Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Michael Bernard Bloomfield |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | July 28, 1943
Died | February 15, 1981 San Francisco, California, U.S. | (aged 37)
Genres |
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Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1959–1981 |
Formerly of | |
Website | mikebloomfield |
Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American blues guitarist and composer. Born in Chicago, he became one of the first popular music stars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, as he rarely sang before 1969.[1] Respected for his guitar playing, Bloomfield knew and played with many of Chicago's blues musicians before achieving his own fame and was instrumental in popularizing blues music in the mid-1960s. In 1965, he played on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, including the single "Like a Rolling Stone", and performed with Dylan at that year's Newport Folk Festival.
Bloomfield was ranked No. 22 on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2003[2] and No. 42 by the same magazine in 2011.[3] He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012 and, as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Early years
Bloomfield was born into a wealthy
Bloomfield's family lived in various locations around Chicago before settling at 424 West Melrose Street on the North Side. When he was twelve his family moved to suburban Glencoe, Illinois, where he attended New Trier High School for two years. During this time, he began playing in local bands, and Bloomfield put together a band called the Hurricanes, named after Ohio rock band Johnny and the Hurricanes. New Trier High School expelled Bloomfield after his band performed a raucous rock and roll song at a 1959 school gathering. He attended Cornwall Academy in Massachusetts for one year and then returned to Chicago, where he spent his last year of education at a local YMCA school, Central YMCA High School.[5]
Bloomfield had attended a 1957 Chicago performance by blues singer Josh White, and began spending time in Chicago's South Side blues clubs and playing guitar with such black bluesmen as Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachell, and Little Brother Montgomery. He first sat in with a black blues band in 1959, when he performed with Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson at a Chicago club called the Place. He performed with Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and many other Chicago blues performers during the early 1960s. In 1962 he married Susan Smith.[4]
Writing in 2001, keyboardist, songwriter and record producer
The Butterfield Band (1965–1967)
In the early 1960s he met harmonica player and singer
Bloomfield recorded a few sessions for Columbia in 1964 that remained unreleased until after his death. In early 1965 he joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which included Elvin Bishop and keyboardist
In June 1965, Bloomfield had recorded with
When Sam Lay fell ill after a series of dates in November 1965, the Butterfield Band brought Chicago-born drummer Billy Davenport into the group. During the first part of 1966, the band played in California, and they recorded their second album, East-West, that summer. The record's title track found the band exploring modal music, and it was based upon a song Gravenites and Bloomfield had been playing since 1965, "It's About Time".
Bloomfield played on recording sessions between 1965 and 1967. His guitar playing had a huge impact on San Francisco Bay Area musicians after playing with the Butterfield band at Bill Graham's Fillmore in March 1966, San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom and also in the Los Angeles area due to the storied two-week run at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach. He became a mentor and inspiration for many guitarists, especially in the SF Bay Area. He did a 1965 date with
The Electric Flag (1967–1968)
Bloomfield tired of the Butterfield Band's rigorous touring schedule and, relocating to San Francisco, sought to create his own group. He formed the short-lived
The Electric Flag debuted at the 1967
Work with Al Kooper
Bloomfield also made an impact through his work with
"Why not do an entire jam album together?" Kooper remembered in 1998, writing the booklet notes for the Bloomfield anthology Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man: Essential Blues, 1964–1969. "At the time, most jazz albums were made using this modus operandi: pick a leader or two co-leaders, hire appropriate sidemen, pick some tunes, make some up and record an entire album on the fly in one or two days. Why not try and legitimize rock by adhering to these standards? In addition, as a fan, I was dissatisfied with Bloomfield's recorded studio output up until then. It seemed that his studio work was inhibited and reined in, compared to his incendiary live performances. Could I put him in a studio setting where he could feel free to just burn like he did in live performances?"
The result was Super Session, a jam album that spotlighted Bloomfield's guitar skills on one side.[1] Bloomfield, who suffered from insomnia, left the sessions after the first day. Guitarist Stephen Stills completed the album with Kooper. It received excellent reviews and became the best-selling album of Bloomfield's career.[1] Its success led to a live sequel, The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, recorded over three nights at Fillmore West in September 1968.
Solo work
Bloomfield continued with solo, session and back-up work from 1968 to 1980. He played guitar on Mother Earth's cover of Memphis Slim's "Mother Earth", a track from their 1968 Living with the Animals album, and on two albums by Texas-born soul singer Wayne Talbert. With Mark Naftalin, he produced the 1968 sessions for James Cotton's 1968 album Cotton in Your Ears. He released his first solo album, It's Not Killing Me, in 1969. Bloomfield also helped Janis Joplin assemble her Kozmic Blues Band (for the album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues, Again Mama!) in 1969, co-wrote "Work Me, Lord" for the album, and played the guitar solo on Joplin's blues composition "One Good Man". Columbia released another 1969 album, a live concert jam, Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West, including Mark Naftalin, former Electric Flag bandmates Marcus Doubleday and Snooky Flowers, and a guest appearance by Taj Mahal. In the same year he reunited with Paul Butterfield and Sam Lay for the Chess Records album Fathers and Sons, featuring Muddy Waters and pianist Otis Spann. Bloomfield composed and recorded the soundtrack for the film Medium Cool, directed by his second cousin, Haskell Wexler. The film includes footage shot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. With Nick Gravenites, he produced blues guitarist Otis Rush's 1969 album Mourning in the Morning, recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with a band that included keyboardists Mark Naftalin and Barry Beckett, along with guitarist Duane Allman.
During 1970 Bloomfield gave up playing because of his heroin addiction:
...and I put the guitar down – didn't touch it. Shooting junk made everything else unimportant, null and void, nolo contendere. My playing fell apart. I just didn't want to play.[7]
He recorded his second solo album, Try It Before You Buy It, in 1973. Columbia rejected it; the complete version of the record would not appear until 1990. Also in 1973, he cut Triumvirate with
In the 1970s Bloomfield played in local
Bloomfield came from a wealthy family, and received annual income from a trust created by his paternal grandfather, which gave him $50,000 each year.
Death
Bloomfield died in San Francisco on February 15, 1981.
Style
This section possibly contains original research. (February 2008) |
Bloomfield's musical influences include
Bloomfield originally used a
In 1967, Bloomfield swapped the Goldtop with his friend repairman/musician Dan Erlewine for Dan's 1959
Bloomfield eventually lost the guitar in Canada; Wolkin and Keenom's biography revealed that a club owner kept the guitar as partial compensation after Bloomfield cut short a round of appearances. This turned out to be accurate and the gig in question was at the Cave in Vancouver, booked from Tue. Nov. 12th, 1974, for five days, until Sat. the 16th. The band played the first night but the next day, Bloomfield boarded a plane and flew home to San Francisco with virtually no notice to the club, hotel, or band members; his friend Mark Naftalin found a note on a torn piece of paper in the hotel room that read, "bye bye, sorry". Bloomfield's two guitars had been left at the club and were retained by club owner Stan Grozina, who wanted compensation for lost revenues.
Unlike contemporaries such as
Gibson has since released a Michael Bloomfield Les Paul—replicating his 1959 Standard—in recognition of his impact on the blues genre, his role in the revived production of the guitar, and his influence on many other guitarists.[17] Because the actual guitar had been unaccounted for so many years, Gibson relied on hundreds of photographs provided by Bloomfield's family to reproduce the guitar. The model comes in two configurations—a clean Vintage Original Specifications (VOS) version, with only Bloomfield's mismatched volume and tone control knobs, missing toggle switch cover, and kidney-shaped tuners replacing the Gibson originals indicating its inspiration and a faithful, process-aged reproduction of the guitar as it was when Bloomfield played it last, complete with the finish smudge below the bridge and various nicks and smudges elsewhere around the body.
Selected discography
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965)
- East-West (1966)
- The Original Lost Elektra Sessions (unreleased recordings from 1965)
- East–West Live (three live versions of the track "East–West", recorded 1966–1967)
The Electric Flag
- The Trip(1967)
- A Long Time Comin' (1968)
- The Band Kept Playing (1974)
- Groovin' Is Easy (Released 2002)
Solo
- It's Not Killing Me (1969)
- Try It Before You Buy It (1973) (Not released until 1990. Additional recordings from these sessions were released on "Bloomfield: A Retrospective" in 1983)
- If You Love These Blues, Play 'Em as You Please (1976; reissued on CD with Bloomfield-Harris)
- Andy's Bad (1977; unreleased title soundtrack to Andy Warhol's Bad)
- Analine (1977)
- I'm with You Always (Recorded 1977)
- Michael Bloomfield (1978)
- Count Talent and the Originals (1978)
- Between a Hard Place and the Ground (1979)
- Bloomfield-Harris (1979)
- Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (1981)
Collaborations
- Blueskvarter (recorded 1964, released 2007), many Swedish CDs, recordings on Swedish radio. Bloomfield plays guitar with Little Brother Montgomery, Sunnyland Slim, Yank Rachell, Eddie Boyd and others.
- Super Session, Bloomfield, Kooper and Stills (1968). This album has been remastered, with new editions featuring several Bloomfield performances not included on the original album, including "Blues for Nothing" and "Fat Gray Cloud".
- The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper (1968)
- Fillmore East: Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield - The Lost Concert Tapes 12/13/68 (recorded 1968, released 2003)
- Two Jews Blues (1969), with Barry Goldberg (uncredited because of contractual constraints)
- Fathers & Sons (1969), with Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Paul Butterfield, Donald Dunn, Sam Lay, Paul Asbell, Buddy Miles, Jeff Carp, & Phil Upchurch. Part live, part studio recordings.
- My Labors (1969), with Nick Gravenites
- Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West (1969), with Nick Gravenites, Taj Mahal, Mark Naftalin. Some of the performances at the same concerts that yielded this album were included on My Labors. Those performances, except for "Winter Country Blues", are now part Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West 1969, released in 2009 and credited to Michael Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites and Friends.
- Medium Cool (1969), original film soundtrack featuring Bloomfield and others
- Steelyard Blues (1973), original film soundtrack, with Nick Gravenites and others
- Mill Valley Bunch – Casting Pearls (1973), with Bill Vitt, Nick Gravenites and others
- Triumvirate (1973), with John Hammond and Dr. John
- KGB (1976), Ray Kennedy (vocals), Barry Goldberg (keyboards), Mike Bloomfield (guitar), Ric Grech (bass), Carmine Appice (drums)
Selected session work
- So Many Roads – John P. Hammond (1965)
- Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan (1965)
- The Peter, Paul and Mary Album – Peter, Paul and Mary (1965)
- Fresh Berry's - Chuck Berry (1965)
- Chicago Loop (1966)
- Cherry Red – Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (BluesWay, 1967)
- "Carry On"/"Ronnie Siegel from Avenue L" 45 – Barry Goldberg, with Frank Zappa, guitar, produced by Tom Wilson
- Grape Jam – Moby Grape (1968) – Played Piano
- Living with the Animals – Mother Earth (1968); credited as "Makal Blumfeld" due to contractual constraints.
- Dues to Pay – Wayne Talbert & the Melting Pot (1968)
- Lord Have Mercy on My Funky Soul -Wayne Talbert (1969)
- Fathers and Sons – Muddy Waters (1969)
- I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! – Janis Joplin (1969)
- Weeds – Brewer & Shipley (1969)
- Moogie Woogie – The Zeet Band (1970) (credited as "Fastfingers" Finkelstein)
- Sam Lay in Bluesland – Sam Lay (1970)
- Gandharva – Beaver & Krause (1971)
- Brand New – Woody Herman and His Orchestra(1971)
Posthumous releases
- Living in the Fast Lane (1981)
- Bloomfield: A Retrospective (1983)
- I'm with You Always (Live recordings from McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, CA; 1977)
- Between the Hard Place and the Ground (Different from the original 70s LP – containing further selections from McCabe's Guitar Shop)
- Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man: Essential Blues, 1964–1969, an anthology that includes five songs from Bloomfield's original 1964 Columbia sessions.
- Live at the Old Waldorf (Recorded live in 1976 and 1977 by producer Norman Dayron at the Old Waldorf nightclub)
- Barry Goldberg & Friends – Live (Features Mike on guitar on most tracks)
- Michael Bloomfield, Harvey Mandel, Barry Goldberg & Friends (with Eddie Hoh on drums) – Solid Blues, ed . 1995 (St.Clair Entertainment Group Inc.)
- The Holy Kingdom: Music of the Gospel 1998 Mike Bloomfield Performed 2 songs; "Wings Of An Angel" and "You Must Have Seen Jesus". Other Artists on the Album included The Five Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Cavaliers and The Swan Silvertones.
- If You Love These Blues by Wolkin & Keenom (Miller Freeman Books, 2000) contains a CD of 1964 recordings made by Norman Dayron
- From His Head to His Heart to His Hands: An Audio-Visual Scrapbook (2013); a Columbia Legacy career retrospective, produced by Al Kooper, including tapes from Bloomfield's original audition for John Hammond at Columbia Records in 1964, previously unissued live performances, and a DVD that includes the documentary film Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield, directed by Bob Sarles and produced and edited by Bob Sarles and Christina Keating. The film premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October 2013.[18][19]
References
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. August 27, 2003. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
- ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists: Mike Bloomfield". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ )
- ^ "Michael Bloomfield's Early Days, Part II". Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "Bloomfield's Doomed Field". Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
- OCLC 237403183.
if you love these blues bloomfield ISBN.
- ^ "Andy Warhol's BAD". YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "Unreleased title soundtrack for Andy's BAD". YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "Fox Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, California, 15 November 1980". bjorner.com. October 27, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ "Michael Bloomfield Biography". Mikebloomfieldamericanmusic.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- OCLC 1091235299.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michael Bloomfield's Mill Valley lifestyle detailed in new bio". Marin Independent Journal. August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wenner, Jann S. (April 6, 1968). "Archives | Mike Bloomfield Interview Part 1". Jann S. Wenner. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ "Gibson – Gibson Guitar: Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitars, Baldwin Pianos". www2.gibson.com. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ "MVFF36 – Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield". Prod3.agileticketing.net. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ Documentary Films - Sweet Blues: A film about Mike Bloomfield, January 23, 2020, retrieved January 8, 2024
Sources
- Michael Bloomfield – Me and Big Joe, Re/Search Publications, 1st edition 1980, ISBN 978-1889307053
- Jan Mark Wolkin & Bill Keenom - Michael Bloomfield – If You Love These Blues: An Oral History Backbeat Books, 1st edition September 2000 – ISBN 978-0-87930-617-5(with CD of unreleased music – early recordings made by Norman Dayron )
- Ken Brooks – The Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and ISBN 978-1-899882-90-8
- Al Kooper – Backstage Passes: Rock 'N' Roll Life in the Sixties – Stein & Day Pub (1st edition February 1977) ISBN 978-0-8128-2171-0
- Al Kooper – Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor Billboard Books (Updated Edition – September 1998) ISBN 978-0-8230-8257-5
- Al Kooper – Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards – Hal Leonard Corporation, new edition February 2008, ISBN 978-0-87930-922-0
- Ed Ward – Michael Bloomfield, The rise and fall of an American guitar hero, Cherry Lane Books (1983), ISBN 978-0-89524-157-3
- Ed Ward – Michael Bloomfield, The rise and fall of an American guitar hero, Multiprises, LLC (updated edition – 2016), ISBN 978-1-61373-330-1(Kindle)
- David Dann – Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield's Life in the Blues, University of Texas Press (2019), ISBN 978-1-4773-1893-5(ebook)
External links
This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (August 2023) |
- Official Mike Bloomfield Site
- Me and Big Joe by Michael Bloomfield (1980)
- Mike Bloomfield at AllMusic
- Mike Bloomfield discography at Discogs
- Mike Bloomfield discography at MusicBrainz
- Mike Bloomfield, An American Guitarist Archived July 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- Bloomfield's Doomed Field Archived March 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine by Al Kooper
- Michael Bloomfield Chronology & Analysis
- Mike Bloomfield at Find a Grave
- Gibson's Replica of Mike Bloomfield's 1959 Les Paul Standard Guitar
- Bloomfield notes newsletter
- Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield