Paul Butterfield

Paul Vaughn Butterfield December 17 1942 May 4 1987 was an American blues harmonica player singer and bandleader After early training as a classical flautist he developed an interest in blues harmonica He explored the blues scene in his native Chicago where he met Muddy Waters and other blues greats who provided encouragement and opportunities for him to join in jam sessions He soon began performing with fellow blues enthusiasts Nick Gravenites and Elvin Bishop In 1963 he formed the Paul Butterfield Blues Band which recorded several successful albums and was popular on the late1960s concert and festival circuit with performances at the Fillmore West in San Francisco the Fillmore East in New York City the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock The band was known for combining electric Chicago blues with a rock urgency and for their pioneering jazz fusion performances and recordings The band was also among the first racially integrated blues groups1 After the breakup of the group in 1971 Butterfield continued to tour and record with the band Paul Butterfields Better Days with his mentor Muddy Waters and with members of the rootsrock group the Band While still recording and performing Butterfield died in 1987 at age 44 of an accidental drug overdose Music critics have acknowledged his development of an original approach that places him among the bestknown blues harp players In 2006 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame Butterfield and the early members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 Both panels noted his harmonica skills and his contributions to bringing blues music to a younger and broader audience Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Butterfield licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia