Larry Farber Tell His Story in New Memoire

Charlotte Jewish News December 2021

Larry Farber, who has filled our lives with music, tells his story in “Noted Memories – How A Kid From Charlotte Had A Moment With Tony, Aretha, Bonnie, Sheryl And More.” That’s Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow, and they’re all in this lively account of Larry’s life.

Larry, a Charlotte native, grew up in Temple Beth El and played in bands from an early age. You probably heard him at some point at a wedding or bar mitzvah. He was the guy on keyboards. He grew up to book bands for a living, opened a private music club called Music With Friends (performers have included Gladys Knight and Michael Bolton) and then Middle C Jazz Club in uptown Charlotte. It’s all here in the memoir, plus 50 photos of Larry and various legends. Read about the night he convinced Aretha to take the stage after Whitney Houston died. Read, too, about his friendship with the late Jay Thomas, the radio DJ, comedian and actor who got his start in Charlotte.

Larry also writes about his devotion to Temple Beth El and raising money to support Jewish causes. He recently received the Blumenthal Lifetime Achievement Award from Temple Beth El. Above all, the book, which he worked on with Charlotte writer Ken Garfield, celebrates the power of music to unite us.

It's available in softcover for $25 at Park Road Books and the Discovered Traditions shop at Temple Beth El. You can order it at www.middlecjazz.com. The e-version is available online. Sales support the nonprofit Arts Plus in Charlotte.