Larry Tamblyn, Keyboardist for ‘Dirty Water’ Band the Standells, Dead at 82

Larry Tamblyn, founding member and keyboardist for the pioneering garage rock band the Standells, has died at the age of 82.

Tamblyn’s nephew Dennis first confirmed his uncle’s March 21 death on social media, with the Standells also announcing Larry’s death on Facebook; no cause of death was provided.

When the Standells formed as a doo-wop band in the early Sixties, Tamblyn initially served as their lead singer, including on their debut 1964 single “Girl In My Heart.” After the band signed with Liberty Records, they shifted toward rock music and enlisted Dick Dodd as their drummer and lead vocalist; Dodd died in 2013.

While the Standells formed in Los Angeles, their producer Ed Cobb hailed from Boston; it was Cobb who penned the band’s 1965 single “Dirty Water,” which would later become both an unofficial Boston anthem (thanks to references to the city laced into the lyrics) as well as a garage rock classic (thanks to its inclusion on the acclaimed 1972 Nuggets compilation).

“‘Dirty Water’ is still played to this day whenever the Red Sox or the Bruins win a home game,” Dennis Tamblyn wrote of his uncle; the Standells notably performed the song at Fenway Park during one of the Red Sox’s curse-ending World Series games in 2004. 

:At 3:00 pm, Larry received a call from the Red Sox office. At first, he thought it was a joke, especially when he was told the group needed to be there the following day,” the band said of the performance. “The following day at 1:00 pm, all of the Standells were on the plane headed for Boston. It really didn’t set in until we walked on the field at Fenway Park for sound check. That evening, we performed for 50,000 screaming fans. It will be an evening we won’t forget.”

“Dirty Water” has also since been adopted by Liverpool in the English Premier League, as that team is also owned by the Fenway Sports Group. 

Larry was also the younger brother of actor Russ Tamblyn, of West Side Story and Twin Peaks fame.

In the half-century that followed “Dirty Water,” the Standells remained an active touring unit, albeit with an ever-changing lineup, but Tamblyn remained a constant member of the band.

“A few years ago, The Standells played at Hotel Congress here in Tucson, Ariz., and Larry stayed with me,” Dennis added. “It was so great to hang out with him and catch up. He was still making music well into his later years. You will be missed, Uncle Larry.”