SHARPS & FLATS : BUTTERFIELD'S BRAND OF BLUES.Byline: Fred Shuster They were among the greatest, if littlest known, '60s blues bands. We're talking about the Butterfield Blues Band, the group led by Chicago-born harpist Paul Butterfield Paul Butterfield (December 17, 1942 – May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player and singer, and one of the earliest white exponents of the Chicago-originated electric blues style. . The original six members of the band made an enormous contribution to modern music, turning an entire generation of music lovers onto the blues. The self-titled first Butterfield album, released in 1965, had a huge effect on rock musicians who were used to hearing blues covered by groups like the Rolling Stones Rolling Stones, English rock music group that rose to prominence in the mid-1960s and continues to exert great influence. Members have included singer Mick Jagger (Michael Phillip Jagger), 1943–; guitarists Brian Jones . This was authentic Chicago urban blues, and thanks to Butterfield, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf Howlin' Wolf, 1910–76, African-American blues singer and composer, b. White Station, Miss., as Chester Arthur Burnett. Exposed to blues performers from childhood, he sang locally and organized his first band in West Memphis, Tenn., in 1948. and others began to sell a lot more records. The second Butterfield album, ``East-West,'' with its extended 13-minute instrumental jazz-blues-raga fusion, had an equally large effect on rock music that still is being felt today in such popular young groups as Phish. The music found on a recent two-CD compilation of Butterfield material, ``An Anthology: The Elektra Years,'' sounds as fresh and vital today as when it was created more than 25 years ago. Butterfield, who died of drug-related heart failure in North Hollywood in 1987, was considered an American John Mayall, a band leader with an ear fine-tuned for talent who gave dazzling guitarists like the late Mike Bloomfield
Personnel changes were common in the Butterfield Band, but the material and musicianship were always tip-top, from early members like Sam Lay, arguably Chicago's greatest shuffle drummer, to guitarist Buzzy Feiten and alto saxophonist David Sanborn in the final lineup. To this day, Butterfield is one of the few harpists to have developed a completely unique sound on the instrument. Like many Chicago-style amplified harmonica harmonica. 1 The simplest of the musical instruments employing free reeds, known also as the mouth organ or French harp. It was probably invented in 1829 by Friedrich Buschmann of Berlin, who called his instrument the Mundäoline. players, he played the instrument like a horn, tending toward single notes rather than bursts of chords. Butterfield's playing was always intense, subtle and powerful. Some of his best work also can be found backing Waters on the 1969 live album ``Fathers and Sons,'' partly recorded at a Chicago blues festival The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event that features four days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June. in which Bloomfield, pianist Otis Spann and Lay offer great performances. Before you imagine the blues begins and ends with Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. His broad appeal, combination of unbelievable speed, precision, energy, passion and emotion and constant expansion of his Blues style into Funk, Jazz, , check out some of the music's very best stylists. CAPTION(S): photo PHOTO The Butterfield Blues Band made an enormous contribution to modern music. |
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