Randy Resnick

Randy Resnick is an American guitarist who has played with many blues and jazz luminaries, such as Don "Sugarcane" Harris, John Lee Hooker, John Klemmer, John Mayall and Freddie King. He was developing a tapping style, in the early 1970s. He published a CD of his own music in 1995. There is an example of his tapping work in the recording from that CD below.

Career

Resnick was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He began his career playing in Minneapolis clubs, moving to Los Angeles in 1968. There he met drummer Paul Lagos who was working for the band, Kaleidoscope. Lagos eventually introduced Resnick to Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor and violin player Don "Sugarcane" Harris. The four musicians formed a band called Pure Food and Drug Act, based on Sugarcane's blues/jazz violin and singing. It was during this period that he developed his tapping technique. Sugarcane Harris died in 1999 in California. Paul Lagos died on October 19, 2009 in Minneapolis, MN.

After quitting the PFDA, Resnick went on to play with John Mayall and recorded the album The Latest Edition, with Larry Taylor on bass, Red Holloway, a seasoned jazz player on sax and flute, Soko Richardson, former Ike and Tina Turner drummer, and Hi Tide Harris sharing the guitar spotlight with a contrasting, simpler bluesy style.^[1] This band toured Europe and Asia in 1974. Although the musicians were all talented, the material was lackluster and the album did not sell. He then went on to tour with John Klemmer. Resnick has retired several times, disappearing for 6 to 8 years and resurfacing in strange places like Bordeaux, France where he now lives.

Randy Resnick playing with Canned Heat at the 15th Avignon Blues Festival, October 5th, 2012. Photo: Salva1745

Brief return to the concert stage, October 2012: Canned Heat leader Fito de la Parra called Resnick to replace Harvey Mandel, who had to fly back to California for a family emergency. He played two dates of the Canned Heat European tour in Bergerac, France on October 4 and Avignon, France October 5th, but was unable to play the rest of the dates because of a prior commitment.

	Log Jam "Tapping diminished scale riff at the end of Log Jam" Recorded in 1993 in Palo Alto, California
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	Fool's Paradise "Excerpt from tapping solo in Fool's Paradise from To Love, Randy Rare"
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Resnick was mentioned in the Eddie Van Halen biography^[2] for his contribution to the tapping guitar technique and by Lee Ritenour in the January 1980 Guitar Player Magazine, who saw Resnick use the tapping technique in 1974 at the Whisky a Go-Go with the Richard Greene Group. The legendary Ted Greene, from whom Resnick took one lesson, spoke of his playing in an interview given shortly before his death.

Other mentions include All Music Guide to rock,^[3] Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll ,^[4] Billboard Magazine, Jul 29, 1972,^[5] The Jazz Discography Volume 9,^[6] Cadence, Vol 21,^[7] John Mayall: The Blues Crusader^[8]

External links

• Randy Resnick's website

References

1. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). All music guide to the blues: the definitive guide to the blues. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 377. ISBN 9780879307363. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
2. Sanchez, Abel. Van Halen 101.
3. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). All music guide to the blues: the definitive guide to the blues. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 377. ISBN 9780879307363. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
4. Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll.
5. Billboard Jul 29, 1972.
6. Lord, Tom. The Jazz Discography, Volume 9.
7. Rusck. Cadence, Volume 21.
8. Logos, Dinu (2015). John Mayall: The Blues Crusader. Edition Olms. p. 120. ISBN 978-3283012281. Retrieved 1 August 2015.