Biography

Biography 2022

 

Dr. Larry Duran was born in Weehawken, N.J. U.S.A. on March of 1976. At the age of 5 he began to develop his musical traits with his guitar thanks to the guide of his father. He began his formal musical education during elementary school where he received various awards from his professors as first violinist of the school orchestra which covered important venues in the city of Tampa Florida. Later Larry began to interpret Colombian Folk Music in Family and Church Events.

At the age of 15, during his usual family musical events, Larry heard Dr. Guillermo Leon M.D. interpret a song on his accordion which opened a passion for this instrument and the typical folk music called Vallenato and Cumbia. Fortunately, Dr. Leon left his accordion by mistake at Duran’s Residence and during the week it took to return the instrument, Larry began to play and learn vallenato songs he had heard before. During the following years before he began medical school, Larry interpreted various musical genre including rock, country, vallenato, cumbia, son Cubano, llanero, ranchera and others. He played these genres with various instruments including guitar, accordion, tiple, cuatro, piano and various minor percussion instruments. 

At the Age of 19 he travels to Santander, Colombia, S.A. where his parents are originally from, and in the process to enter the University he met a Medical Student who also was a musician who presented Larry to the folkloric Band of the UIS University who invited him to sing and play his guitar at the popular colosseum of the University together with 19 professional musicians, event that was sold out. During this time Larry also played in trios such as Los Cristales en Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia.

At the age of 21, he began his medical career in the Libre University of Barranquilla Colombia. During his first year, his father gave him the money to purchase his first accordion, which he purchased used from the musical store in downtown Barranquilla. The Accordion Larry purchased was owned by Anibal Velasquez known as the Father of the Guaracha, a very successful and popular composer, singer and accordion player who composed songs such as, Faltan 5 pa’ las 12, Sal y Agua, and over 300 other renown Latin hits in central and south America. This began a friendship between Larry and Anibal in which Larry was his personal Doctor and Anibal his personal accordion teacher. They shared important venues and events such as the Beer Festival in Barranquilla, with more than 30 thousand spectators where present to see big artist which included Joe Arroyo and the Andree Family and others.

After Culminating his medical schooling curriculum, Dr. Duran had to choose between staying in Barranquilla, Colombia and record his first professional Record with Anibal Velasquez or return to his native Tampa Florida to begin his Internship at Tampa General Hospital. His decision was to finish his medical degree.

In 2005 finalizing his internship and receiving his Medical Degree as a General Practitioner and Surgeon he organized his own professional vallenato band which participated in many events representing with honor this beautiful folk music.

In 2012 Larry participated in a competition on TV called “Tienes Talento” (You Have Talent) on Telemundo, Los Angeles, California and also on a show called “Pa’lante Con Cristina” (Moving Forward with Cristina) on Univision in Miami, Florida with the infamous talk show host Cristina Saralegui. Larry competed with over 2000 international contenders from different parts of the world in both shows and was awarded first place by interpreting is own compositions live on national Tv.

In 2014, Larry, now titled by local Latin radio stations as “El Medico del Vallenato” (The Doctor of Vallenato), travels to Colombia and records his first musical production. This production included original compositions which captured the essence of typical Colombian folk music called vallenato and cumbia recorded with Joche Meza, son of the infamous Lisandro Meza and Jose Aguirre the musical director of one of the most important salsa bands in the word originally from Colombia called Grupo Niche.

In 2021 with over 16 years of experience interpreting his music Larry has crossed stages with some of the top Latin artist in a variety of events throughout North and South America, including the local Gasparilla Music Festival (over 100K attendees), Hispanic Latin Heritage Festivals in Florida, Tv Shows and Events including Feria de La Familia from Telemundo (National TV) held at the Convention Center in down town Tampa, interviews at Univision Miami and International venues such as the G12 Centro de Eventos in Bogota Colombia (over 10k in attendance)  and many other events which allowed Larry to unite with Harold Montanez son of the infamous and world renown salsa artist Andy Montanez, to represent him as one of his upcoming artist. 

At the end of 2021 Larry records his latest musical production called “Que Diran” 

(What Will They Say” that includes various rhythms including his first English interpretation called “Our Love” which is a fusion of Latin Jazz with Cumbia (original fusion) with his button box (accordion) as the lead instrument which has increased his interaction with the Latin American Bilingual community in the US and the world by integrating his Latin sounds with a modern touch.