The One Man Band Chronicles #4: Dave Harris Interview

Dave Harris is a singer, songwriter, busker, author, record collector and one man band. I ran across some of Dave's performance videos on YouTube a few years ago and have been a fan ever since. He has been busking in Victoria, British Columbia for over 40 years. Here is my interview with Dave.

CASEY REDMOND: Tell me about your early life.

DAVE HARRIS: I was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1956.  We only lived there for a year or two before we moved to Urbana, Illinois where my father taught philosophy at the university. We lived there until I was six, a lovely sleepy little college town. Then we moved to Toronto, Ontario in Canada. My father headed up the philosophy department at York University. I went through my school years there. I was a rather unmotivated student. They accelerated me in an effort to get more out of me  (I did grades 3,4 and 5 in two years) but it didn't work, dropping my grade point average from B to a C.  I quit school in Grade 12 but did eventually complete the basic high school of Grade 12. (Ontario had a grade 13 in those days). After I finished, I worked for a year then moved to Victoria, British Columbia where I live to this day.

CR: I know you are a big record collector, what is the first record you ever bought?

DH: I think my first record was a Daniel Boone/Davey Crockett LP I bought at the local grocery store, I was maybe around 10. We didn't have a tv and only listened to classical and a bit of folk music on the radio and my dad's l.p. collection. I was not very hip at all and did not get into rock music until some time after age 13.  My first popular music records were around my 14th birthday, in 1970. I recall this vividly; I bought Woodstock, Mountain's Climbing and The Beatles' Let It Be. From there it just snowballed. By the time I moved west, I brought out 400 LPs with me and within a few years I hit 1,000. I haven't done a count in years but I estimate my collection at around 10,000 now. A big part of it, half I'd say, being blues related.

Dave's first record?

CR: Of all of those records, do you have a favorite?

DH: No. I don't have a favorite. I've never been that type of person. I've always just bounced around, listening to whatever fit my mood. My brother would listen to the same record or three over and over (my records too, wore them out!) But I was adventurous as a listener. I'd buy things just to hear them, no idea what they were. I discovered people like Rory Gallagher, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Roy Buchanan, Return To Forever, Lenny Beau, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson in exactly this way. Just saw a record, thought I would like it and bought it.

CR: Are there any records out there you are still searching for?

DH: Yes, there still are a few. One is Blind Joe Hill's LP on Barrelhouse. He's a very cool Jimmy Reed influenced one man band. There are a few more. But in a collection of 10,000, I'm not short on interesting things to listen to. Lots of rare gems in there too.

CR: When did you start playing music?

DH: I started playing music on piano around age 9 or so. I was terrible at it. I only heard classical like Beethoven, Mozart and Bach and some folk like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. I played violin next in school, starting in grade 7. By then I was catching on to some popular music. I was an avid radio fan, had a transistor battery operated radio that I carried everywhere. So all of the pop music of the late 60s/early 70s. A few early favourites include, Neil Young, The Allman Brothers, The Who, Santana, mostly blues guitar rock, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, BB. King, Cream, Roy Buchanan, on and on. I started playing guitar and harmonica  at age 17 (1974). By then the floodgates had opened for me and I was a fanatic about music.

CR  Tell me about your first guitar.

DH: My first guitar was a rather poor Epiphone dreadnought, can't remember the model number. It was the bad era for Epiphone, not the great early 60s era. This guitar had high action a zero fret (not a good thing), plywood body and was hard to play.  But I loved it until I got a better guitar and realized how much easier it was to play.  My first electric guitar, a few months later, was a second hand Les Paul Deluxe (gold top). What a great guitar! That really helped with my playing and inspiration. Unfortunately, it was stolen just after I moved to Vic but I got two and a half years of bliss before that.

CR: When did you first perform in public?

DH: My first public performance was in public school. I came in second for my presentation on archery. So it looked good for me as a public speaker. Then I had a piano recital a year or two later and I totally froze! Couldn't remember my piece, just a nightmare! My dad  laughed when I boldly  said I was going to be a professional musician. He reminded me of my failed recital. But I persevered and he was in my corner after he saw I was serious.

CR:  I know you mainly play solo now but have you played in many bands?

DH: My first gigs were with my neighborhood friends playing for other neighbors. A trio with two guitars/drums, no bass. I have been in many bands, too many to list. Blue Sky was a main one in the 80s. It was a variety band playing everything from fiddle tunes to Dylan/Neil Young to hard country to hard rock with old rock n roll, blues and bluegrass in there too. Other bands include, Barrelhouse, my first blues band around '89. Slim & The Dusters was another long running blues band, up until recently. I did bands for indoor work and largely busked as a solo since the mid 90s.

CR: When did you start busking?

DH: I started busking back in 1977. I was a guitar/rack harp guy doing Neil Young and so on. My money was low and I wanted to do music full-time. So busking made sense (literally, cents!). A good day was 15 dollars but my expenses were low. I fell in love with that method of sharing music and here I am over 40 years later, still at it. Very proud of that. Never had a job since I came here or collected a welfare check. Music is my life.

CR: What tips would you give to someone who would like to start street performing?

DH: Good question. I get asked this a lot. I actually wrote a piece on that subject. Bottom line, sing out! Smile! Enjoy yourself, others will pick up on that. Be a goodwill ambassador. Raise the bar for busking. Don't be the lowest common denominator, find your own style/sound/material.

CR: Do you busk year round? Do you have any indoor gigs?

DH: No not year round. April to October, depending on the weather. I don't have any steady gigs but do play a few around town. A nice pub called Christie's, semi regular.

CR: When did you start performing as a one man band? How has your set up changed through the years?

DH: I kind of was a simple one man band from my first years busking, with rack harp, guitar and adding in the fiddle. I even tried fiddle and harp together in 1981, I have a recording. In 1990, I started sitting down operating drums with my feet. Usually snare and kick. In 1996, my one man band was steel body guitar, rack harp, suitcase bass drum, high hat, The odd horn and bell or woodblock (I'd tap it with my fiddle bow) and fiddle. Over the next few years, I added more--second guitar in open tuning, second fiddle in dropped tuning, even viola for a while. Mandolin, 6-string banjo, auto-valve harps, fotdella and eventually farmer foot drums. It got to be a bit much to move around. I've scaled back a bit now.

CR: Who are some of your favorite one man bands?

DH: Jesse Fuller is my first and greatest model. My fotdella was a tribute to him. I did a decoupage, I think that's the name, on it of all my favorite blues artists. with Jesse in the prime spot. Others I was influenced by are Doctor Ross, Joe Hill Louis (the Big Three) Satan & Adam, Wilbert Harrison, Don Partridge and our own local guy, One Man Dan. I'm probably forgetting a couple too.

Jesse Fuller & his fotdella

CR: Who is One Man Dan, I am not familiar with him?

DH: One Man Band Dan was (RIP) an interesting one man band I first saw in the late 70s busking here in Victoria. He lived on nearby Galiano Island. I cover him in my book, Dan Persyko. He was kind of a kids show novelty type one man band but he had seen Jesse Fuller so his inspiration was similar to mine. His music was kind of klezmer, a bit. He had Jewish roots, so that made sense. But more in a kid's show presentation. I posted a few seconds of him on YouTube, so you can see him, if you like.

CR: You mentioned the fotdella, how was that built? Are you the only fotdella player still around?

DH: The fotdella, wow, what a concept! I had my friend Glenn Orr build both of mine. Piano hammers hitting bass guitar strings. Unfortunately, they were both quiet and prone to breakdowns. The second had more strings and was supposed to be louder but I don't know that it was. The hammers would get play in them over time and start missing strings. I got pretty adept at using them though. I retired both eventually, just too many issues and big and heavy. I've thought about refurbishing one again but I haven't so far. I think I was the only one playing one for awhile there. Robert One Man Johnson used an electric version, a bit different but still similar. Then "The Haret" built something similar. He has massive numbers on YouTube.

Dave's fotdella

CR: Tell us about your one man band book, "Heads, Hands & Feet".

DH: The book! What highs and lows on that one! I was SO enthused about it. I was able to meet so many other one man bands through it. I started writing a book about blues one man bands but soon felt I had to expand. That was in 2009. I worked very hard on it until 2012. I mean, ten, twelve, maybe more sometimes, hours a day on it. Not in the summer, when I was busking, but more hours at night on it when I came home. I published it in 2012. The sales were decent initially but dried right up over a few years. I have a blog where it can be purchased (Dave's Blog) or at Amazon or on eBay. I have fond memories of it, mostly. But it is a source of disappointment and depression to me too.

CR: I know you have recorded some CDs, where are they available?

DH: It is hard to find my CDs online. I sell hand to hand or by mail. I've made too many to list. CD sales have really tanked over the last few years. If someone is interested, they can reach me on my Facebook page.

CR: What future projects are in the works?

DH: Currently I am working with two other singers on a Hank Williams tribute show. I use my one man band and electric guitar to back them. I am also in a new blues trio. My One Man Band is mostly a busking thing these days. I am out busking seven months a year.

CR: Where and when do you usually busk? If someone is in the area, where can they go to see you perform?

DH: My main location is in our lower causeway in Victoria, British Columbia by the Legislature Building and The Empress Hotel, basically the main tourist spot. I used to play 8 hours a day but I've cut it back the last couple of years, so more like 4 hours a day now. Usually an afternoon and evening time shift, two hour time slots.

Dave Harris Facebook Page

Casey's Website