Larry Junstrom (LJ) was born on June 22 1949 in South Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of 10, he and the Junstrom family moved South to take up residence in Jacksonville, FLA.

A musical child, LJ took up playing both the saxophone and clarinet in the 5^th grade at school, before gravitating towards learning to play guitar. His parents bough him ( as was common at the time for aspiring pickers) a Sears Silvertone, with an inbuilt amp. After learning for a while, LJ started to notice that he enjoyed the sound and the feel of the bass notes on his Silvertone and would begin to play the lower strings only in what was fast become his make-shift first bass. To get the effect he wanted, he added a length of balsa to the neck of his guitar, and another to the bridge to make a Silvertone bass out of his guitar

It wasn’t long before Larry started to play locally, his first (among many) bands being “After Five”, a covers group…..but My Backyard were only around the corner

One day, while at his home in Jacksonville, LJ heard a loud crash in the street outside his front door and found that some boys racing home made buggies had been involved in a collision. Running out, LJ helped to correct an overturned buggy, when a sandy haired boy racer turned and thanked him - this was LJ’s first encounter with Ronnie Van Zant

LJ got to know Ronnie as time went by, and heard Ronnie's band “My Back Yard” - it featured a bass player by the name of Jimmy Parker, but he was having problems with sub-standard amps and gear, so LJ generously agreed to let him use his own. This was his opening, because when Jimmy eventually quit, Ronnie asked LJ to fill his spot in the band., at Gary Rossingtons suggestion.

LJ played in the band between 1964 and 1972, performing on some of the Muscle Shoals demos recording in Alabama in the very early 1970’s (some which appeared on both “First and Last”, “Legend”, and the MCA box set.). However, LJ’s tenure with the band ended before the band found fame. LJ’s family was making a move away from Jax to live in Miami, and so LJ went with them. He had been experiencing some difficulties in getting along with Ronnie, Allen and Gary. Ronnie reportedly wanted to replace LJ because his image didn’t fit in with where Ronnie wanted Skynyrd to be. He was first of all replaced, on a temporary basis by Blackfoot's Greg T Walker, and then by Leon Wilkeson on a permanent basis (Leon had heard that LJ was know longer with the band, and so turned up to see them, jammed with them and was offered the bassist role)

LJ continued to play music, often in soul bands, for the next four years. When his mother passed away, Ronnie stopped by to visit the Van Zants on the way to the funeral, and realised he still missed Jacksonville and wanted to return

LJ was by now playing in a band featuring Ronnies brother, Donnie Van Zant, together with John Lanham (aka Rev Sam E Tarry) who went on to found The Graveyard Boogie band

This band eventually fizzled out, when Donnie helped form 38 Special in 1975. LJ continued his friendship with Donnie, even helping out as a member of 38’s crew, when in 1979 (during the recording of “Rockin into the Night”, original 38 Special bassist Ken Lyons quit., and LJ was recruited to fill in for him - where he remains to this day

LJ’s first show with 38 Special was at the Super bowl of Rock at Soldier Field, Chicago with Journey, Ted Nugent, etc

LJ played a Fender jazz bass for a long time with Skynyrd, before switching to Peavey basses with 38 Special for many years, and finally moving again to play a Lakeland bass now.

Away from his professional musicians life , Larry is a “Radio Ham”. His call letters are K4EB, meaning Known For Electric Bass.