Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Career
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.[12] At the last minute, Buttereld and
band were booked to perform at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965.[6] They were scheduled as the opening
1
2
act the rst night when the gates opened and again the next
afternoon in an urban blues workshop at the festival.[12]
Despite limited exposure during their rst night and a dismissive introduction the following day by folklorist/blues
researcher Alan Lomax,[13][lower-alpha 2] the band was able
to attract an unusually large audience for a workshop performance. Maria Muldaur, with her husband Geo, who
later toured and recorded with Buttereld, recalled the
groups performance as stunning it was the rst time
that many of the mostly folk-music fans had experienced
a high-powered electric blues combo.[12] Among those
who took notice was festival regular Bob Dylan, who invited the band to back him for his rst live electric performance. With little rehearsal, Dylan performed a short,
four-song set the next day with Bloomeld, Arnold, and
Lay (along with Al Kooper and Barry Goldberg).[13][14]
It was not received well by some of the folk music establishment and generated a lot of controversy;[3] however,
it was a watershed event and brought the band to the attention of a much larger audience.[12]
After adding keyboardist Mark Naftalin, the bands debut album was nally successfully recorded in mid-1965.
Simply titled The Paul Buttereld Blues Band, 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 "Shake Your
Moneymaker", "Blues with a Feeling", and "Look Over
Yonders Wall" and band compositions. The album, described as a hard-driving blues album that, in a word,
rocked,[8] reached number 123 in the Billboard 200 album chart in 1966,[15] although its inuence was felt beyond its sales gures.[9]
When Sam Lay became ill, jazz drummer Billy Davenport was invited to replace him.[9] In July 1966, the sextet recorded their second album East-West, which was
released a month later. The album consists of more
varied material, with the bands interpretations of blues
(Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues"), rock (Michael Nesmith's "Mary, Mary"), R&B (Allen Toussaint's Get Out
of My Life, Woman), and jazz selections (Nat Adderley's "Work Song"). East-West reached number 65 in the
album chart.[15]
CAREER
1.3
to back Buttereld as mentioned above, Bishop referred Live at Winterland Ballroom, recorded in 1973, was rea young New York guitarist, Buzz Feiten, to Buttereld, leased in 1999.[28]
initially to play bass. After a jam session with Buttereld,
B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and others,[24] Buttereld mentioned to Feiten that he had heard he also played guitar,
and invited him to audition for the band. According to
Feiten, he landed the gig as primary guitarist for the band
and was at Woodstock three months later. This would
place Feitens advent in the group in the late Spring of
1969. Feiten recorded with the group on the 'Keep On
Moving' album.[24]
Buttereld was invited to perform at the Woodstock Festival on August 18, 1969. He and his band performed
seven songs, and although their performance did not appear in the resulting Woodstock lm, one song, Love
March, was included on the Woodstock: Music from the
Original Soundtrack and More album released in 1970.
In 2009, Buttereld was included in the expanded 40th
Anniversary Edition Woodstock video and an additional
two songs appeared on the Woodstock: 40 Years On:
Back to Yasgurs Farm box-set album. With only Buttereld remaining from the original lineup, 1969s Keep
On Moving album was produced by veteran R&B producer/songwriter Jerry Ragovoy, reportedly brought in by
Elektra to turn out a breakout commercial hit.[3] The
album was not embraced by critics or long-time fans;[25]
however, it reached number 102 in the Billboard album
chart.[15]
A live double album by the Buttereld Blues Band, simply
titled Live, was recorded March 2122, 1970 at the The
Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. By this time,
the band included a four-piece horn section in what has
been described as a big-band Chicago blues with a jazz
base"; Live provides perhaps the best showcase for this
unique blues-jazz-rock-R&B hybrid sound ".[26] After
the release of another soul-inuenced album, Sometimes
I Just Feel Like Smilin' in 1971, the Paul Buttereld Blues
Band disbanded.[9] In 1972, a retrospective or their career, Golden Butter: The Best of the Paul Buttereld Blues
Band was released by Elektra.
1.3
After his Blues Bands breakup and no longer with Elektra, Buttereld retreated to the community of Woodstock,
New York where he eventually formed his next band.[12]
Named Paul Butterelds Better Days, the new group
included drummer Chris Parker, guitarist Amos Garrett,
singer Geo Muldaur, pianist Ronnie Barron and bassist
Billy Rich. In 19721973, the group released the selftitled Paul Butterelds Better Days and It All Comes Back
on Albert Grossman's Bearsville Records. The albums
reected the inuence of the participants and explored
more roots- and folk-based styles.[27] Although without
an easily dened commercial style, both reached the album chart.[15] Paul Butterelds Better Days, however,
did not last to record a third studio album, although their
4 PERSONAL LIFE
years before his death. In it, he explains various techniques, demonstrated on an accompanying CD.[36] Buttereld played mainly in the cross harp or second position,
although he occasionally used a chromatic harmonica.[8]
2 Legacy
Reportedly left-handed, he held the harmonica opposite
to a right-handed player, i.e., in his right hand upsideAside from rank[ing] among the most inuential harp down (with the low notes to the right), using his left hand
players in the Blues,[33] Paul Buttereld has also been for muting eects.[lower-alpha 6]
seen as pointing blues-based music in new, innovative
Also similar to other electric Chicago-blues harp playdirections.[34] AllMusic critic Steve Huey commented
ers, Buttereld frequently used amplication to achieve
his sound.[8] Producer Rothchild noted that Buttereld
Its impossible to overestimate the imporfavored an Altec harp microphone run through an early
tance of the doors Buttereld opened: bemodel Fender tweed amplier.[39] Beginning with The
fore he came to prominence, white American
Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw album, he began using
musicians treated the blues with cautious rean acoustic-harmonica style, following his shift to a more
spect, afraid of coming o as inauthentic. Not
R&B-based approach.[6]
only did Buttereld clear the way for white
musicians to build upon blues tradition (instead of merely replicating it), but his storming
4 Personal life
sound was a major catalyst in bringing electric
Chicago blues to white audiences who'd previBy all accounts, Paul Buttereld was absorbed in his muously considered acoustic Delta blues the only
[3]
sic. According to his brother Peter
really genuine article.
He listened to records and went places, but
In 2006, Paul Buttereld was inducted into the Blues
he also spent an awful lot of time, by himFoundation Blues Hall of Fame, which noted that the
self, playing [harmonica]. He'd play outdoors.
albums released by the Buttereld Blues Band brought
Theres a place called The Point in Hyde Park
Chicago Blues to a generation of Rock fans during the
[Chicago], a promontory of land that sticks out
1960s and paved the way for late 1960s electric groups
into Lake Michigan, and I can remember him
like Cream.[33] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inout there for hours playing. He was just playing
ducted the Paul Buttereld Blues Band in 2015.[35] In
all the time ... It was a very solitary eort. It
the induction biography, they commented the Butterwas all internal, like he had a particular sound
eld Band converted the country-blues purists and turned
he wanted to get and he just worked to get it.[8]
on the Fillmore generation to the pleasures of Muddy
Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Willie Dixon and Producer Norman Dayron recalled the young Buttereld
Elmore James".[14]
as very quiet and defensive and hard-edged. He was this
tough Irish Catholic, kind of a hard guy. He would walk
around in black shirts and sunglasses, dark shades and
dark jackets ... Paul was hard to be friends with. Al3 Harmonica style
though they later became close, Michael Bloomeld commented on his rst impressions of Buttereld: He was a
As with many Chicago blues-harp players, Paul Buttereld approached the instrument like a horn, preferring bad guy. He carried pistols. He was down there on the
South Side, holding his own. I was scared to death of
single notes to chords, and used it for soloing.[8] His style
[40]
Writer and AllMusic founder Michael Erhas been described as always intense, understated, con- that cat.
lewine,
who
knew
Buttereld during his early recording
[34]
cise, and serious and he is known for purity and incareer,
described
him
as always intense, somewhat retensity of his tone, his sustained breath control, and his
mote,
and
even,
on
occasion,
downright unfriendly.[8] He
[36]
unique ability to bend notes to his will. Although his
Buttereld as not much interested in other
choice of notes has been compared to Big Walter Hor- remembered
[8]
people.
ton's, he was never seen as an imitator of any particular
harp player.[6][8][lower-alpha 5] Rather, he developed a style On November 16, 1964 Paul married Virginia McEwan,
original and powerful enough to place him in the pan- a high school friend of many years, at the Chicago City
theon of true blues greats.[3]
Hall. Pauls rst son, Gabriel Luther Buttereld, was born
Buttereld played Hohner harmonicas, and later endorsed in September 1965. Paul and Virginia remained married
deliver the eulogy at Pauls
them, and preferred the diatonic ten-hole Marine Band until 1969. [Virginia would
[41]
funeral,
May
8,
1987.]
[37]
model.
Although not published until 1997, Buttereld authored a harmonica instruction book, Paul But- By 1971, Buttereld had purchased his rst house in rutereld Teaches Blues Harmonica Master Class[38] a few ral Woodstock, New York and began enjoying family life
6.2
Live albums
with his second wife Kathy and their new infant son, Lee.
According to Maria Muldaur, she and her husband were
frequent dinner guests, which usually also involved sitting around a piano and singing songs.[12] Although she
doubted her abilities, it was Butter that rst encouraged
me to let loose and just sing the blues [and] not to worry
about singing pretty or hitting all the right notes ... He
loosened all the levels of self-consciousness and doubt out
of me ... And he'll forever live in my heart for that and
for respecting me as a fellow musician.[12]
Death
5
In My Own Dream (1968)
Keep On Moving (1969)
Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin' (1971)
Better Days Paul Butterelds Better Days (1973)
It All Comes Back Paul Butterelds Better Days
(1973)
Put It in Your Ear Paul Buttereld (1976)
North-South Paul Buttereld (1981)
The Legendary Paul Buttereld Rides Again Paul
Buttereld (1986)
Discography
6.3 Buttereld compilation albums
After his death in 1987, his former record companies re Hi-Five: The Paul Buttereld Blues Band (2006 EP)
leased a number of live albums and compilations. Except
where noted, the following albums are listed as The Paul
Buttereld Blues Band.
6.4 Compilation albums/videos with vari-
ous artists
6.1
Studio albums
7 NOTES
You Are What You Eat (1968 lm soundtrack)
7 Notes
Footnotes
[2] Albert Grossman, who had agreed to take over management of the band the night before, was incensed at Lomaxs perceived insults and an argument backstage led to
an altercation between the two.
6.5
As an accompanist
[4] Billy Davenport played the drums and Keith Johnson contributed trumpet in place of David Sanborn on saxophone.
Former bandmate Mike Bloomeld also performed the
same day at Monterey with his new group Electric Flag.
[6] Erlewine wrote that he held the harmonica in his left hand
with the low notes to the left, but this is contradicted by a
photo on the front cover of Butterelds instructional book
and his lmed performance at Monterey Pop, both clearly
showing him holding it in his right and using his left for
muting.
Citations
[1] Paul Buttereld. Sweet Home Cook County. Cook
County Clerks Oce. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
[2] Musicians Death Laid to Overdose. Los Angeles Times.
June 13, 1987. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
[3] Huey, Steve. Paul Buttereld Biography. AllMusic.
Rovi Corp. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
[4] Wolkin, Keenom 2000, p. 40.
[5] Milward 2013, p. 66.
[6] Field 2000, pp. 212214.
References
Dicaire, David (2001). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. Mcfarland & Co Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-1035-4.
Ellis III, Tom (Spring 1997). Paul Buttereld:
From Newport to Woodstock. Blues Access (Blues
Access) (29).
[24] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjriRBUsrys
[25] Campbell, Al. "Keep on Moving Album review.
AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
[26] Eder, Bruce. "Live Album Review. AllMusic. Rovi
Corp. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
[27] "Paul Butterelds Better Days Album Review.
AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
[28] Live at Winterland Ballroom. AllMusic. Retrieved
September 24, 2013.
Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). Paul Buttereld. Encyclopedia of the Blues. University of Arkansas Press.
ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
7 NOTES
Houghton, Mick (2010). Becoming Elektra: True
Story Of Jac Holzmans Visionary Record Label.
Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-906002-29-9.
Marcus, Greil (2006). Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads. Public Aairs. ISBN 978-158648-382-1.
Milward, John (2013). Crossroads: How the Blues
Shaped Rock 'n' Roll (and Rock Saved the Blues).
Northeastern. ISBN 978-1-55553-744-9.
Rothchild, Paul (1995). The Original Lost Elektra
Sessions (Media notes). Paul Buttereld Blues Band.
Elekrtra Traditions/Rhino Records. R2 73305.
Shadwick, Keith (2001). Paul Buttereld. The
Encyclopedia of Jazz & Blues. Oceana. ISBN 9780-681-08644-9.
Wolkin, Jan Mark; Keenom, Bill (2000). Michael
Bloomeld If You Love These Blues: An Oral History. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-617-5.
8.1
Text
8.2
Images
8.3
Content license