Paul Butterfield |
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Fri. December 17.1999 3:00 AM EST |
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Paul Butterfieldby Frank Tortorici |
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Though he was known for playing the blues, Paul Butterfield also loved classical and jazz music. ( ) |
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Singer and harmonica player Paul Butterfield was the leader of a racially integrated R&B/blues band responsible for introducing black-flavored blues to a new generation of pop-music lovers. Paul Butterfield was born Dec. 17, 1942, in Chicago
Butterfield studied music as a child and eventually was tutored by a flautist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. More than just musically talented, he was offered a track scholarship to Brown University but refused it due to a knee injury. So Butterfield refocused on music, taking up both guitar and harmonica. He began frequenting music clubs on Chicago's South Side and ended up playing onstage several times with blues greats such as Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. Butterfield and Elvin Bishop, a fellow student at the University of Chicago, then began playing in bar bands with such names as Salt and Pepper Shakers and the South Side Olympic Blues Team. In 1963 Butterfield formed the Paul Butterfield Blues Band with bassist Jerome Arnold and drummer Sam Lay of Howlin' Wolf's band. Soon added to the lineup were guitarists Bishop and Michael Bloomfield and keyboardist Mark Naftalin. The group toured frequently and built a following, releasing an eponymous debut LP in 1965. It marked the first time that many people were able to hear white musicians (though the band was racially mixed) perform original blues, for groups such as the Rolling Stones had been doing only covers of songs by other blues greats. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band gained wider recognition that year when, after their own set at the Newport Folk Festival, the group backed Bob Dylan for his first electric performance. East-West (1966) featured jazz and Indian influences. After the LP, Bloomfield quit to form Electric Flag, and Bishop became Butterfield's lead guitarist. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band became even more experimental in 1967, adding a brass section and switching emphasis to R&B. Two years later, Butterfield guested on Muddy Waters' Fathers and Sons. After years of revolving membership, Butterfield folded his band in 1972 and moved to Woodstock, N.Y. His next group was Paul Butterfield's Better Days, which included bassist Billy Rich, guitarist Amos Garrett, singer Geoff Muldaur, drummer Christopher Parker and keyboardist Ronnie Barron. The group debuted with Better Days (1973). In 1976 Butterfield performed at The Band's concert filmed for The Last Waltz. In the next few years, he toured with Levon Helm's RCO All Stars and with Rick Danko, in the Danko-Butterfield Band. In 1980, while cutting North-South in Memphis, Butterfield suffered a perforated intestine and peritonitis, which required several surgeries over the next few years. In 1986 came his last album, The Legendary Paul Butterfield Rides Again. Butterfield, reportedly an alcoholic, was found dead from heart failure in his North Hollywood apartment on May 4, 1987. In 1997 WEA/Elektra issued the two-CD set Born in Chicago — Best of Paul Butterfield Blues Band, featuring such classics as "Mystery Train" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Lovin Cup." Other birthdays Friday: Arthur Neville (Neville Brothers), 62; Jim Bonfanti (Raspberries), 51; Wanda Hutchinson (Emotions), 48; Mickey Jones (Angel), 47; Mike Mills (R.E.M.), 41; Sarah Dallin (Bananarama), 39; Carlton Barrett (Bob Marley and the Wailers), 1950–1987; Eddie Kendricks (Temptations), 1939–1992; and Bob Stinson (Replacements), 1959–1995. |
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