Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands the Jailers, the Rumblers, the Royals, and the Flames. He also played with the Checkers from nearby Yakima, Washington. He then moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. He played in a number of popular Northwest bands, including the Dynamics, while living in Seattle.
In 1965, Coryell moved to New York City where he became part of Chico Hamilton's quintet, replacing Gabor Szabo. In 1967 and 1968, he recorded with Gary Burton. Also during the mid-1960s he played with The Free Spirits. His music during the late-1960s and early-1970s combined the influences of rock, jazz and eastern music. He formed his own group, The Eleventh House, in 1973. The album sold well in college towns and the ensemble toured widely to support that. Following the break-up of this band, Coryell played mainly acoustic guitar, but returned to electric guitar later in the 1980s. In 1979, Coryell formed "The Guitar Trio" with jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin and flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. The group toured Europe briefly, eventually releasing a video recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London entitled "Meeting of Spirits". In early 1980, Coryell's drug addiction led to him being replaced by Al Di Meola.
In 2007, Coryell published an autobiography titled Improvising: My Life in Music. Larry's two sons, Julian Coryell and Murali Coryell are also actively involved in the music business.
Coryell died of heart failure in New York City, at the age of 73.
Studio
1967 - Out Of Sight And Sound ( The Free Spirits)
1969 - Coryell
1969 - Lady Coryell
1969 - Spaces
1971 - Barefoot Boy
1972 - Offering
1973 - The Real Great Escape
1974 - Introducing The Eleventh House
1974 - Level one
1975 - Basics (1968-1969)
1975 - Planet End
1975 - The Restful Mind
1976 - Aspects
1976 - The Lion And The Ram
1977 - Back Together Again (with Alphonse Mouzon)
1977 - Twin House (with Philip Catherine)
1978 - Better Than Live
1978 - Difference
1978 - European Impressions
1978 - Splendid (with Philip Catherine)
1978 - Standing Ovation
1978 - Tributariesb
1979 - Return
1981 - Bolero LP
1983 - The Rite of Spring
1984 - Comin Home
1984 - Facts of Life(with Michal Urbaniak)
1984 - Just Like Being Born
1984 - Petrouchka
1984 - Scheherazade
1985 - A Quiet Day in Spring (with Michal Urbaniak)
1985 - Together (with Emily Remler)
1986 - Equipoise
1987 - Dedicated To Bill Evans & Scott LaFaro (with Miroslav Vitous)
1988 - Air Dancing
1989 - American Odyssey
1989 - Shining Hour
1989 - Visions in Blue
1991 - Twelve Frets to One Octave
1992 - Toku Do
1993 - Bolero CD
1995 - I'll Be Over You
1996 - Sketches of Coryell
1997 - Spaces Revisited
1998 - Cause And Effect (with Tom Coster, Steve Smith)
1998 - Private Concert
1999- Monk, Trane, Miles & Me
2000 - Music Without Boundaries (with Hariprasad Chaurasia)
2000 - New High
2000 - The Coryells
2001 - Moonlight Whispers
2002 - Cedars Of Avalon
2002 - Count's Jam Band Reunion(with Steve Smith, Steve Marcus Kai Eckhardt)
2004 - New York Blues
2004 - Tricycles(with Paul Wertigo and Marc Egan)
2005 - Electric (with Victor Bailey, Lenny White)
2006 - Traffic(With Victor Bailey, Lenny White)
2008 - Larry Coryell Organ Trio
2011 - Larry Coryell with the Wide Hive Players
2011 - Montgomery
2011 - Night Of Jazz Guitars
2013 - The Lift
2015 - Heavy Feel
2016 - Barefoot Man- Sanpaku
Live
1971 - At The Village Gate
1971 - Fairyland
1974 - Live at Montreux (The 11th House )
1977 - Two For The Road (with Steve Khan)
1987 - All Strings Attached (with Abercrombie and Tal Farlow, Larry Carlton, John Scofield)
1992 - Live In Bahia
2003 - Live In Chicago
2003 - Three Guitars(with Badi Assad & John Abercrombie )
2004 - Vivaldi. The four seasons (Kazuhito YAMASHITA)
2006 - Laid Back & Blues
2009 - Earthquake At The Avalon
Compilations
1975 - The Essential Larry Coryell
1987 - Major Jazz Minor Blues
1990 -The Dragon Gate (128)
1993 - Fallen Angel
1999 - Confirmation
1999 - Improvisations
2002 - Inner city blues (128)
2003 - Timeless (320)
2007 - Vanguard Visionaries
2010 - Prime Picks - The Virtuoso Guitar of Larry Coryell
