The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (formed in 1963, in Chicago) was an American blues rock group. The ensemble was established by Paul Butterfield, Elvin Bishop, Jerome Arnold, and Sam Lay. Before recording their debut, they added guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Mark Naftalin. In July 1965, the group gained recognition for backing Bob Dylan during his first electric performance at the Newport Folk Festival. Their self-titled debut album, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965), reached number 123 on the Billboard 200. The band followed with East-West (1966), which reached number 65. The recording career included performances at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967) and the Woodstock Festival (1969). After several lineup changes, the ensemble released its final studio album, Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin’, in 1971 and subsequently disbanded. The founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Butterfield died on 4 May 1987.