Larry Combs is one of the world's best orchestral clarinet players. He was born in South Charleston on December 31, 1939.

Combs was learning woodwind instruments by age 10. By 13, he was playing regularly with the Charleston Symphony (now the West Virginia Symphony). At 16, he became the orchestra's principal clarinetist (the lead player).

After high school, he graduated from the Eastman School of Music. He played with the New Orleans Philharmonic and then spent three years in the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point. In 1974, Combs joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). Four years later, he became the CSO's principal clarinetist, a position he held for 30 years.

He has won two Grammy Awards for his work. Combs has performed as a soloist and with other famous musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis. He’s also a noted jazz musician and helped design musical equipment, including the Opus II clarinets and his own model of clarinet mouthpieces.

After retiring from the Chicago Symphony in 2008, he was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2009.