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Paul Butterfield - History
Butterfield himself was a master of the blues harmonica, and he populated his band with the very best musicians. He was an exceptional bandleader who inspired his colleagues, many of whom later left to form their own bands and create their own music, by his example of uncompromised dedication to the best blues music that they could produce. With these bands Butterfield created a truly “ferocious sound,” blasting an amplified, powerful noise from stages to crowds large and small.
Butterfield lived only a short 44 years, but in his time he formed the first racially fully-integrated band. He and his band-members were dedicated to playing the blues the right way, and through their various incarnations over a decade and a half they also infused their music with some jazz, rock, and even Indian raga-based influences. They honored their forbears in the Chicago blues tradition but went on to blaze new pathways in bringing blues to a new audience of fans of the blues.
They left behind them a legacy of true dedication to excellent but not purist blues and related musical genres. In the late 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and into the ‘80s Butterfield and his bands changed music in the United States and abroad for the better.
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