The Lamont Cranston Band is an American
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
* Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
* Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
based in
Hamel, Minnesota.
It was founded in 1969 by brothers Pat and Larry Hayes and continues today with Pat as the band's frontman.
The band is named after the alter ego of the
pulp hero
Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the Pulp (paper), wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their ...
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
.
History
"Excuse Moi, Mon Cheri," written by Larry Hayes, was recorded by the
Blues Brothers and released as the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of the band's single "
Soul Man". In 1981, the band scored their biggest hit "Upper Mississippi Shakedown," although it failed to reach the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
singles chart.
The band has played with notable musicians such as
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...
,
Albert King
Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...
,
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray Vaughan (also known as SRV; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble. Although his ma ...
,
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...
, the
Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
, the
Yardbirds,
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
,
Yes
Yes or YES may refer to:
* An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no
Education
* YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US
* Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US
* Young Ep ...
and the
Blues Brothers. In 1981, they opened for the
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
on a leg of their North American tour.
Pat Hayes played guest harmonica on a track on
Percy Strother's second album, ''The Highway Is My Home'' (1995).
It was a reworking of
Little Walter
Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...
's song "One of These Mornings."
Band members
*Pat Hayes, vocals, guitar, harmonica
*Bruce McCabe, piano
*Jim Greenwell, saxophone
*Bill Pelletier,
bass
*Tom Donnohue,
drums
*Rod Smith, guitar
*Johnny O, guitar
*Tim Wick, organ
Discography
Albums
*''The Lamont Cranston Band'' (1976)
*''Specials Lit'' (1977)
*''El-Cee Notes'' (1978)
*''Up from the Alley'' (1980)
*''Shakedown'' (1981)
*''Bar Wars'' (1981)
*''Last Call'' (1984)
*''A Measure of Time'' (1986)
*''Tiger in Your Tank'' (1988)
*''The Lamont Cranston Blues Band featuring Pat Hayes'' (1991)
*''Upper Mississippi Shakedown: The Best of the Lamont Cranston Band'' (1993)
*''Rock Awhile: The Early Years 1975–1978'' (1994)
*''Roll with Me'' (1997)
*''Tiger in Your Tank'' (1999)
*''Lamont Live!!'' (2001)
*''In the 80's'' (2009)
*''Live at the People's Fair 1987'' (2010)
*''Lamont Cranston Band with Bruce McCabe'' (2012)
Singles
*"
Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" / "Something You Got", Shadow Records (1976)
*"Takin' a Chance" / "E Jam", Waterhouse Records 15002 (1979)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamont Cranston Band, The
Musical groups from Minnesota
Musical groups established in 1969
American blues musical groups