Page 10 - May issue 2021

Why Mike Bloomfifield
andPaulButterfifieldMatter
by James Walsh
Whether it was Mike Bloomfield playing on the Bob
Dylan song Highway 61 or playing a music workshop there is no doubt that Paul Butterfield’s harmonica playing during their performance at the Newport Folk Fest knocked people’s socks off. Paul Butterfield gave insight into Bloomfield’s state of mind “ Mike traded his 1954 Goldtop to Dan Erlewine for a 1959 Sunburst Les Paul Standard that was awesome.”
The vinyl album East-West by the Butterfield Blues Band with Bloomfield on guitar killed it and stops in the Bay Area made it so other musicians could learn from these Chicago veterans of the blues. In 1967 Bloomfield moved to Marin County from Chicago and formed Electric Flag. They played Monterey Pop Fest and only released one album A Long Time Comin’. They broke up and Mike went back on the road again with Butterfield and then later he worked with Al Kooper on the Blues Project “Super Session”. Paul Butterfield played Blues Harp on Super Session as did Stephen Stills play guitar. When Mike had trouble with insomnia and fatigue and did not show up for Part 2 of the Super Sessions Stephen Stills stepped in.
Butterfield’s seminal harmonica playing inspired Mike Bloomfield and tending to free him up to play better guitar. Following session work with Al Kooper and Bob Dylan Mike Bloomfield went on to do session work with a whopping 80 other Artists including Janis Joplin and Taj Mahal.
There was a fire in his playing and Dylan said of Bloomfield “He was the best guitar player I ever heard.” Bloomfield even went on to Produce, Write , and Record again after taking a break from guitar for awhile. He continued to work with Acts like Dr. John and KGB which was Ray Kennedy, Barry Goldberg, and Mike Bloomfield.
American cities as a solo artist before returning to the Bay Area to play clubs with new and old friends. Both Butterfield and Bloomfield had one strong trait: They were incredibly authentic. Check out “Walking By Myself” at Fenway Theater, Boston - December 10 -11- 1971 from the second Reunion Gig of the members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band : https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Ofevd9S2-2E
Though “Walking By Myself” is recorded in mono it is obvious they are a powerful unit. There is not one wrong note. It can be said the synergy of the members is nothing short of awesome and stands the test of time. Butterfield flipped his harmonica backwards and played in a way the was instantly accessible to fans. Mike Bloomfield said: “ I am not Son House, I can play blues, you know, and I can feel it in a way, but those guys are a different story, man, a different thing altogether...But Butterfield is somethin’ else -he feels it, he’s in there all the way.” Check out Paul Butterfield live at Monterey Pop playing “Drifting and Drifting” with a young Elvin Bishop on guitar : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5czZzRAxBs
Paul Butterfield & Mike Bloomfield have a party vibe going on “Shake Your Money Maker” ; it is a rare chance to hear Mike play slide guitar on his Goldtop Les Paul...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjUWtmxY5Kw
The reason they both matter is their influence has not waned even in the slightest, even into the Modern Digital era. Gone but never forgotten.
Bloomfield occasionally toured the major North 10