Larry Weir, New Music Weekly, Backstage Entertainment , Spins Tracking System

                                   
                                                                              The Larry Weir Website
                                                                                       

Larry Weir                                began his music career in the San Diego area in                                1967. As a singer/guitarist inspired by the Beatles                                and composers Burt Bacharach & Jimmy Webb, Larry                                formed a pop band "The Royal Enterprise"                                comprised of brother Tom Weir (now a renowned recording                                engineer), sister Maria Werth (who has become a                                teacher/session bass player) and a few neighbors.                        

The band had a local radio hit with                                one of Larry's first compositions in 1968, "Boy                                It's All In Your Head". In 1970 his family,                                comprised of mother Maria, a classical pianist and                                Larry, his architect/builder father, along with                                8 brothers and sisters, moved to the city of Oxnard                                in Ventura County. While attending his senior year                                at Oxnard High, he recruited many of the siblings                                in forming a band called "The Family".                                It was also during this time that Larry wrote, produced,                                acted and starred in three original musicals. "Island"                                in 1971 while attending Ventura College in 1971,                                "Hobos Jungle" in '72 & "House                                On Crossroad Alley" in 1973, all part of                                the Ventura County Youth Experimental Theatre, a                                group that he co-founded with Maria and Tom. The                                shows were all critical successes and were performed                                for thousands in the Ventura Country area.

                           "I can't believe we even pulled those                                productions off", said Larry from his home in the                                West Hollywood, CA area that he shares with his                                wife of eight years, Masika Swain. "These musicals                                were huge productions that involved massive set                                designs (many constructed by my father), choreography,                                costumes, actors, singers, dancers along with a                                full orchestra", he added. In 1974 the family moved                                back to the San Diego area leaving the musical era                                behind to concentrate on the new and improved family                                band, The Weirz, that now comprised                                all nine members of the family. A year later they                                found their first radio success by winning a spot                                of KGB radio's "Homegrown #3" with an autobiographical                                song called "Gypsies From Bonsall".                                The album sold over 50,000 copies in the local area                                and inspired the band to record a solo album "The                                Weirz" ('76) leading them to the Los Angeles                                area to be closer to the record industry.

                             In 1979 The                                Weirz released another self-titled album, headlined                                the top clubs in the area from the infamous Troubadour,                                Starwood, The Whisky, among others. During one of                                the Troubadour shows, little brother Michael (now                                known as Michael Damian) caught media attention                                and ended up with a contract on the CBS daytime                                drama "The Young & The Restless".                                Larry soon found himself writing a good deal of                                the songs that Michael would perform as this struggling                                waiter/singer character & also moved Larry into                                a personal management capacity.

                             The Weirz signed                                a deal with Curb Records in 1983 releasing singles                                in Europe and eventually had a US release in "Imagination"                                that included a video, appearances on American Bandstand,                                Dance Fever, television specials, while fueling                                them towards more headlining events. 1984 found                                even greater success for Larry as he helped engineer                                a deal for brother Michael with CBS records in Canada.                                "Love Is A Mystery" (Columbia)                                was a huge success, and Larry's composition "She's                                In A Different World" gave Michael a Canadian                                hit that was also featured on NBC's "The                                Facts Of Life" and numerous television                                shows setting the plate for a major Canadian tour.                                A follow up album "Michael                                Damian" (CBS) released in 1987 brought                                even more tours along with another Larry original                                hit, "What Are You Looking For".                                It was during this time that The Weirz performed                                their last tour as a band while opening for the                                Michael Damian shows.
                              Larry became                                involved in composing songs and scores for movie                                soundtracks during the mid-eighties that included,                                "Return to Horror High", "Something                                Special" & the film musical "Teen                                Witch" that has gone on to become a cult                                hit having aired on cable and the Disney channel                                hundreds of times. "This was a unique experience                                in that they actually built some of the story line                                and dialogue around songs that I brought the producers                                after reading the original draft of the script",                                said Weir. The success of "Teen Witch"                                would lead to the film "Dream A Little Dream"                                that would eventually land Larry a #1 record on                                the Billboard charts with his co-production of Michael                                Damian's "Rock On" (A&M/Cypress)                                in June of 1989. "It was a surreal experience watching                                the song climb week after week, and by week #12                                we beat all the rest and had a #1!", Larry reminisces.                          

                             There were subsequent                                radio hits, "Cover Of Love" & the                                AC/CHR Hit, "Was It Nothing At All"                                that gained a BMI publishing award for one of the                                "most played songs in 1990". Another album followed                                for A&M "Dreams Of Summer". There                                were several more radio hits in "What A                                Price To Pay" and the Larry Weir penned                                "There'll Never Be Another You"                                that was featured on everything from "The Young                                & The Restless" to the Oprah Winfrey show.
                             The mid-nineties                                found Larry, brother Tom and close friend Michael                                Parnell scoring the CBS series "Dangerous                                Curves". "It was a thrill of a lifetime                                to have composed a theme for a network "primetime"                                show", Larry recalls. The show lasted only several                                seasons but gave him and his fellow composers worldwide                                recognition. Several other albums were produced                                with the Larry Weir, Michael Damain, & Tom Weir                                combo. They included the 1994 "Reach Out                                To Me" (Scotti Brothers) and a charted                                single by the same name that made it's national                                debut on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. 1996 saw another                                album venture "Time Of The Season"                                (Wildcat) with another Larry Weir penned, "Never                                Walk Away" that charted top ten on the                                AC40 charts.

                             After leaving                                A&M and now working with independent labels, Larry                                became quite heavily involved in record promotion,                                something he had an experience in by over-seeing                                the climb of "Rock On". "I realized that I knew                                more people in radio then all of those independent                                record promoters we were spending large sums of                                money on", recalls Larry. He began calling radio                                stations on a weekly basis in 1995 just to check                                up on the other promoters, and has been doing so                                ever since with his now established, "National                                Record Promotion".

                             Larry has gone                                on to work records for some of the greatest artists                                in the music industry including Crystal                                Waters, Marshall Tucker, Janis Ian, Peabo Bryson,                                Billy Vera, to name just a few. In 1998                                he teamed up with fellow independent promoter Paul                                Loggins to form New Music Weekly,                                a trade publication that is fast becoming one of                                the most important trades in the music industry                                in breaking new artists. "The last thing I wanted                                was to have to start a trade publication, we needed                                a voice in the music industry and I'm so glad we                                made the move", says Larry.
                             All the work                                in record promotion and publishing a weekly trade                                magazine has helped to make Larry a better writer/producer.                                "I get all the CD's that every label in America                                puts out each week, and I am able to get a real                                solid education as to what is working at radio",                                he says.
                             His 'New Music Weekly' magazine just                                celebrated it's "sixth anniversary" and                                "National Record Promotion" moves into                                its 10th year as "America's #1 Multi-Format                                Promotion Company".

                           Larry referred to 2006 as “a good year”                                reaching goals and receiving rave reviews for his                                work on the new “Teen Witch The Musical”, a theatrical                                adaptation that is “Broadway bound”. Larry co-authored                                the book with Alan Lambros the originator of the                                Teen Witch film, and has just completed production                                of the studio soundtrack with brother Tom Weir who                                also recently won a Grammy for his work on the Toots                                & the Maytals album. Tom also runs the highly                                successful Studio City Sound. “For “Teen Witch The                                Musical” we found a magical cast along with discovering                                some major new talent that we are now working with                                in the studio”, laments Larry.

                           Some of the notable “new discoveries”                                include young Heather Youmans from Vista, California                                near Larry’s hometown & up and comer singer/guitarist                                Monet Lerner. In fact the Weir penned “Call It A                                Day” found its way into Paris Hilton’s feature film                                “Pledge This” featuring Monet & Heather’s vocals.                                Larry also recently formed the Artist Management                                Firm with long time veteran publicist Debi Fee,                                whom Larry has known since her days as editor of                                Tiger Beat magazine. She also has had a long standing                                relationship with Dick Clark. “I first worked with                                Debi when we did American Bandstand together with                                brother Michael Damian. That very appearance gave                                Michael his shot on the Young and Restless and that                                changed our lives forever”, Larry remembers.

                           Together Debi Fee and Larry are working                                with Country artist Buck McCoy and a few select                                artists that are also in the studio with Larry completing                                new projects. Larry also is getting rave reviews                                as both writer, director and co-producer for this                                year’s New Music Weekly Awards. “It was amazing                                to see the radio stations, their music and program                                directors from all over the US attend along side                                celebrities and recording artists”, says Larry.

                           2007 saw the launch of Caption Records,                                a long awaited venture with brother Tom Weir. Tom                                just received his second Grammy nomination for his                                work with Toots and the Maytals. The young label                                had a number of radio hits including “Finest Hour”                                by Sara Niemietz featuring Blake Ewing from the                                Teen Witch the Musical soundtrack. Sara followed                                with “Popular Girl” from Teen Witch that did equally                                as well. Buck McCoy had several Country radio hits                                for the label from his debut “Top Dog” album. The                                action started with the feel good “A Few Steps Away”,                                followed by the tender ballad “Got It All With You”.                                All of the above were composed, produced and promoted                                by Larry. The Moondance Alexander soundtrack was                                also released to critical acclaim & the film                                directed by little brother Michael Damain picked                                up a number of film festival awards.

                           In 2008 Larry Weir will continue to                                build on his successes that will include some major                                moves for his National Record Promotion. “Through                                my continued relationship with radio programmers                                I am ready to take this company to a much higher                                level and that will enable me to give artists and                                bands more ammunition that will give them wider                                radio station coverage and chart activity”, Larry                                concludes. Look for some great things ahead for                                Larry Weir and for all of his associates, friends                                and family!