Paul Butterfields last stand -- next stop, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Without Paul, I don’t know if a lot of us would be here tonight. — Bill Graham, introducing Paul Butterfield at Winterland, 1973. Our goal is to bring you into the world of Paul Butterfield through the words, music and images of his friends, family and legions of admirers. We are at the point in time now where Fathers and Sons has already reached into the third going on fourth generation. The torch has been passed from Muddy, Otis and The Wolf down through Paul, Michael and Elvin on to a multitude who have been forever altered, inspired and educated by the work of Paul Butterfield, solo and with his many diverse groups. Butterfield was indeed an avatar for a generation. While others sold more records, reached greater levels of fame and fortune, and went on to reap the fruits of their labors, Paul Butterfields legacy will be that of one who cut a great path into the unknown that a generation would follow - think of the Red Sea parting for Moses, and youll get an idea of the impact of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - featuring Michael Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Sam Lay, Mark Naftalin, and Jerome Arnold - on a generation. This revolution probably caused as much of a stir in its way as the Beatles. With East-West as their Sergeant Pepper, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band solidified its position as great innovators and posted a wake-up call to every gigging musician in America that the ante has been upped. That Butterfield, on an instrument that retailed for about two dollars when he first started buying them, could go on a stage anywhere, with literally any kind of music being played, and pick up where the most accomplished musician in the band or orchestra had just finished soloing and basically bring it to a higher level energtically and technically, is why he is so admired. Greg Allman aptly introduced him in 1987 at the Crackdown Concert in Madison Square Garden as The man: Paul Butterfield. And that he was. Paul, in failing health and near the end of his days, still managed to go on that stage and hold his own with that monstrous band, and it was recorded for posterity. Paul began by playing the flute in school, then a little guitar while hanging around the cultural mecca that was Hyde Park in Chicago (listen to his acoustic guitar work on his masterpiece, “In My Own Dream.”). He was a track star and boxer in his youth until a racing accident blew out his knee. The summer after his graduation, he spent his days on the rocks overlooking Lake Michigan playing the harmonica. There and then he found his voice and his style. He started out a novice but returned from his quest almost as good as he was ever going to be. Theres no real earthly explanation for such talent. He even played the instrument backwards, left handed, with the high keys on the bottom. Kind of like Hendrix and Albert King playing the guitar upside-down. You dont learn that from books. Upon his return to the South Side f rom his summer on the rocks looking out on the water, he began gigging with Little Smokey Smothers at all- black clubs in the ever-dangerous South Side of Chicago. Here, the young Irish lad was appreciated and heralded. The patrons would be asking Muddy Waters, When is that white kid coming back? When hed walk into a club, Junior Wells and Little Walter would put down their harps and let him play. James Cotton and Muddy would be beaming and smiling at him, as if he was their very own son in whom they were well-pleased. Sam Lay, right out of Howlin Wolfs band, began to play with Paul at Big Johns and the group had work every night they wanted it. Black, white - Paul played the blues and thats all that mattered, said Sam. Pauls wife of his youth, Virginia Butterfield, put it like this: He was music. His joy and strength - not only as a musician, but as a brilliant bandleader and emotive singer - reached beyond his fans to his peers in the music industry around the world. His bands, jamming partners and session mates included luminaries from all fields of music (Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Span, David Sanborn, The Allman Brothers, Christopher Parker, Dr. John, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, BB King, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name but a few) and his recorded material, right from the beginning (The Lost Elektra Sessions) to his acoustic duet of Amazing Grace with John Sebastian, always satisfied. Butterfields power on that tiny instrument was awesome. He was an accomplished yogi in breath control He would stand on a stage and without the aid of a mic or PA system, fill a hall with one note. When I put Walkin Blues on my car stereo, my 17 year-old nephew mistook the harmonica for a trumpet. Indeed, Paul Butterfields harmonica was the clarion, a call to arms for a generation that walked to The Love March. Butterfield called the tunes and scored the soundtrack indelibly etched in the annals of music history and in the history of mankind. There have been a lot of talented harmonica players/singers/band leaders since, but never one better or with more soul. Long may he blow. -VICTOR FORBES
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 21:38:08 +0000
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