Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield's Life in the Blues

Description

Named one of the world’s great blues-rock guitarists by Rolling Stone, Mike Bloomfield (1943–1981) remains beloved by fans forty years after his untimely death. Taking readers backstage, onstage, and into the recording studio with this legendary virtuoso, David Dann tells the riveting stories behind Bloomfield’s work in the seminal Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the mesmerizing Electric Flag, as well as on the Super Session album with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, and soundtrack work with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. In vivid chapters drawn from meticulous research, including more than seventy interviews with the musician’s friends, relatives, and band members, music historian David Dann brings to life Bloomfield’s worlds, from his comfortable upbringing in a Jewish family on Chicago’s North Shore to the gritty taverns and raucous nightclubs where this self-taught guitarist helped transform the sound of contemporary blues and rock music. With scenes that are as electrifying as Bloomfield’s solos, this is the story of a life lived at full volume. Prologue Part I. Guitar King 1. Social Misfit 2. North Shore Hotshot 3. Folk Fanatic 4. Marriage, the Pickle, and Big Joe 5. Old Town 6. Auditioning for Hammond 7. Big John’s and the Group 8. Butterfield Blues 9. Plugging in at Newport 10. Electrifying Dylan Part II. His Holy Modal Majesty 11. On the Road with Butter 12. East-West 13. Blues to Britain 14. Hoisting the Flag 15. Music, Love, and Flowers 16. Groovin’ Is Easy 17. Another Country 18. Shucks and Sessions Part III. Knockin’ Myself Out 19. Entertainer No More 20. Live Adventures 21. Michael’s Lament 22. Stoned Leisure 23. Reed Street 24. Loving These Blues 25. Count Talent 26. Last Call Epilogue: Great Gifts from Heaven Notes Bibliography Additional Resources Recordings Acknowledgments About the Author Index