Larry Dixon Lives Life To The Fullest

The Seven Sons
As a child, you dream about being a grown-up and imagine yourself in different occupations. For Larry Dixon, he knew at a young age that he loved music, wrestling, and wanted to be a chiropractor.

“I learned young that I had the passion and purpose for these gifts and that the Lord wanted me to pursue them,” Larry shared. “To be able to still do these things fifty years later is such a blessing and I’m very thankful for that. When you love what you do, work is not a job!”

In fourth grade, Larry started telling family and friends that he was interested in being a chiropractor. His older brother struggled with MS and a local chiropractor helped him greatly improve his quality of life; Larry recognized that impact.

“On my first day of high school, I repeated that dream, which was the second time I really announced that I wanted to be a chiropractor and a musician. My mother played a huge role in my decision-making. She told me that I needed a career—I can do both but consider drums as a hobby and being a chiropractor as a career,” Larry said.

He was also greatly influenced by Dr. Hagen, a family friend who had a chiropractic office in Primghar. He regularly flew interested high schoolers to Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport for college visits, and Larry was one of them.

It was during this time that Larry’s music career also reached another level.

From age 12 to 15 years, Larry played in a five-piece orchestra and was a member of the musicians' union. He was also a high school wrestler. “They would let me wrestle first, so I could get to my music gig,” he remembered.

When he was 15, he received a phone call that every musician dreams of receiving. “Can you come for an audition?”

“When Rick Mellor from The Seven Sons called me, asking to come to Sioux City for an audition, I was floored,” Larry said.

Back in the late 60s, soul music was the rage and ballrooms were filled with music and dancing. A horn section was necessary, and entertainers needed killer vocals. In 1964, Mellor was a freshman at Morningside College, a transplant from Chicago and his dad owned a music store. Mellor was looking around campus for musicians. He found everyone but a drummer.

Larry drove from Hawarden on his school farm permit to Sioux City to audition for Mellor.

“I had just heard The Seven Sons play in Sioux Falls, and I remember thinking they’d be a cool group to play with—better than playing waltzes and fox trots all the time,” he said. “They actually had another drummer in mind but heard about me from some of my classmates, so thought they’d give me a chance.”

The first night Larry auditioned, he entered Sioux City Auditorium and set up his drums on the stage. It was just Mellor and Larry.

“He said play for me, and I was glad I had a couple drum solos ready,” he remembered. “I played and he’s like why don’t you come back tomorrow and play with the group. The next night, I went downstairs and played with the band, and they said, ‘do you want to join us? Will that work?’ Because I was only 15."

After conversations with his parents and his principal, Larry left that weekend with the band.

“My principal gave me permission to go because I was going to learn more about life than in the classroom. He just asked that when we record, he would get a copy of the record,” he remembered.

From 1964-1971, members of the group traveled all over the United States playing at colleges, concerts, and ballrooms. Sioux City booking agent, Eddie Skeets, initially booked The Seven Sons. Later, the band signed with Variety Theatre International, Duluth/Minneapolis, which was affiliated with GAC (General Artist Corp). The group recorded numerous records in the late 60s, and in 1966, their ballad, “Baby Please Come Back” hit the Billboard 100.

“It made it to #90, getting some National Play on the A side,” Larry said. “On the B side, our song ‘On the Run’ was more up-tempo and also got noticed. The singer/songwriter of the Cascades worked with us for several weeks. He had just gotten back from a world tour with their #1 hit, ‘Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain.’”

Larry loved traveling and enjoyed the camaraderie experienced while playing with the group. Even though he was the youngest in the band, he did a lot of the driving around the country. They were the opening group for top name bands in the country. Despite that, The Seven Sons would occasionaly play locally, including at the Arnolds Park Roof Garden and the Arkota Ballroom in Sioux Falls.

The band opened for 30 nationally known groups over the next four years, including Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Animals, the 5th Dimension, The Turtles, The Grass Roots, The Righteous Brothers, Herman’s Hermits, The Mamas and Papas, Sonny and Sher, 3 Dog Night, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

After the band disbanded and hadn't seen each other for 35 years, John Senn, the founder of the Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association, encouraged Larry to reunite The Seven Sons band members. The Seven Sons were then inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2013. They reunited for a show in 2019, when the new Roof Garden was revealed, and recently played together over Labor Day Weekend during Iowa Rock and Roll’s Hall of Fame 2022 Weekend.

At a Crossroads
Larry arrived at a crossroads in early September 1968, where he decided it was time to pursue his other career dreams.

He quickly found a drummer to replace him on The Seven Sons and moved to Davenport in October 1968 to attend Palmer Chiropractic College.

"Because I was only 18-years-old, they wanted me to take some pre-chiropractic courses. But after a semester of all A's, the school realized I was ready for chiropractic college, and I finished in 31/2 years," he said.

After graduating fifth in his class, at age 22, Larry joined Dr. Hagen’s new practice in Sioux Center. After four years, in 1977, Larry and his family moved to Spirit Lake, where he built the first Dixon Chiropractic office on the west side of Highway 71.

“I learned so much from Dr. Hagen and he taught me so much those first few years,” Larry shared.

Dixon Family Chiropractic expanded and added other Dixon Chiropractors over the years. The offices remained along Highway 71 for 35 years, until 2011, when Drs Larry, Wade, and Adelee Dixon moved their growing practice into the Pizza Ranch strip mall. Dixon Family Chiropractic recently opened up a new office over this past Labor Day weekend, next to Central Bank along Highway 9.

“It has been such a blessing to share a practice with family,” Larry said. “I never pushed my boys into being chiropractors. It was a career path Myles and Wade decided on their own; I wanted it to be their decision.”

He said chiropractic method and treatment has changed a lot in the past 50 years.

“It changed from just spine only to cranial, TMJ and extremity, as well as nutrition and exercise,” he added. “When I went to school, the prerequisites depended on each state. Now, there is a standardized four-year degree before acceptance into chiropractic college and continuing education requirements.”

Besides living out his dreams, over the years, Larry has also played an active role helping high school and college wrestlers and other athletes.

On June 16, Larry celebrated fifty years of being an active chiropractor and looks forward to helping his patients for many more years.

“I’m so blessed to live out God’s dreams for my life,” he said. “When I talk to young kids about future careers, we talk about not just picking a career path to make money. You need to follow your calling and choose a career you want to do for your whole life.”

From music to chiropractic care, Larry continues to passionately live his life bringing hope and joy to those he daily encounters. Pursuing his life’s calling to the fullest – he may be in his seventies, but he has no plans to retire any day soon!