Don "Sugarcane" Harris

Don "Sugarcane" Harris launched his professional path as the guitarist in the 1950s rock duo Don & Dewey, only to set the instrument aside and take up the violin once the partnership failed to break through commercially—despite the fact that several of its numbers later became successes for acts including the Righteous Brothers and the Premiers. Formally schooled in classical violin technique, Harris developed an improvisational approach that quickly drew interest from rock circles, leading to session appearances alongside John Lee Hooker, Frank Zappa, and Johnny Otis. In 1970 he aligned with British blues artist John Mayall during the formation of the latter’s inaugural all-American ensemble. Beyond those stints with Mayall, Zappa, and additional leaders, Harris issued multiple albums under his own name on the Epic and Poldor imprints. Following an extended struggle with pulmonary disease, he was discovered deceased in his Los Angeles apartment on December 1, 1999, at the age of 61.