Victor Conte and Barry Bonds

[emblymouse]

If you've been following the doping scandals this year you may have noticed one of the key players involved in doleing out steriods to pro ball players. His name is Victor Conte, and he was a sort of liason between physicians and players(alledgedly).
I happen to recognize him from his days as a very dope bassist with Chicago guitarist Harvey Mandel in the late 60's-early 70's with a seriously funky band called... wait for it...
Pure Food and Drug Act. It also featured Sugarcane Harris, post Hot Rats, on electric violin and vocals. Harvey went on to almost make the cut w/ the Stones after recording 'Hot Stuff' (Can't Get Enough). Of course Ronnie got that gig.
This is not a slam or slander, just a little known connection that I doubt hardly anyone knows about. PF+DA cut one live LP that is just too funky, but totally obscure. He was an influential player to me as a young player. One of the best comps I was ever paid was when someone once compared me to Victor.
Do any of you know about this cat?

[Dr. Cheese]

Victor Conte also replaced Rocco Prestia in TOP while Rocco was having issues. The man clearly had some talent.

[realdeal]

I met Victor (aka "Walking Fish") years back. My cousin played guitar along with Harvey in PFDA- Randy Resnick, who later did a tour with John Mayall. Randy had Coltrane-chops on guitar; now lives in France where he has a web-development business. PFDA was an interesting act-
SugarCane Harris was also a player worthy of looking into. A real anamoly- Incredibly soulful, classically-trained Violinist, did work with Zappa, and known for a recording done as "Don and Dewey", "I"m Leaving It All Up to You", later covered by ....the Osmonds! Some of "Cane's" exploits on the road were kinda .... legendary!

Victor also did an album I know of with a Pedal Steel player, Freddy Roulette. Pretty good stuff there too, check out Randy on "Mr. Roulette". Vic is very solid on this work too.

Bruce Conte, his cousin, played guitar in TOP for a while.

Victor was a dedicated bassist, he spent an afternoon showing me some things, and in his days before BALCO, was a very dedicated musician. He told me he studied with Ray Brown for a period of time.

I was shocked years back when I heard the name... I thought... "Could it be.....??" Yep, it was.

I later learned from the press that the BALCO thing came from his being a long-distance runner back when he was in high-school, and his interest in athletics and endurance etc. Don't wish to become involved in that kind of discussion though!!

Very strange to me to learn of his involvement in this after many years. My short time knowing/talking with Vic was all productive, and he was a very cool guy and accomplished player at that time.

[emblymouse]

Thanks, I was never hip to any other work he did, I just loved that PF+DA record. I can totally see how he could fall right into Tower of Power.

Real Deal, next time you talk with your cousin Randy, tell him he's got a fan! That was quite a unit.

[Sneckumhaw]

Very interesting!

[realdeal]

I forgot to mention the drummer in PFDA- Paul Lagos, who was (is??) brilliant! Believe he hung with Elvin Jones at some point.

Last saw Randy about a year ago, when he was in the States briefly. Google him, and you may find a CD he self-produced, called "Randy Rare", with Larry Taylor, and maybe even Victor, not sure...

Randy's talents as a guitarist were beyond belief...he's a true genius, musically and otherwise--arrogant SOB though!

His brother, Art Resnick, is an unknown, yet World-Class jazz Pianist, with Bill Evans -type chops, who's played with, among others, Rufus Reid, a true master of the bass.

Don't know if Randy still plays much, but anyway- PFDA was a talented aggregate, no doubt. I believe they (with Victor) also backed John Lee Hooker on some engagements as a rhythm section. I remember hearing a tape, with Vic I'm sure, and it was some KILLER blues.

Randy also did a brief stint with Saxophonist John Klemmer, who's recorded some interesting things- That effort was recorded as "Fresh Feathers"; He also played with Violinist Richard Greene.
The Mayall tour had Larry Taylor on bass (who I understood to have one of the world's great collections of.... classic porn! ... Vintage stuff, I mean, not the gnarly kind!!
Red Holloway played sax, High-Tide Harris on guitar as well.
Pretty cool album, called "New Year, New Band".

I guess Vic did some time, a while back 20/20 or some similar show did the BALCO story, and there was Victor, they even did a brief spot with him and his Bass...

Hope he's doing well; he was good people!

[Lorenzini]

Originally Posted by realdeal

Hope he's doing well; he was good people!

All due respect and he is a very accomplished player, but he's obviously not very good people.

[realdeal]

I purposely focused on the musical aspects to stay away from the 'roid controversy, and BALCO in particular.

That's opening a can of worms. A BIG one, maybe best suited for OT.

I'll only recount my limited experience with Victor et al as musicians and their projects, and leave it at that. And they were, in fact, all very good people.

I'll leave it at that.