In Memory of Blues Guitarist Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield in the recording studio
Who Is Mike Bloomfield?
Let’s start at the end. On February 15, 1981, Mike Bloomfield was found dead in a car on a side street in San Francisco. He was 37. Somebody, perhaps a dealer, had dumped him there, not wanting to get involved. His body went unclaimed at the morgue for a time. This was certainly a sad finale for one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time.
Like many musicians throughout the twentieth century, Bloomfield had succumbed to drug addiction. At his death, heroin and cocaine were found in his system, and the death was officially listed as an accidental drug overdose. It seemed Mike had lost his way in the 1960s and never found his way back. (At least he lasted longer than Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison.)
At the pinnacle of Mike Bloomfield’s career, 1968 or so, he was one of the most gifted blues guitarists of the era—as good or better than Lightnin’ Hopkins, Harvey Mandel, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, B.B. King (Mike’s idol), Albert King, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, or any others one might choose to list here.
Simply put, when Mike was at his best, his playing was spectacular, even transcendent, like the philosophy, ideals, and events of that most distinctive of decades—the 1960s. Please keep reading for more about the life of Mike Bloomfield!
Bob Dylan (left) and Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield’s Early Days
This bluesman’s origins weren’t typical. Mike Bloomfield was a pudgy white Jewish boy who grew up in an affluent section of Chicago, Illinois. Mike went to the best schools and his parents were able to provide for all of his needs. This was no Black sharecropper’s son from Mississippi! Mike's family valued education, and he grew up loving reading and scholarship.
At the age of 13, Mike picked up his first guitar and, taking lessons along the way, quickly learned rock ‘n’ roll chops, as well as folk, bluegrass, and blues. (Even though Mike was left-handed, he learned to play guitar right-handed. He also learned to play harmonica and piano.)
Playing With Muddy Waters
In his middle teens, Mike started going to blues joints such as Pepper’s Show Lounge, where he first saw Muddy Waters. By the age of 15, Mike had the juice to play in front of an audience, and by 17, he could gig with Muddy’s band, sounding as good as Muddy’s guitarist, blowing minds in the process because he was so young and played... so fast. Many of the Black people in the crowd probably asked each other, “Who’s that white kid playing up there?”
About 1961, Mike met three musicians who would have a profound effect on his career: singer/songwriter Nick Gravenites, guitarist Elvin Bishop, and harmonica player Paul Butterfield. At first, Mike stayed away from Butterfield, who had the reputation of a tough Irish dude who took no crap from anybody. Mike said, “I was scared to work with Butterfield. He was a bad guy. He carried pistols.”
Developing His Sound
In 1962, Mike and his band played at a popular Chicago blues venue on Rush Street called the Fickle Pickle, and many of these shows were tape-recorded. Mike also played in topless bars and beatnik joints, pretty much wherever he could make some scratch. Sometimes, Mike would play out front of these places wearing dark glasses, imitating a blind musician with a cup, just to make pocket change.
By the age of 20, Mike could play many different styles of guitar. His musical range impressed many people. His friend George Mitchell said, “He could play in virtually anybody’s style. It was phenomenal. It always astounded me.”
In 1964, Bloomfield recorded a few sessions for John Hammond at Columbia—the same guy who discovered Bob Dylan a couple years earlier—but those demos remained unreleased until after his death.
By the end of that year, Mike played in a band simply called The Group, which featured, among others, the soon-to-be-famous harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite. Sometimes Mike played the piano and sang, though his lead guitar was the major attraction of the assemblage.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band in Detroit circa 1966. Back row L-R: Billy Davenport and Butterfield. Middle row L-R: Mark Naftalin, Elvin Bishop and Jerome Arnold. Seated in front: Mike Bloomfield.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
In early 1965, Paul Butterfield offered Mike a job in his band, and Mike accepted even though Butterfield intimidated him. This meant the Paul Butterfield Blues Band would have two guitar players, the other being Elvin Bishop, who later admitted:
“I imagine there was a little part of me that resented it. But for the most part, it took a load off me. I was trying to do more than I was able to do at the time, as far as playing leads and keeping up enough rhythm at the same time. I was green, and I knew it.”
Around this time, Mike did some studio work with Bob Dylan, not only playing guitar on his mega-hit, “Like a Rolling Stone,” but adding leads throughout Dylan's masterpiece, Highway 61 Revisited. "Tombstone Blues" alone is worth the price of admission!
The 1965 Newport Folk Festival with (left to right) Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Harvey Brooks on bass, Bob Dylan on guitar, and Al Kooper on organ
Dylan Plays Newport
In July 1965, Dylan, formerly a dyed-in-the-wool folkie, began playing electric blues and rock at the Newport Folk Festival, irking many of his die-hard fans. Bloomfield, who played lead guitar on the set, had this to say about the experience:
“When I played with Dylan, I thought they loved us—but they were booing. I heard a noise. I thought it was, ‘Yeah, great band!’ But they were booing!”
Al Kooper insisted the crowd didn’t boo Dylan because he played electric music; it was because the band played only three songs! Moreover, some people thought Bloomfield was playing too loud and too many notes, particularly on “Maggie’s Farm.”
In the fall of 1965, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band began recording their first album. Perhaps its greatest hit was “Born in Chicago,” written by Nick Gravenites. Mike co-wrote the songs, “Thank you Mr. Poobah,” and “Screamin’.” Because of the rudimentary technology at the time, the recordings for the album were done completely live. Elvin Bishop said, “Some of it was one take; some of it was 50 takes.”
Influencing the San Francisco Scene
When the band came out west and played at concert halls such as Bill Graham’s Fillmore West, the people in the San Francisco Bay Area couldn’t believe how well these guys played. They were real musicians!
Members of the area’s various psychedelic bands—who had barely moved beyond acoustic instruments—were particularly impressed. Jorma Kaukonen, the guitarist for the Jefferson Airplane, had this to say about the band:
“The Butterfield Band was truly unbelievable. I’d never seen anything like it before. Mike and Elvin Bishop played so well together; the whole band, Mark Naftalin, truly unbelievable, just to see that kind of virtuosity and power.”
To add an unusual visual aspect to the band’s performance, Mike started using his fire-eating routine during the playing of the long instrumental, “East-West.” The stoned-on-acid hippies must have really enjoyed seeing this!
“East-West”
On the band’s second album, 1966's East-West, Mike didn’t write any songs, but he was credited, along with Nick Gravenites, for the creation of the album’s title cut. “East-West” is a 13-minute instrumental emphasizing idioms in both Western and Eastern music, what band members called “The Raga.”
This revolutionary tune played in D minor had long guitar solos by both Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield, as well as an incendiary harmonica solo by Paul Butterfield. This one-chord jam utilized modal jazz, a tamboura-like droning, several breaks and a rousing crescendo toward the end.
At the time, it was said that one could get loaded simply by listening to “East-West.” And during the years after it was released, you could hear its influence in the sound of numerous guitarists of the era, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Electric Flag
Growing tired of Butterfield’s despotic leadership, Mike quit the Butterfield Blues Band in early 1967 and moved to San Francisco, where he lived the rest of his life. Mike began forming a soulful blues septet that would include horns, which hadn’t been done up to that point, and inspired Al Kooper to form Blood, Sweat and Tears, a similar group utilizing even more horns.
This group came to be known as the Electric Flag and featured guitarist Mike Bloomfield, drummer Buddy Miles, bassist Harvey Brooks, singer Nick Gravenites, and a three-man horn ensemble. The band’s first job was doing the film score for the 1967 movie, The Trip, starring Peter Fonda and written by Jack Nicholson. Then the Electric Flag played the Monterey Pop Festival.
Monterey Pop Festival
Of course, every rocker on the planet loved the Monterey Pop Festival. Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks commented:
“Monterey was a great experience. It was the first festival of that nature, for one thing. I remember sitting in a room with the guy from the Rolling Stones who passed away, Brian Jones, and Jimi Hendrix and Bloomfield and a few other people. We were just sitting in this room and everybody was tripping on a little acid and talking about how groovy everything was.“
Because of various problems, including Mike’s inability to stay in tune with the horns, the Electric Flag lasted less than a year, producing one album, A Long Time Comin’, though the band influenced many other groups, particularly in Frisco.
But it also marked the beginning of Mike’s indulgence in that most addictive of drugs: heroin, a.k.a. smack, horse, skag, brown sugar or junk. (Up to this point, Mike had partied with marijuana or LSD; he didn’t even drink that much alcohol. Too bad he didn’t stick with these relatively safe substances.)
Super Session
Then keyboardist Al Kooper had an idea. He wanted to record an album with Mike that emphasized his ability as a soloist. Of course, Mike agreed to play on this Super Session, as it came to be called. Mike recorded five tunes in only nine hours, including three written by himself and Al Kooper: “Albert’s Shuffle,” “His Holy Modal Majesty” and “Really.” (The record’s other side featured the work of guitarist Stephen Stills.)
Super Session came to be known as Mike Bloomfield’s greatest work, and after its release, Mike became a rock star. Unfortunately, Mike Bloomfield never wanted to be a star of any kind, and his behavior thereafter proved it. Al Kooper wanted an encore to Super Session, so he recorded a double-album with Mike entitled The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper.
Recorded over three nights at the Fillmore East in New York in September 1968, the album wasn’t near as inspired as its predecessor, except for Mike’s stirring 11-minute rendition of Albert King’s “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong.” Part of the problem was that Bloomfield's heroin dependency was getting the better of him, and continuing bouts of insomnia were becoming a chronic problem, which hospitalized him for a short time.
Janis Joplin
Around December 1968, Mike and Nick Gravenites helped Janis Joplin assemble her Kozmic Blues Band and record an album. Mike also played guitar on “One Good Man,” a tune from that band’s one and only album, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! Alas, Mike also did junk with Janis—their connection was right down the street from where they rehearsed!
In 1969, Mike did his first solo album, It’s Not Killing Me, which highlighted his vocal work. (Could the title have been an apology for Mike’s drug habit?) That same year Mike also made a live jam album titled, Live at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West, featuring a guest appearance by Taj Mahal.
Mike Bloomfield, "Analine" (1977)
Mike Bloomfield’s Twilight Years
During the early 1970s, Mike withdrew more and more from the stardom he never really wanted. As much as possible, he kept to himself, though he had girlfriends from time to time, but avoided long-term relationships and generally lived a very modest lifestyle.
By the late 1970s, Mike was taking a sedative-hypnotic called Placidyl to relieve his insomnia. Unfortunately, the drug severely altered Mike’s behavior, making him a kind of walking zombie. Moreover, Placidyl is highly addictive and has numerous bad side effects (as of 1999 it was no longer sold in the United States).
At one point, Mike checked himself into a hospital to try to “kick” Placidyl. But this treatment didn’t work, so Mike began doing what other famous musicians such as Eric Clapton have done: he began drinking heavily, essentially becoming a drunk to try to cure another addiction.
Bloomfield/Harris
At about this time, in 1979, Mike did an album of gospel guitar duets with Woody Harris entitled Bloomfield/Harris. Too bad this interest in spiritual music didn’t alter Mike’s addiction in any way. He’d quit drinking for a month or two and then go on an extended bender.
Eric Clapton (left) talking shop with Mike Bloomfield
Erratic in Final Days
His girlfriend at the time, Christie Svane, said that even when Mike was struggling with his inner demons, he was still a terrific person. She wrote, “No matter what condition Michael was in, that underlying thread of very pure and very real love for the whole human race was always there, and everybody felt it. And even though he could screw up as an individual, there was something angelic about him.”
During Mike’s last days, he would play from time to time, whenever somebody had the inclination and energy to snatch him and take him somewhere, sometimes when he was still wearing his housecoat and slippers, though even when he was drunk and/or stoned he generally sounded good, if not very good. But he was slowly spiraling out of control, and just about everybody could tell, especially those closest to him.
At one point, Mike wanted to marry Christie Svane, but she was reluctant. Finally, she said, “Okay, I’ll marry you and we can have a kid if you sign a paper and swear you won’t OD until the kid’s out of high school.” And Mike kept saying, “No, no, you don’t get it. The minute I had a child, I would never do any of that again.”
Well, Christie and Mike never got married. Then it happened.
Mike Bloomfield in San Francisco in 1976
In Memory of Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield died with a fair amount of cocaine in his system. This didn’t make sense because he hated cocaine and methamphetamine, perhaps due to his bipolar illness. Some have speculated that somebody gave Mike a shot of coke to counteract the load of heroin that he had injected.
Nevertheless, this was too little too late. Then they—the dealers or whoever—dumped his body in a parked car, a kind of urban unmarked grave for people who have found oblivion at last. His body lying on a slab in the morgue, Mike’s mother had to come and identify her son. Such a sad moment that must have been! She buried Mike at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, in Culver City, California.
Mike Bloomfield passed away on February 15, 1981, from an accidental drug overdose. He was only 37.
A Huge Giant of a Person
Mike’s very good friend, Nick Gravenites, had this to say about Mike: “He was quite a forceful personality. He was quite a wit. And he also had a very deep character. He was very generous, very soulful. I can still think in those major terms, those big terms, when I think about Michael. He was a huge giant of a person.”
Unlike many rock stars that went out in a blaze by the age of 27 or so, Mike Bloomfield took another decade to disintegrate, and perhaps we should be happy for that. Or should we? It could be argued that Mike wasted his life; at 37, it was just getting started.
Perhaps he could have overcome his self-destructive habits, as many others have, and then helped people avoid making the same mistakes he made. Of course, Mike could have continued to play the guitar as well, which definitely would have been a pleasure to many people.
At any rate, please remember Mike Bloomfield and his magical guitar licks. At least we’ll have those for a very long time. Also remember that he must have been a real cool dude.
By the way, the quotes in this article come from Jan Wolkin and Bill Keenom’s book, Michael Bloomfield: If You Love These Blues.
© 2009 Kelley Marks
Comments
Tim Murphy on January 29, 2020:
I became aware of his playing in 1966 (East West) and saw him at the Fillmore East more than once (Super Session live). Powerful, soulful electric guitar player but could also play some mean acoustic & even some piano. For me, his best playing is the long solo on "Another Country" (Long Time Comin').
Danny williams on January 06, 2020:
Mike was my favorite musician of all time —-to my knowledge I’ve every album he ever made—- they’re was only one Mike and only one Bogart and only one Bear Bryant
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on August 23, 2019:
Hey, Steve, blues guitarists such as Bloomfield, Hendrix and Clapton have done more than just play in blues boxes. They all had (or have) a great melodic sense and often play other scales - or none at all. As for Bloomfield, listen to his work on the instrumental "East-West" and then come back here and say this guy played nothing but simple stuff. I dare you!...
Dave Little on August 18, 2019:
He was one of a kind....greatest player I remember back then
Steve on August 17, 2019:
Why does everyone think these Box players are the greats. it just isn't true. Clapton, Bloomfield, Hendrix and others are pentatonic box players. They work out some nice sounds but its hard to go wrong with pentatonics, and the progressions they play over are either blues or Diatonic songs that seldom modulate. BB king could only play one chord
Wesman Todd Shaw from Kaufman, Texas on December 23, 2018:
Great article! Sadly, I never hear of Bloomfield any more, except for in my hard core guitar groups on Facebook. If I had known he worked with Dylan, I had forgotten about that.
As to the notion below that nobody was better than Hendrix? LOL
Michael Harris on April 11, 2018:
No other guitarist has touched my soul quite like Bloomfield. You can name all the names like Hendrix and Clapton, whoever, but they just can't make me feel what Bloomfield does. Therefore, yes, he was the best in my eyes.
Dave Little on April 07, 2018:
I saw him with the Electric Flag in SF years ago when they first started....he was the greatest blues guitarist I've ever seen....at least for me he was....I remember him complaining how much it cost to house and feed the group when they were practicing to get their music together.....it was real funny...He said the grocery bill was huge as most of these guys were "big guys"....What a neat guy he was.
gregory on February 16, 2017:
I had a friend whose connection for drugs was also Bloomfield's. She told me that the dealer and his buddy were so bothered with Bloomfield, that they conspired to give him a dose of drugs which was "way too much", if only to get rid of him. Sorry tale for such a great guitarist.
Dave Goad on August 31, 2016:
Unbelievably enough the acoustic guitar on Dylans Desolation row was country musician harp and guitarist Carlie McCoy .It deserve repeat listening to as it so compliments the song
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on December 20, 2015:
Thanks for the comment, Robert Levine. Hey, I like Jimi too, and he's certainly my favorite rock guitarist of all time; nevertheless, Bloomfield was certainly one of the best blues guitarists of the 1960s. Don't forget B.B. and Albert King, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Alvin Lee and many others. Later!
Robert Levine from Brookline, Massachusetts on December 17, 2015:
I'm sorry, but no guitarist is as good as or better than Jimi Hendrix.
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on October 08, 2013:
$49.95 seems a little steep, but buy it anyway. Later!
BruceK on October 07, 2013:
Kosmo,
I saw this album on Amazon, with an independent dealer charging $49.95.
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on September 23, 2013:
Hey, BruceK1944, I have no idea what your album is worth. You'll have to check around and please let me know if you find an expert who's got a good idea of its value. Later!
BruceK1944 on September 22, 2013:
I have this BLOOMFIELD HARRIS LP (record album) it's in excellent shape. It was given to my Dad, in 1979, in Mill Valley CA, where the album originated, and signed by Norman Dayron, the producer of the album ---to my Dad. I'd like to get some idea of it's value. Contact me at comprehensivist1944@gmail.com
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on June 02, 2012:
Thanks for the comment, RunAbstract. I really enjoyed writing this hub. Later!
RunAbstract from USA on June 02, 2012:
Great Hub with very good info! Voted up and more!
steve-o on March 12, 2012:
Highway 61 Revisited, one of Dylan's most famous albums, has Mike playing throughout, not just on "Like a Rolling Stone". Some of his leads are downright ferocious, Tombstone Blues, for instance.
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on September 26, 2011:
That's a good idea, Mario Cuellar, they should have a Crossroads Festival in honor of Mike Bloomfield. Thanks for the comment. Later!
mario cuellar on September 26, 2011:
Have a crossroads festival in memory of Mike Bloomfield
mario cuellar on September 26, 2011:
I dont no why the Lord does things the way He does but i sure do wish He would have let Mike Bloomfield get clean i pray for u Mike where ever you're at because to me u still r and will always b one of the Lords greatest creations ever play on brother
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on July 24, 2011:
Thanks for the comment, Lonesomejoewhiskey, Mike could certainly kick ass on the guitar. Later!
Lonesomejoewhiskey on July 23, 2011:
As a teenage musician in the sixties, Mike Bloomfield was one of the idols of blues guitar. The sweetest sounds came from his 59 Les Paul, and he had such feeling and punctuation on his solo breaks. A middle class white and jewish kid with heart and soul of a true bluesman. A legend and very mucho missed!!!
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on June 04, 2011:
Thanks for the comment, Peter. I wish I could have met Mike Bloomfield and the rest of the Butterfield Band, as far as that goes. Mike certainly could play some tasty licks! From time to time, I still listen to him. Later!
PETER LUMETTA from KENAI, ALAKSA on June 02, 2011:
Hi Kosmo, what a tribute to Mike. Thanks for the memories. I met Mike briefly when he was playing for Paul Butterfield in a little club in Detroit called the Chessmate. A little coffee house on the U of D campus. Spent two nights at that place listening to some of the best blues ever. In between sets I sat and talked with the band, I remember Mike was very quiet but very nice. I moved to San Francisco and saw Mike again at the Filmore and at the Boarding House. Good times and good memories. Thanks again, Peter
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on March 16, 2011:
Unfortunately, there continue to be Mike Bloomfields. It's hard to believe that many people haven't heeded the warning about the Big H. When will they, if ever? Later!
toknowinfo on March 16, 2011:
Thanks for this hub. Such a sad story about Mike Bloomfield. However, I can't help thinking how Mike Bloomfields there have been and will be. Your article is very well done.
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on January 08, 2011:
Mike Carr, thanks a lot for the revelation about your interaction with Mike Bloomfield. I certainly wish I could have met him, which wouldn't have been impossible, since I don't live far from the San Francisco Bay Area, Mike's stomping grounds. Too bad he couldn't shake his drug addiction, though he did make it into his 30s. Not bad, eh? Later!
Mike Carr on January 08, 2011:
It is so nice to read this article. I reminds me of a good friend that was Michael Bloomfield. We met in 1970 in the spring Michael and his brother Allen happened to be driving up The El Camino Real toward San Francisco. The offered me a ride, as I was hitchhiking home. They were in a big o'l Mercury Mike rolled down the window and wouldn't it figure I did not recognize him I had two Albums and he looked familiar but it just didn't connect. While we were riding north Mike asked where locals hung out. I told him about the local park. They let me out and I walked home later the after noon I went to that park which hung out at, and there they were sitting in the bleachers with a bunch of other youths passing a pipe and talking . So of course I joined the group and we all passed this big o furry pipe/bong. Chatting it up. After a while the others went their ways and the three of us sat there and talked Michael did not look too happy and some what sullen. After a while Mike said they would head home and would I be there that evening
Of course I said I would be there and maybe some others.
That is how I met a very good friend and another friend his brother Allen. I can go on but I would take lots of space, we talked for 4 weekends in total with a break between the 3rd and 4th weekends Friday to Sunday nights of Saturday after noons to Sunday. we talked a long time some times early evenings or afternoons till the wee hours of the morning. After that we talked off and on through the seventies I feel badly because then there was on place one could find out where he was performing. All I can say at this point is the world lost a genuinely good person and a fantastic musician when he passed on.
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on October 24, 2010:
Anderbuilt 1, I don't know if Bloomfield played the acoustic lead for Dylan. It's time for you to do the research - go ahead, I'll wait for you. Later!
anderbuilt 1 on October 24, 2010:
did micheal bloomfield play the acoustic lead on bob dylans desolation row?
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on September 29, 2010:
Yeah, well, Colin, I've been around for awhile, which helps one know a lot and, of course, data on the Internet helps fill in the blanks. Due your homework and magic happens. Later!
epigramman on September 29, 2010:
..well I must say not too many know about this very underrated guitar legend ... which proves one thing - you know your music!
Kelley Marks (author) from Sacramento, California on April 11, 2010:
Thanks for the compliment, Elliot. I like your Web site too. Keep on rockin'. Later!
Elliot on April 11, 2010:
Without doubt a true guitar great! Thanks for this awesome article!
gusripper on July 13, 2009:
Do you know that les-paul is greek patent from the creators of EPIPHON that was bought from GIBSON
English Teacher from Midwestern United States on March 26, 2009:
Kosmo: Thanks for writing this well-written and informative article about Mike.
