The Lamont Cranston Band is an American blues band, based in Hamel, Minnesota. It was founded in 1969 by brothers Pat and Larry Hayes and continues today with Pat as the band's frontman. The band is named after the alter ego of the pulp hero The Shadow.
"Excuse Moi, Mon Cheri," written by Larry Hayes, was recorded by the Blues Brothers and released as the B-side of their single "Soul Man". In 1981, the band broke into the Billboard charts with their biggest hit, "Upper Mississippi Shakedown".
The band has played with some notable musicians, such as Muddy Waters, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, Kansas, Yes and the Blues Brothers. In 1981, they opened for the Rolling Stones on a leg of their North American tour.
Pat Hayes played guest harmonica on a track on Percy Strother's second album, The Highway Is My Home (1995}. It was a reworking of Little Walter's tune, "One Of These Mornings."