The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

During their era, few blues ensembles matched the impact of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which delivered a raw yet genuine strain of amplified blues to rock listeners outside the Black community before expanding its palette to embrace jazz, global sounds, rhythm and blues, and psychedelic textures without abandoning its core identity. Three players in particular—harmonica specialist Paul Butterfield along with guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop—imprinted the music with forceful personal styles, and the taut, supple attack captured on the 1965 debut The Paul Butterfield Blues Band together with the bolder experiments of 1966’s East-West established a template that numerous blues-rock groups would adopt in subsequent years. Later the ensemble shifted toward a style rooted more deeply in soul and modern R&B on 1968’s In My Own Dream and 1969’s Keep On Moving, even as the potency of its instrumental work and the conviction of its artistic direction stayed constant.

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band formed in Chicago during the early 1960s when a group of young white enthusiasts who had claimed the idiom as their own united with seasoned veterans of the city’s blues circuit, gaining both credibility and a dependable musical bedrock. Paul Butterfield entered the world in Chicago in 1942 and spent his childhood in the Hyde Park district. Displaying musical promise early on, he trained on classical flute under Chicago Symphony Orchestra instructors before turning to guitar upon frequenting neighborhood blues venues where figures such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, and Little Walter performed regularly. Butterfield was among the rare white audience members at these shows, yet the artists welcomed the devoted newcomer and occasionally invited him onstage. He soon connected with fellow blues devotee Nick Gravenites, and the pair performed at local coffeehouses under the name Nick & Paul. At the same time, another white blues fanatic and would-be guitarist, Elvin Bishop, arrived from Oklahoma to study at the University of Chicago after earning a National Merit Scholarship in high school. Eager to experience the music firsthand, Bishop was startled to encounter Butterfield delivering authentic Chicago guitar on the front steps of his building just blocks from Bishop’s new residence. The two quickly bonded, and Butterfield guided Bishop through the blues-club circuit. Before long they were performing together; Butterfield then relinquished guitar for harmonica and rapidly achieved notable skill on the instrument. By 1961 they were appearing regularly, and after securing a steady booking at a folk venue on the near North Side they decided to strengthen their lineup. Bassist Jerome Arnold and drummer Sam Lay, already regarded as one of Chicago’s premier rhythm sections through their tenure with Howlin’ Wolf, accepted the invitation, and by 1964 the Paul Butterfield Blues Band had begun attracting attention.

Shortly afterward the group met Mike Bloomfield, who had been born in 1943 into an affluent Chicago household and, like Butterfield and Bishop, was drawn to the city’s defining blues artists. Under the tutelage of Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson, Sleepy John Estes, and Little Brother Montgomery, Bloomfield developed into a formidable guitarist and performed in their ensembles. Persuaded to join, he and Bishop soon formed a formidable guitar tandem. Organist Mark Naftalin completed the original roster, and as word spread producer Paul A. Rothchild secured them a contract with Elektra Records. Released in 1965, the self-titled debut was hailed as groundbreaking for linking genuine electric blues with rock’s growing sophistication and for presenting an integrated lineup at a moment when Black and white musical traditions were cross-pollinating amid heated civil-rights debates. The record earned strong reviews, sold briskly, and supported extensive touring, including a slot at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Admirer Bob Dylan recruited several members to accompany him, placing them at the center of the evening Dylan famously electrified his set and dismayed portions of his audience.

The band’s 1966 follow-up, East-West, marked a bolder step, weaving jazz, raga, and psychedelic elements into lengthy improvisations—most notably the title track—while retaining its signature incisive blues. Drummer Billy Davenport replaced Sam Lay, who exited for health reasons. Although East-West exerted wide influence as the blues-rock movement expanded, individual ambitions surfaced and Bloomfield departed to form the Electric Flag. Butterfield’s third album, 1967’s The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw—named for Elvin Bishop’s nickname—featured Bishop assuming lead guitar duties and introduced bassist Bugsy Maugh and drummer Phillip Wilson along with a horn section comprising Gene Dinwiddie on tenor sax, Keith Johnson on trumpet, and David Sanborn on alto sax. Despite personnel shifts the album achieved commercial success, reaching number 52 on the charts, and the group performed at that year’s Monterey Pop Festival.

By the time of their fourth album, 1968’s In My Own Dream, the Butterfield Blues Band had moved further from strict blues toward soul and R&B influences, with Mark Naftalin (listed as “Naffy Markham”) sharing keyboards with Al Kooper. The record charted lower than its predecessor. For the fifth LP, 1969’s Keep On Moving, Butterfield remained the sole original member as producer Jerry Ragovoy steered the material toward broader appeal. Gene Dinwiddie contributed guitar and keyboards in addition to tenor sax, Howard “Buzz” Feiten handled guitar and organ, Rod Hicks played bass and cello, Phillip Wilson remained on drums, and additional session musicians augmented the arrangements. Although sales were modest, the band delivered a notable performance at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in summer 1969; their set was omitted from the documentary film yet “Love March” appeared on the 1970 Woodstock album. A two-night engagement at the Troubadour in West Hollywood yielded the 1970 double live album Live.

An assortment of longtime associates, studio musicians, and guests convened for 1971’s Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin’, which proved to be the final Paul Butterfield Blues Band release. Butterfield disbanded the group and moved to Bearsville Records to form Better Days. After two albums that project also ended, and Butterfield continued as a solo artist and sideman, maintaining a following among blues aficionados though outside mainstream attention. He died on May 4, 1987, in North Hollywood, California, at age 44. Posthumous archival issues have included studio outtakes on 1995’s The Original Lost Elektra Sessions, early live recordings on 2018’s Born in Chicago: Live 1966, and the complete Woodstock performance on 2020’s Live at Woodstock. Mike Bloomfield passed on February 15, 1981, at age 37; other key members followed. Drummer Phillip Wilson, who also worked with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, died March 25, 1992, at age 50. Billy Davenport left music in 1981 and died December 24, 1999, at age 68. Gene Dinwiddie concentrated on session work until his death on January 11, 2002, at age 65. Bugsy Maugh issued two solo albums, appeared on Todd Rundgren’s 1972 release Something/Anything?, and performed with various blues groups before dying July 2, 2015, at age 73. Drummer Sam Lay remained active on the Chicago blues scene for decades until his death on January 29, 2022, at age 86.