Larry Hoffman began his career as a singer/guitarist, opening for and playing with artists such as Skip James and Sonny Terry.
Expanding his horizons over the years, he became a writer, producer , and composer.
He received the Living Blues Critics Award for “best liner notes,” as well as a Grammy nomination for his annotations to the Smithsonian’s Mean Old World: The Blues From 1940-1994, and was chief notes-writer for the double Grammy-winning collection, Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues.
He was named Living Blues Magazine’s “Producer of The Year” for various projects including Corey Harris’s Fish Ain’t Bitin’ named “Best Acoustic Blues Record Of The Year” by Living Blues as well as the Blues Foundation in Memphis.
Among his contributions as a composer are his works that integrate post-war blues into classical music, works that have been performed by members of the National, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Mississippi, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras and are featured on his CD, “Works of Larry Hoffman.” Among his works in this vein are Blues for Harp, Oboe, and Violoncello; String Quartets #1 and #2, Blues Suite for Violoncello Solo, Blues for Brass Quintet, and Blues for Woodwind Quintet.
He has been a regular participant at the Chicago Blues Festival and has lectured nationally about his music and the blues.
As an educator, he has taught guitar, music theory, and music history at the Peabody Institute, Goucher College Center, Johns Hopkins University, and on a private basis.