Happy Birthday to the American guitarist Harvey Mandel, who is turning 81 today. He first gained attention when he joined Canned Heat in 1969. The Woodstock Festival was his third gig with the band. He quit Canned Heat after about one year, and went on to play in John Mayall’s band for a couple of years.
During the first half of the 1970’s Harvey Mandel also released a small handful of records, both solo and as part of a band project. Before we move on to some rather interesting rock history trivia, let’s make a stop with Canned Heat.
Canned Heat - I’m Her Man (live at Woodstock, 1969)
Now we’ve come to 1975 and what could have been Harvey Mandel’s big break. Mick Taylor had quit The Rolling Stones, and guess who one of the hottest tips for his replacement was. Yes, it was Harvey Mandel. When the Stones were to record Black and Blue, he holed up with Keith in Munich, jamming and playing together.
Allegedly Harvey and Keith had a great chemistry between them, both as musicans and as mates. Rumour even has it that Mick got jealous of the situation. It was him and Keith who were the Glimmer Twins. Eventually Harvey got to play on two tracks on Black and Blue, namely Hot Stuff and…
The Rolling Stones - Memory Motel (1976)
Another contender to replace Mick Taylor was Ron Wood. He did agree to help out if needed, but he did not want to quit The Faces. It so happened that the Stones had a tour in the US in 1975. They were of course one guitarist short. Harvey Mandel had other obligations at the time, so Ron Wood was asked to help out. He said yes and the rest is history. Harvey Mandel was…close, but no cigar.
Instead Harvey Mandel had to carry on by himself, and albeit it’s been a low-key career, he’s been busy enough. There’s been several several Canned Heat reunions, along with plenty of other gigs. He’s also released between 30 and 40 albums through the years, either solo or in collaborations. His last solo album was as late as last year.
So here’s a toast to another one of the fine musicians who seem doomed to remain in the background. Happy Birthday to Harvey Mandel 