THE BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND / Self Titled...East - West VG+ 33RPM (2 LP Lot)
Sold Date:
March 5, 2016
Start Date:
February 24, 2016
Final Price:
$16.50
(USD)
Bid Count:
3
Seller Feedback:
383
Buyer Feedback:
66
PAUL BUTTERFIELD
Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942 – May 4, 1987) was an American singer and harmonica player. After early training as a classical flutist, Butterfield developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his native Chicago, where he was able to meet and other blues greats who provided encouragement and a chance to join in the jam sessions. Soon, Butterfield began performing with fellow blues enthusiasts and .
In 1963, he formed the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, who recorded several successful albums and were a popular fixture on the late-1960s concert and festival circuit, with performances at , , and . They became known for combining electric Chicago blues with a rock urgency as well as their pioneering performances and recordings. After the breakup of the group in 1971, Butterfield continued to tour and record in a variety of settings, including with Paul Butterfield's Better Days, his mentor Muddy Waters, and members of the group .
While still recording and performing, Butterfield died in 1987 at age 44 of a . Music critics have acknowledged his development of an original approach that places him among the best-known players. In 2006, he was inducted into the and the inducted the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 2015. Both panels noted his harmonica skills as well as his contributions to bringing blues-style music to a younger and broader audience.
Butterfield was born in Chicago and raised in the city's neighborhood. The son of a lawyer and a painter, he attended the , a private school associated with the University of Chicago. Exposed to music at an early age, he studied classical flute with Walfrid Kujala of the . Butterfield was also athletic and was offered a track scholarship to . However, a knee injury and a growing interest in blues music sent him in a different direction. He developed a love for blues harmonica and a friendship with guitarist and singer-songwriter Nick Gravenites, who shared an interest in authentic blues music. By the late 1950s, they started visiting some of Chicago's blues clubs and met musicians such as Muddy Waters, , , and , who encouraged them and occasionally let them sit in on jam sessions. The pair were soon performing as "Nick and Paul" in college-area coffee houses.
In the early 1960s, Butterfield attended the , where he met aspiring blues guitarist Elvin Bishop. Both began devoting more time to music than studies and soon became full-time musicians. Eventually, Butterfield, who sang and played harmonica, and Bishop, accompanying him on guitar, were offered a regular gig at Big John's, an important folk club in the Old Town district on Chicago's north side. With this prospect, they were able to entice bassist and drummer (both from Howlin' Wolf's touring band) into forming a group in 1963. Their engagement at the club was highly successful and brought the group to the attention of record producer .
During their engagement at Big John's, Butterfield met and occasionally sat in with guitarist , who was also playing at the club. By chance, producer Rothchild witnessed one of their performances and was impressed by the obvious chemistry between the two. He convinced Butterfield to bring Bloomfield into the band, and they were signed to . Their first attempt to record an album in December 1964 did not meet Rothchild's expectations, although an early version of "Born in Chicago", written by Nick Gravenites, was included on the 1965 Elektra sampler Folksong '65 and created interest in the band (additional early recordings were later released on the 1966 Elektra compilation, and The Original Lost Elektra Sessions in 1995). In order to better capture their sound, Rothchild convinced Elektra president to record a live album. In the spring of 1965, the Butterfield Blues Band was recorded at New York's . These recordings also failed to satisfy Rothchild, but the group's appearances at the club brought them to the attention of the East Coast music community. Rothchild was able to get Holzman to agree to a third attempt at recording an album.
During the recording sessions, Paul Rothchild had assumed the role of group manager and used his folk contacts to secure the band more and more engagements outside of Chicago. At the last minute, Butterfield and band were booked to perform at the in July 1965. They were scheduled as the opening act the first night when the gates opened and again the next afternoon in an urban blues workshop at the festival. Despite limited exposure during their first night and a dismissive introduction the following day by folklorist/blues researcher , the band was able to attract an unusually large audience for a workshop performance. , with her husband , who later toured and recorded with Butterfield, recalled the group's performance as stunning – it was the first time that many of the mostly folk-music fans had experienced a high-powered electric blues combo. Among those who took notice was festival regular , who invited the band to back him for his first live electric performance. With little rehearsal, Dylan performed a short, four-song set the next day with Bloomfield, Arnold, and Lay (along with and ). It was not received well by some of the folk music establishment and generated a lot of ; however, it was a watershed event and brought the band to the attention of a much larger audience.
After adding keyboardist , the band's debut album was finally successfully recorded in mid-1965. Simply titled , it was released later in 1965. The opening song, a newer recording of the previously released "Born in Chicago", is an upbeat blues rocker and set the tone for the album, which included a mix of blues standards, such as "", "", and "" and band compositions. The album, described as a "hard-driving blues album that, in a word, rocked", reached number 123 in the album chart in 1966, although its influence was felt beyond its sales figures.
When Sam Lay became ill, jazz drummer was invited to replace him. In July 1966, the sextet recorded their second album , which was released a month later. The album consists of more varied material, with the band's interpretations of blues ('s ""), rock ('s ""), R&B ('s "Get Out of My Life, Woman"), and jazz selections ('s ""). East-West reached number 65 in the album chart.
The thirteen-minute instrumental title track "East-West" incorporates Indian influences and features some of the earliest / excursions, with extended solos by Butterfield and guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. It has been identified as "the first of its kind and marks the root from which the tradition emerged". Live versions of the song could last nearly an hour and performances at the San Francisco Fillmore Auditorium "were a huge influence on the city's ". Bishop recalled, ", , and the – those guys were just chopping chords. They had been folk musicians and weren't particularly proficient playing electric guitar – [Bloomfield] could play all these scales and arpeggios and fast time-signatures ... He just destroyed them". Several live versions of "East-West" from this period were later released on East-West Live in 1996.
While in England in November 1966, Paul Butterfield recorded several songs with , who had recently finished their album. Both Butterfield and Mayall contribute vocals, with Butterfield's Chicago-style blues harp being featured. Four songs were released in the UK on a 45 rpm in January 1967, titled John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Paul Butterfield.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
1965 Elektra Records EKS 7294
In late 1964, a friend of Elektra house producer told him that the "best band in the world was on stage at a blues bar in ." Rothchild took a plane to Chicago to see the Butterfield quartet, and later the same night went to a different club and saw guitarist with a different band. According to Rothchild, it was at his impetus that hired Bloomfield as his second guitar alongside . The Butterfield rhythm section of and had been hired away from .
Sessions were arranged for December, 1964, but these were abandoned for live recordings from the in after the band's appearance at the . The earlier studio recordings were eventually released on The Original Lost Elektra Sessions in 1995. Upon hearing the live tapes, Rothchild still remained dissatisfied, and the band went into the studio in September 1965 in an attempt to record the album for the third time. The guitar solos were all played by Bloomfield, Bishop relegated to . Keyboardist was drafted in at the September sessions and asked to join the band by Butterfield, expanding it to a sextet.
The album presents band originals and songs in the style of electric . It is one of the first blues albums recorded in America featuring a white singer,[] trailing a few years behind the movement where white singers and musicians had been performing and recording blues since the 1950s. On October 29, 2001, a reissue of this album by at and coupled with appeared on for the European market.
East - West
1966 Elektra Records EKS 7315
Written-By – Written-By – , A1 Walkin' Blues Written-By [Uncredited] – 3:15 A2Get Out Of My Life, Woman Written-By – * 3:13 A3I Got A Mind To Give Up Living 4:57 A4All These Blues 2:18 A5Work Song Written-By – *Written-By [Uncredited] – 7:53 B1Mary, Mary Producer – Written-By [Uncredited] – 2:48 B2Two Trains Running Written-By [Uncredited] – 3:50 B3Never Say No Vocals [Uncredited] – 2:57 B4 East-West Written-By – *, * 13:10 Credits Bass – Design, Photography By – Drums – Electric Guitar – , Harmonica – Liner Notes – Organ – Piano – Producer – (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4), * (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4) Recording Supervisor – Vocals – Violin – , , Written-By – Written-By –
Written-By – ,
Written-By –
Written-By –
Condition:
VG + = Very Good . Vinyl has a few surface scuffs and/or very minor scratches (but no ‘feeler’ scratches). Label shows some evidence of wear, no writing. Jackets have some seam splits and 1-2 small hairline creases and/or minor chipping at edges or bumped corners, some ringwear, no writing, some liquid stains.
Shipping and Handling:
Domestic Shipping rate estimate via media mail $3.99
USPS Priority Mail International Shipping Rate estimate $45
USPS First Class International to Canada Shipping rate estimate: $18
I will discount shipping rates for combined auctions. Please contact me with any questions.
Payment is through Paypal and must be received within 5 days after the end of auction.
k
Written-By –
Lyrics By – Music By –
Arranged By –
Written-By – , *
Arranged By –
Written-By – ,
Written-By – , ,
Written-By –
Written-By –
Arranged By –
