Larry Wright (born c. 1975) is a well-known

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

street performer. He is credited as the first major drummer to use five gallon plastic buckets instead of a normal

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

. He uses his foot to lift the bucket changing the sound patterns. He has appeared in commercials, Mariah Carey's "Someday" video, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk as well as the

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

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''. In 2011 he appeared in the film The Yellow Card directed by Enrique Pedráza Botero. It is a short documentary based on subway performers in

, where Larry Wright and his wife Sonia Wright are one of the main acts in the film as they play their music and are being interviewed. He is listed among the musicians performing on Ritual Beating System by Bahia Black, a 2016 CD produced by

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

. The CD features a track, "Uma Viagen Del Baldes de Larry Wright" (translation: A journey of the buckets of Larry Wright), which he co-wrote with

Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musical ...

. There is an independent movie about him as a high school student. He has played since he was five years old, and met his wife while playing in the New York City Subway.Kaye, Julia
“Subterranean Rolling Stock: An interview with Larry and Sonia Wright"
, '' The Drummer’s Journal’’, New York, October 27, 2013. Retrieved on October 27, 2013. His favorite drummers are Eyeon,

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

, and

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

. He and his wife can typically be found at the

Union Square Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

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, Port Authority, and 59th and Lexington subway stations. A more recent interview with Larry and his wife Sonia appears in Issue Four of The Drummer's Journal.

References

External links

Short film about a young Larry Wright from 1990

Larry Wright and his wife performance in New York subway on 2010

1990 Levi's 501 commercial
featuring Wright, dir:

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

A Lounge Lizard Alone
documentary about

John Lurie John Lurie (born December 14, 1952) is an American musician, painter, actor, director, and producer. He co-founded the Lounge Lizards jazz ensemble; has acted in 19 films, including ''Stranger than Paradise'' and '' Down by Law''; has composed ...

featuring Wright at age 15 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Larry 1975 births Culture of New York City Living people American buskers American male drummers American performance artists African-American drummers 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers Musicians from New York City 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians