adler’s growing fame on the “mouth organ,” as he called the harmonica, made him an international star in the 1930’s. He became especially popular for his stage performances in England.
In the late 1940’s, fear of Communism led to the widespread accusations and investigations of suspected Communists in the United States. Major entertainment companies assembled an informal blacklist, a list of performers suspected of being Communists or Communist sympathizers. Adler held liberal views and was included in the blacklist. As a result, he was denied employment in the United States and so settled in England in 1949. There, he earned widespread recognition for his score for the popular English comedy Genevieve (1953).
Adler returned to the United States in 1952 for a concert, but did not return on a regular basis to the U.S. until the 1970’s. He worked for many years with pianist Ellis Larkins. Adler performed regularly until his death on Aug. 7, 2001, at the age of 87, making hundreds of recordings and touring throughout the world. He wrote several books on the harmonica and recounted his experiences with celebrities in show business, politics, and other fields in several autobiographical writings.
