The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Formed in Chicago in 1963, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was a groundbreaking, integrated ensemble that successfully translated the raw power of Chicago electric blues to the 1960s rock counterculture. Led by Paul Butterfield (born 1942 in Chicago, Illinois; died 1987), an intensely driven harmonica player and vocalist who immersed himself in the South Side club scene alongside veterans like Little Walter, the group featured the incendiary lead guitar work of Mike Bloomfield and a rhythm section anchored by Howlin' Wolf alumni Jerome Arnold and Sam Lay.