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Don 'Sugarcane' HarrisPure Food and Drug ActIn the 1970's, Don toured and recorded with a group formed by Paul Lagos, the Pure Food and Drug Act. Lagos, a brilliant jazz and R&B drummer, had played with Don in the Johnny Otis Band and with John Mayall's "USA Union" tour and album.
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The news has just reached me of Paul Lagos' death October 19th, 2009.
Paul
had the energy to put together the band, whose other original members were
Larry Taylor on bass and
Randy 'Rare' Resnick
on guitar. Taylor
was already famous for bands he had been in, such as Canned Heat and John
Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Resnick had been playing in other bands with Lagos
and had developed an innovative (remember, this was in the late 60's) tapping/hammering
style. |
|
 Randy Resnick and Larry Taylor |
The quartet played at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles in around 1969. Larry Taylor soon decided that Don's constant lateness and irresponsability were not his bag. (During an Ash Grove gig, J.B. Hutto walked out and stage and collapsed before playing a note. It was explained that he was a diabetic.) Paul and Randy brought in Victor Conte on bass guitar. Victor later went on to play with Tower of Power and Herbie Hancock. That group opened a Johnny Otis concert at El Monte Legion Hall to a huge crowd who went crazy with joy when the heard Don's Jimi Hendrix-like craziness on the violin. |
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Mandel and Harris standing |
At this point, Harvey Mandell came in to the group to help stimulate label interest. The five-man group signed with Epic Records and recorded one live LP, Choice Cuts. A review of a gig at Alice's in Chicago can be found here. It was during the early four man PFDA gigs that Randy Resnick developed the now ubiquitous guitar 'tapping' or 'hammering' technique. He also used the technique on several songs from John Mayall's "Latest Edition" (Polydor): Troubled Times and Deep Down Feelings. |
| Sugarcane had the habit of either showing up late to gigs or leaving late at night or very early in the morning, in order to avoid contact with certain people, such as those he may have possibly borrowed money from or "inconvenienced" in some other way. This photo was taken in Aspen. |
 Where's Don? Mandel, Conte, Lagos and Resnick in Aspen |
 | Coleman Head, who occasionally replaced Sugarcane at gigs when the latter was unavailable, became a member of the Pure Food and Drug Act after the departure of Randy Resnick. Cole is a great guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has penned songs for PFDA as well as Tower of Power and his own recordings. Check out a part of Haunted by a Dream on the tribute page. |
