The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Paul Butterfield

Overview

Even after his death, Paul Butterfield's music didn't receive the accolades that were so deserved. Outputting styles adopted from Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters among other blues greats, Butterfield became one of the first white singers to rekindle blues music through the course of the mid-'60s. His debut album, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, saw him teaming up with guitarists Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield, with Jerome Arnold on bass, Sam Lay on drums, and Mark Naftalin playing organ. The result was a wonderfully messy and boisterous display of American-styled blues, with intensity and pure passion derived from every bent note. In front of all these instruments is Butterfield's harmonica, beautifully dictating a mood and a genuine feel that is no longer existent, even in today's blues music. Each song captures the essence of Chicago blues in a different way, from the back-alley feel of "Born in Chicago" to the melting ease of Willie Dixon's "Mellow Down Easy" to the authentic devotion that emanates from Bishop and Butterfield's "Our Love Is Drifting." "Shake Your Money Maker," "Blues With a Feeling," and "I Got My Mojo Working" (with Lay on vocals) are all equally moving pieces performed with a raw adoration for blues music. Best of all, the music that pours from this album is unfiltered...blared, clamored, and let loose, like blues music is supposed to be released. A year later, 1966's East West carried on with the same type of brash blues sound partnered with a jazzier feel, giving greater to attention to Bishop's and Bloomfield's instrumental talents. ~ Mike DeGagne

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	Elektra
UPC:	0075596064729
Rank:	24797

Tracks

1. Born in Chicago
2. Shake Your Money-Maker
3. Blues with a Feeling
4. Thank You Mr. Poobah
5. I Got My Mojo Working
6. Mellow Down Easy
7. Screamin'
8. Our Love Is Drifting
9. Mystery Train
10. Last Night
11. Look Over Yonders Wall

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band   Primary Artist
Paul Butterfield   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Lead
Jerome Arnold   Bass
Mark Naftalin   Organ
Elvin Bishop   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm)
Sam Lay   Lead,Drums,Vocals
Michael Bloomfield   Lead,Guitar,Slide Guitar
Paul Rothchild   Director

Technical Credits

Paul Butterfield   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Walter Jacobs   Composer
Mark Naftalin   Composer
Pete Welding   Liner Notes
Nick Gravenites   Composer
Junior Parker   Composer
Jac Holzman   Production Supervisor
Elvin Bishop   Composer
Little Walter   Composer
Paul Rothchild   Mastering,Engineer,Producer
Mark Abramson   Assistant Engineer,Assistant Producer,Producer
Michael Bloomfield   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Sam Phillips   Composer
Dave Collins   Mastering
Preston Foster   Composer
William S. Harvey   Photography,Cover Design
Leonard Heicklen   Photography
James Clark   Composer
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band   Performer