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Preface: Michael Bloomfield was a virtuoso blues guitarist who paved the way for the guitar gods of the '70s. He emerged from the Chicago blues scene in the mid-'60s, and moved out to the west coast to partake in the cultural revolution around the turn of the decade. He made a name for himself playing with all kinds of musicians - as will be explored in this week's theme - but, not happy with playing the star game, he dropped into relative obscurity in the '70s, and eventually died from a drug overdose under mysterious circumstances in the early '80s. His name is mostly forgotten today, but back in those days he was the equal of the likes of Clapton and Hendrix. I'm hoping that with this week's selections, you'll get a chance to hear for yourself how Bloomfield plays, and maybe even say to yourself, "wow, I didn't realize he played with that musician!"
Monday (6/16/08): Bob Dylan - Tombstone Blues [Highway 61 Revisited, 1965]
Comments: Michael Bloomfield not only sat in as Bob Dylan's lead guitarist for the revolutionary record Highway 61 Revisited, but also played during the infamous performance at the Newport Folk Festival that same year where Bob Dylan first "went electric", to the alleged horror of folk purists everywhere - a stunt that is arguably equal to Jimi Hendrix playing the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock.
Tuesday (6/17/08): Mother Earth - Mother Earth [Living With The Animals, 1968]
Comments: On this track that shares its name with the band that plays it, Michael Bloomfield lends his guitar skills to Mother Earth, a band that very much epitomizes the spirit of the '60s, and features Tracy Nelson giving a powerful vocal performance, as if not to be upstaged by Bloomfield. She barely holds out. ;-)
Wednesday (6/18/08): Johnny Winter - It's My Own Fault (Live) [Fillmore East: The Lost Concert Tapes, 1968]
Comments: In 1968, Michael Bloomfield was touring in support of his phenomenal collaboration with Al Kooper - the album titled Super Session. No stranger to the blues scene, here he introduces a young and unsigned Johnny Winter to an unsuspecting audience before plowing through a scorching blues - trading licks with Winter - that clearly captivates the audience. Legend has it, a record exec was in the audience that night, and signed Johnny Winter on the spot!
Thursday (6/19/08): Muddy Waters - Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had [Fathers And Sons, 1969]
Comments: Bloomfield grew up in the Chicago blues scene, sneaking off to the blues clubs on the dangerous side of town, even working up a reputation and getting to sit in and play with some of the blues masters - Muddy Waters included. In 1969, the Fathers And Sons project reunited Chicago bluesmen of the past and future, as here on this track Michael Bloomfield plays lead guitar for the legend - and one of his mentors - Muddy Waters.
Friday (6/20/08): Janis Joplin - One Good Man [I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama, 1969]
Comments: Michael Bloomfield makes an uncredited appearance (which was not unusual for him) on Janis Joplin's first album away from the San Francisco band that launched her career - Big Brother & The Holding Company. Pitting Joplin's vocals with Bloomfield's guitar was an amazing idea; it's a shame that their collaboration only lasted for a single song.
Saturday (6/21/08): Woody Herman - Hitch-Hike On The Possum Trot Line [Brand New, 1971]
Comments: Bloomfield steps a little out of his niche - not that he wasn't always interested in an eclectic mix of genres, as his band The Electric Flag demonstrated - and adds a bluesy touch to this inspired instrumental (you gotta love that quirky title!) by Woody Herman's jazzy big band outfit.
Sunday (6/22/08): Barry Goldberg & Friends - Long Hard Journey (Live) [Recorded Live, 1976]
Comments: Michael Bloomfield played with tons of musicians over the years, credited and uncredited. Here he rejoins Barry Goldberg - with whom he had worked on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited album - to play lead on a couple of tracks with friends. If your interest in Bloomfield has been piqued this week, then be sure to check out some of his featured material, especially from The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Electric Flag, the above-mentioned Super Session with Al Kooper, and anything under his own name. Happy hunting!