#70 Why Spread the Butter? Part 5 The Paul Butterfield Catalogue

In blogs #66 - #69, we discuss some of the crucial contributions Paul Butterfield makes to post war urban blues that establish him as one of the most important bluesmen figures who stands in front of his band singing blues, and accompanying himself with a ten hole harmonica in history. The next key contribution we will discuss is one that all important bluesmen must make. They need to create a catalogue of one or more songs that become standards in the genre. As we shall see, Butterfield's catalogue is impressive.

It is useful to mention here that while Butterfield's brand of urban blues has deep roots in the post war Chicago blues tradition, his past is quite different from his predecessors, John Lee Curtis and Marion Jacobs. Both of those artists emerge from the rural blues of the south, which becomes electrified in the 30s and 40s, and generally caters to an urban and rural black audience. Scoring commercial success with their songs in this market is paramount to career longevity. This is not a primary goal of Butterfield's. 

John Lee Curtis is unique in that he is an unplanned pioneer in the field of urban blues, and while she does earn a few commercial successes with songs like Good Morning Little School Girl ; it is within a very limit audience. Marion Jacobs builds on Curtis' success, writes or co-writes mainstream blues songs like Juke & My Babe, which sound like a cross between Louis Jordan and John Lee Curtis. His efforts earn him 14 charted successes from '52 -'58 with a much broader audience. During these years he also becomes known for his Jazz like improvisations on the harmonica which creates the extremely important post war Chicago blues sound. Paul Butterfield then expands on the work of both of these artists, and in turn, takes the blues in directions never before imagined.  

Butterfield's entry into Chicago blues is different than most other bluesmen. He enters the genre by way of  a cultural trend that sweeps across the U.S., up to Canada, and then across the Atlantic to Europe historians call the folk boom of the 50s and 60s.  The attitude of many of the artists creating in during this period is the antithesis of most mainstream popular music goals of the day. Many of these artists maintain a residual philosophy from the 30s and 40s  folk revivalist , who view the music as a bridge for social and political change, and consequently should represent a rebellion against western capitalist consumer values. 

This attitude gives rise to many understated artists such as: The Grateful Dead, The Band, Janis Joplin and Paul Butterfield. These artists dress in humble uniforms of jeans and t-shirt, and often write songs that make social and political statements on behalf of their audience of young white baby boomers. Publicly, many claim that their lack of mainstream commercial success is a badge of honor. (Probably to the chagrin of their management and record label) Many of them, Butterfield included, never experience a number 1 chart success, and yet, they do maintain record sales with busy touring schedules. It is a unique time for popular music. Butterfield is not only in the middle of the trend, but is often leading the charge.  

It is almost easier to describe what Paul Butterfield's diverse music is not, rather than try and label it as one coming from one particular genre. While everything he records and performs live is steeped in post war urban blues, a connection he maintains his entire career,  he travels in several different artistic directions, always with exploratory enthusiasm.  Consequently, his music is a combination of  urban and rural blues, jazz, rock, folk, country, military, psychedelic rock, not commercial, and consequently very hip. He releases 11 albums over the course of his career, most of which do offer up singles for the mainstream market, but none of his work ever earns a position in the top ten charts the way Jacobs does. As a matter of fact Butterfield 's music should receive acknowledgement as a pioneering effort  in the new genre of music we now call Americana. 

His unique harmonica sound is in demand for most of his career so we can hear him lending it to many records throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s. If you listen to Peter, Paul and Mary's (Too Much of Nothing) his harmonica adds a unmistakable funk to an otherwise basic folk tune, and then there is title track to a 60s psychedelic movie You Are What You Eat, (You Are What you Eat). No other blues harmonica player has attempted this feat before him.

In '74 he plays his harmonica on Maria Muldaur's #12 hit I Am Woman , stealing the show. Then there are rare recordings like the one he does for Ronnie Barron's version of Cissy Strut in 1985.  However, the jewel in this bluesman's crown is supporting Muddy Water's on his 1969 album Fathers and Sons. This is the album that establishes Butterfield as the most successful blues harmonica player alive.

Blues is very much an interpretive artform. Some artists write very few songs of their own, and so, need to rely on unique interpretations of blues standards. If an artist can generate audience approval with his interpretation, then that song becomes his own. A good example of this dynamic is Willie Dixon's composition Wang Dang Doodle which Chicago blueswoman Koko Taylor earns success with in '65. The song will be performed and recorded by numerous artists over the years, but no one manages to steal away the ownership from Taylor.

Butterfield did not compose Born in Chicago.  His close friend Nick Gravenites wrote it for The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, but the Butterfield interpretation has earned the song, blues standard status. There are scores of bar bands round the world that perform it nightly, and most are trying to copy the Butterfield phrases note for note. However, there are also several artists such as Tom Petty, Jesse Colin Young, George Thorogood, Joe Lewis Walker and James Cotton who add their own personality to the song. 

Other Butterfield band interpretations such as Elmore James' Shake Your Moneymaker,  Little Walters' Mellow Down Easy, Nat Adderley's Work Song (Muddy Waters uses it as a live show opener in the 6os) and Too Many Drivers have become standards too. 

Butterfield wasn't a prolific songwriter like some of his blues rock contemporaries such Jagger and Richards or Bob Dylan, but he does compose a few excellent songs which become part of the blues based roots canon. Here are some of his compositions which have been recorded by various artists over the years:

Lovin' Cup ('66) did not bring Butterfield much mainstream success, but it is a blues standard now having been covered by Robben Ford, UFO, James Cotton, Debbie Davis, Felix Cabrera and Albert Castigila

Rock compositions such as Run Out of  Time (67) which is the B side of his interpretation of Marvin Gaye's One More Heartache. And then there is Blind Leading the Blind from 1971.

His gospel tinged testimonial ballad In My Own Dream is covered by Texas blues singer Karen Dalton for her In My Own Time album in 1971.

Freddie King's Larger than Life  album (1975), and blues rock supper group Royal Southern Brotherhood (2013), both record versions of the Butterfield/ Henry Glover song You Can Run But You Can't Hide.

Bobby Charles is the unofficial sixth member of Paul Butterfield's early 70s band called Better Days. He and Butterfield share writing credits on a few songs, one of which is Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It  - Wilson Pickett releases in the 70s.    

The Better Days version of the Bobby Charles/ Rick Danko's composition Small Town Talk  is recorded by several artists including Rick Danko, Boz Scaggs, Jackie DeShannon, Yvonne Elliman, Amos Garrett and Geoff Muldaur and in 2016, the  San Francisco Americana band The Lucky Losers record it. 

Butterfield also sets standards for all future bluesmen when he writes, and records an instrumental on the ARP synthesizer, The Flame for his album 1975 album, Put It In Your Earin. No other bluesman has attempted such a goal. It has been used as the theme music for a nightly news show in the 70s.  Then there are jazz like harmonica instrumentals he composes such as Song for Lee and Night Child for his 1971 album Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin'.  It is not an exaggeration to point out that Butterfield is the first ten hole player to play jazz/rock on the ten hole harmonica.

Another important contribution he makes is to record the first blues harmonica accompaniment, and solo for electronic music. If you can find a copy of the electronic music band Deadline's 1985 album Down By Law , Butterfield is on track #4 with Jaco Pastorious on bass. 

After leaving a catalogue of songs, many of which become blues rock standards, the next contribution all important artists must make is to inspire future generations of artists to play their own versions of that catalogue. There are three excellent Paul Butterfield tribute albums available that fans can still purchase: A Tribute to Paul Butterfield, Robben Ford and the Ford Blues Band (2001), and then The Butterfield/Bloomfield Concert: The Ford Blues Band, with Robben Ford and Chris Cain (2006). Most recently there is an excellent tribute album,  Electric Butter by exceptional harmonica player Rob Paparozzi and the Ed Palermo Big Band (2015)

35 years after his death in 1987, Paul Butterfield leaves behind an impressive catalogue of music which is still popular with old and new fans. In the next and final post in this series,  we will discuss the last criterion that every harmonica playing bluesman must make to be considered historically important. He must inspire future generations to stand in front of a band singing blues, and accompanying himself with a ten hole harmonica. 

Stay tuned

Thanks for reading!