Larry Lawless, founder of the Lawless Percussion and Jazz Ensemble, has been involved in music education for over 40 years, as a high school and junior high band director, private lesson teacher, clinician, drum and bugle corps caption head, and university instructor. His former students can be found in teaching positions and performing venues across the country. He has been a featured clinician for schools in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Iowa and the Texas Music Educators and Texas Bandmasters Conventions. In 2014, Mr. Lawless performed with the Tarleton State University Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall as a featured soloist for David Gillingham’s “Concertino for Four Percussion and Wind Ensemble”. He is now retired from public school teaching and spends his time composing and performing with Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums, Austin, Texas. His compositions for percussion are published by Row-loff Productions, Tapspace, and Innovative Percussion. His book "12 Etudes for 2 Mallet Marimba" is on both the Texas Prescribed Music List for solos and the Texas All-State Audition list. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music degree in Music Composition and Percussion from the University of Nebraska.

Mr. Lawless endorses Encore Mallets and Sabian Cymbals. He is the former President of the Texas Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, and in 2008 was named Outstanding Chapter President.