Mike Bloomfield

Mike Bloomfield
Name	Mike Bloomfield
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth date	1943-07-28
Death date	1981-02-15
Origin	Chicago, Illinois
Instruments	Guitar
Genres	Blues, Blues rock, Rock, Folk rock
Years active	1960–1981
Labels	Elektra, Columbia, Verve, Arhoolie
Associated acts	The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Dylan, Al Kooper, Blues Project

Mike Bloomfield was an American guitarist and composer known for his influential role in the 1960s blues revival and the development of blues-rock. He rose to prominence with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and as a session guitarist for artists across folk, rock, and blues, including landmark collaborations with Bob Dylan and Al Kooper. Bloomfield's virtuosic technique, tone, and improvisational approach left a lasting imprint on electric guitarists and the crossover of Chicago blues into mainstream rock.

Early life and musical influences

Born in Chicago, Bloomfield grew up amid the city's vibrant music scene that included Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Willie Dixon, and Buddy Guy. In his youth he absorbed recordings and performances from the Chess Records catalogue, local clubs on Chicago's South Side, and the folk and blues revival circles connected to Greenwich Village via touring acts. Early influences included B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Big Bill Broonzy, Skip James, and Robert Johnson, while contemporaries such as Paul Butterfield, Sam Lay, and Elmore James shaped his ensemble sensibilities. Bloomfield listened to electric guitarists from Los Angeles scenes and jazz players like Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, integrating diverse sources from R&B and folk blues tours that passed through Maxwell Street markets, University of Chicago venues, and Aragon Ballroom-style shows.

Career beginnings and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Bloomfield's professional beginnings placed him in Chicago ensembles with musicians linked to Paul Butterfield Blues Band founders and the scene around Big Walter Horton. He joined early lineups that performed at clubs associated with the Blues Revival and made connections with managers and promoters who worked with Albert Grossman, Morris Levy, and festivals organized by figures from Kenneth Gaburo-era folk circuits. With the formation of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band alongside Paul Butterfield, Elvin Bishop, Mark Naftalin, and Sam Lay, Bloomfield contributed to albums released on labels like Elektra Records and played pivotal sets at landmark events including the Newport Folk Festival and the Monterey Pop Festival. The band's 1965 recordings and 1967 performances positioned them alongside contemporaries such as The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, and The Byrds, aligning Chicago blues with mainstream rock audiences.

Columbia Records, Super Session, and solo work

After departure from Butterfield-related projects, Bloomfield recorded for Columbia Records and participated in high-profile studio projects. His collaboration with Al Kooper produced the album Super Session, credited to Bloomfield and Kooper and released on Columbia Records, which also featured session musicians connected to Stephen Stills, Harvey Mandel, and Mike Nesmith. Bloomfield's solo albums and releases on labels like Verve Records and Arhoolie Records mixed studio and live material, involving engineers and producers from sessions with figures such as Glyn Johns, Tom Wilson, and industry executives at CBS Records. Solo tours placed him on bills with artists from Grateful Dead circles, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and blues revivalists who performed at venues such as Fillmore West and festivals promoted by Bill Graham.

Session work, collaborations, and later projects

As a sought-after session guitarist Bloomfield contributed to recordings and tours with artists spanning folk, rock, and blues. He performed on sessions and stages with Bob Dylan during the electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 and the subsequent Bob Dylan and the Hawks period, worked with Nick Gravenites, Paul Simon, Roger McGuinn, Joan Baez, and collaborated with producers and musicians connected to Arlo Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Leon Russell, Van Morrison, and Steve Miller. Bloomfield appeared in studio lineups that included members of The Band, Al Kooper & Friends, and session crews tied to studios like Columbia Studio A and Sun Studio. In later years he formed new ensembles with Chicago contemporaries and younger guitarists influenced by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and Rory Gallagher.

Style, instruments, and technique

Bloomfield's playing combined Texas and Chicago blues phrasing with modal improvisation and jazz-inflected phrasing drawn from Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman-era swing. He favored a clear, singing tone achieved through guitars such as the Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, and semi-hollow electrics, through tube amplifiers associated with Fender and Marshall sounds. His use of bends, vibrato, controlled feedback, and melodic motifs influenced guitarists in bands like Cream, Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd, and soloists such as Steve Howe, Jeff Beck, and David Gilmour. Bloomfield also employed fingerpicking techniques reminiscent of Rev. Gary Davis and slide approaches linked to Elmore James.

Personal life and struggles

Bloomfield's life intersected with cultural and social networks centered on scenes around Greenwich Village, Haight-Ashbury, and the Chicago blues circuit; he associated with musicians, managers, and promoters including Albert Grossman, Bill Graham, Michael Lang, and journalists from Rolling Stone and DownBeat. He struggled with substance dependence and health issues amid pressures of touring, recording, and the music industry practices of labels like Columbia and management firms operating in the 1960s and 1970s. Those struggles affected collaborations with peers such as Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield, Al Kooper, and session colleagues; they also intersected with legal and medical systems in jurisdictions including California and Illinois.

Legacy and impact on blues-rock

Bloomfield's influence is evident across generations of guitarists in British blues and American blues-rock movements; musicians who cited him include Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page, Robby Krieger, Steve Miller, Neil Young, and Tom Petty. His role in electric blues crossover influenced record labels, festival promoters, and revival movements connected to Chess Records, Atlantic Records, and concert producers such as Bill Graham and Michael Lang. Posthumous compilations, reissues, and tributes have been organized by archives, historians, and institutions including Smithsonian Institution, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and independent labels preserving Chicago blues heritage. Bloomfield's recordings and recorded live performances continue to be studied by players and scholars linked to conservatories and programs at institutions like Berklee College of Music and universities with ethnomusicology departments researching American blues traditions.

Category:American guitarists Category:Blues musicians Category:1943 births Category:1981 deaths