73-454: Ah Via Musicom is the second studio album by guitarist Eric Johnson , released in 1990 through Capitol Records . The album reached No. 67 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and remained on that chart for 60 weeks. All four singles charted on Billboard' s Mainstream Rock chart, with three of them being top 10 hits: "High Landrons" at No. 31, "Righteous" at No. 8, " Cliffs of Dover " at No. 5 and "Trademark" at No. 7. "Cliffs of Dover" went on to win
146-591: A Fender Telecaster , though he had also used a Fender Duo-Sonic while recording for Columbia following his 1964 signing to the label. During his tenure with the Butterfield Blues Band, he used that Telecaster on the first Butterfield album and on their earliest tours in the fall of 1965. By November he had swapped that guitar for International Submarine Band guitarist John Nuese ’s 1954 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop , acquired in Boston and used for some of
219-721: A Jimi Hendrix set, a tribute to the year 1967, often called "The Summer of Love ". In late 2006, he participated in a second G3 tour in South America with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci . Johnson appeared as part of Guitar Player magazine's Ultimate Musician's Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas in February 2014, with guitarists Joe Perry , Steve Vai , Elliot Easton , Michael Anthony , and others. He appeared with Zakk Wylde , Buddy Guy , Jonny Lang , Kenny Wayne Shepherd , Dweezil Zappa , and Doyle Bramhall II as part of
292-473: A 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Ah Via Musicom was a crossover hit and was certified platinum . Johnson is an admitted perfectionist, and those traits seemed to work against the Ah Via Musicom follow-up release. Unhappy with his recordings, Johnson mastered, then later scrapped several completed tracks for the new album and delayed its release for three years, on top of
365-608: A Chicago club called the Bear. The club was bankrolled by future Dylan and Butterfield manager Albert Grossman , who would play a major part in Bloomfield's career. Bloomfield's Telecaster guitar licks were featured on Dylan's " Like a Rolling Stone ", a single produced by Columbia Record's Tom Wilson . Bloomfield would play on most of the tracks on Dylan's 1965 Highway 61 Revisited album, and he appeared onstage with Dylan in July at
438-406: A Chicago photographer who became Bloomfield's de facto manager, he became a Columbia Records recording artist. In early 1964 Harlib took an audition tape by Bloomfield to Columbia producer and talent scout John Hammond , who signed him to Columbia's Epic Records label. Bloomfield recorded a few sessions for Columbia in 1964 that remained unreleased until after his death. In early 1965 he joined
511-490: A Dumble amplifier, as he had to replace a faulty component in his favorite Dumble, the Steel String Singer. It never sounded the same afterwards, and he sold the amplifier to Carlos Santana. Johnson has had several models built to his specifications for sale in the mass market. In 2003, C. F. Martin & Company released a limited-edition Eric Johnson Signature MC-40 guitar built for him. Johnson donated 5% of
584-536: A Fulton-Webb amplifier. Jim Dunlop also has released an Eric Johnson signature Jazz III plectrum and an Eric Johnson signature Fuzz Face. The Eminence Eric Johnson signature 12" alnico guitar speaker was introduced in 2012. In early 2015, Roland Corporation announced the Eric Johnson Tone Capsule, an accessory to Roland Blues Cube amplifiers. In March 2018, Fender released an Eric Johnson Signature Thinline Fender Stratocaster built to exactly
657-472: A black blues band in 1959, when he performed with Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson at a Chicago club called the Place. He performed with Howlin' Wolf , Muddy Waters , and many other Chicago blues performers during the early 1960s. In 1962 he married Susan Smith. Writing in 2001, keyboardist, songwriter and record producer Al Kooper said Bloomfield's talent "was instantly obvious to his mentors. They knew this
730-469: A highly regarded staple within the guitar community. All tracks are written by Eric Johnson, except where noted Shipments figures based on certification alone. Eric Johnson (guitarist, born 1954) Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist , vocalist and composer . His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom was certified platinum by the RIAA , and the single " Cliffs of Dover " won
803-475: A local fusion group called Electromagnets. The group toured and recorded regionally, but did not attract attention from major record labels and disbanded in 1977. The strength of Johnson's playing, however, attracted a small cult following to the group's early recordings, and decades later, their two albums were given wide release on compact disc. Following the Electromagnets' demise, Johnson formed
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#1732782937856876-548: A loud yet clean, almost chiming sound, with a healthy amount of reverb and vibrato ; this approach would strongly influence Jerry Garcia , who segued from a career in acoustic-based music to electric rock at the height of the Butterfield Band's influence in 1965. One of his amplifiers of choice was a 1965 Fender Twin Reverb . His solos, like those of most blues guitarists, were based in the minor pentatonic scale and
949-613: A member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band , was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Bloomfield was born in Chicago into a wealthy Jewish family. Bloomfield's father, Harold, was born there in 1914. Harold's father, Samuel Bloomfield, started Bloomfield Industries in the early 1930s. After Samuel passed away, Harold and his brother, Daniel, inherited the company. Bloomfield's mother, Dorothy Klein,
1022-520: A session musician, Johnson continued to perform locally in Austin. Johnson's career rebounded in 1984 when he was signed to Warner Bros. Records . Christopher Cross and producer David Tickle recommended Johnson to the label. His breakthrough appearance at Austin City Limits on July 31, 1984, was recorded and later released on CD/DVD in 2010. The performance of "Cliffs of Dover" from the concert
1095-399: A side project called Alien Love Child and played shows sporadically while recording Venus Isle . The positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig. A live performance recording, Live and Beyond , was released in 2000 on Steve Vai 's Favored Nations label. Alien Love Child featured the vocal prowess of Malford Milligan , an Austin-area musician who fronted
1168-646: A studio in Sausalito , to produce a one-off live album, Live at the Record Plant 1973 . In 1974, he rejoined the Electric Flag for an album titled The Band Kept Playing . In 1975 he recorded an album with the group KGB. The group's name is an acronym of the initials of singer and songwriter Ray Kennedy , Barry Goldberg and Bloomfield. The band also included Ric Grech and drummer Carmine Appice . Grech and Bloomfield quit shortly after its release. As
1241-584: A touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock. They played to audiences around Austin. From 1976–1978, Johnson recorded Seven Worlds , his debut album, at Odyssey Studios in Austin. Contract disputes followed, and Seven Worlds was not released until 1998 on Ark21 Records . Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson began working as a session guitarist for some well-known acts, including Cat Stevens , Carole King , and Christopher Cross . While
1314-614: A track from their 1968 Living with the Animals album, and on two albums by Texas-born soul singer Wayne Talbert. With Mark Naftalin, he produced the 1968 sessions for James Cotton's 1968 album Cotton in Your Ears . He released his first solo album, It's Not Killing Me , in 1969. Bloomfield also helped Janis Joplin assemble her Kozmic Blues Band (for the album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues, Again Mama! ) in 1969, co-wrote "Work Me, Lord" for
1387-467: A wealthy family, and received annual income from a trust created by his paternal grandfather, which gave him $ 50,000 each year. Bloomfield died in San Francisco on February 15, 1981. He was found seated behind the wheel of his car, with all four doors locked. According to police, an empty Valium bottle was found on the car seat, but no suicide note was found. The medical examiner who performed
1460-594: A whole, the album did not sell well, and Warner Bros. let Johnson's contract expire. He signed on with indie label Cinema Records, distributed by Capitol Records . By the time Johnson released his 1990 Capitol Records debut album, Ah Via Musicom , he was regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Johnson also drew recognition for the rich, violin -like lead sound he coaxed from his beloved 1954 Fender Stratocaster , which he named Virginia. The album's second track, " Cliffs of Dover ", exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson
1533-496: Is dedicated to jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery , and takes its name from the 1966 album East-West by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band . A DVD-Audio edition of Ah Via Musicom was released in 2002 through Capitol Records , but without Johnson's input. After he expressed disappointment in the sound quality and mixing , it was soon withdrawn by the label after 2500 copies were sold. In an August 2005 issue of Guitar Player , he confirmed that an authorized 5.1 DVD-Audio edition of
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#17327829378561606-468: The Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1992 Grammys . Several songs are dedicated to fellow guitarists: Johnson stated in a March 1990 interview with Guitar Player magazine that "Steve's Boogie" is dedicated to Austin -based pedal steel guitarist Steve Hennig, while "Song for George" is dedicated to an 80-year-old guitarist friend of his named George Washington. Furthermore, "East Wes"
1679-680: The East-West sessions. In 1967, Bloomfield swapped the Goldtop for guitar repairman/musician Dan Erlewine's 1959 Les Paul Standard and $ 100. The Standard had proven unpopular in the late 1950s because it was deemed too heavy and expensive by rock and roll guitarists. Gibson discontinued manufacturing the model in 1960. Bloomfield used the Standard in the Electric Flag and on the Super Session album and concerts. He later switched between
1752-485: The Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance . Best known for his electric guitar skills, Johnson is also a highly proficient player of acoustic , lap steel , and resonator guitar, as well as an accomplished bassist , pianist, and vocalist. He plays many musical genres, including rock, blues , jazz fusion , soul , folk , new-age , classical , and country . Keyboard Magazine called him "one of
1825-658: The Newport Folk Festival , where Dylan used Bloomfield and the Butterfield Band—minus Paul Butterfield—along with keyboardists Al Kooper and Barry Goldberg. The show marked Dylan's first use of an electric band in a live performance, and Bloomfield's playing on the songwriter's " Maggie's Farm " is considered a landmark electric-guitar performance. After the Newport Folk Festival ended, Bloomfield helped Dylan complete
1898-400: The blues scale . However, he liberally used chromatic notes within the pentatonic framework, and integrated Indian and Eastern influences in his solos. Gibson has since released a Michael Bloomfield Les Paul, replicating his 1959 Standard—in recognition of his impact on the electric blues, his role in the revived production of the guitar, and his influence on many other guitarists. Because
1971-425: The 16th. The band played the first night but the next day Bloomfield boarded a plane and flew home to San Francisco with virtually no notice to the club, hotel, or band members; his friend Mark Naftalin found a note on a torn piece of paper in the hotel room that read, "bye bye, sorry". Unlike contemporaries such as Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck , Bloomfield rarely experimented with feedback and distortion, preferring
2044-752: The Butterfield Band's rigorous touring schedule, relocated to San Francisco, and sought to create his own group. He formed the short-lived Electric Flag in 1967, with two longtime Chicago collaborators, Barry Goldberg and vocalist Nick Gravenites. The band featured a horn section. The band's rhythm section was composed of bassist Harvey Brooks and drummer Buddy Miles . Miles had previously played in Wilson Pickett 's touring band, while Brooks had performed with Al Kooper in bands in New York City, and had played with both Kooper and Bloomfield on Bob Dylan 's Highway 61 Revisited . The group's first effort
2117-814: The Hurricanes, named after Ohio rock band Johnny and the Hurricanes . New Trier expelled Bloomfield after his band performed a raucous rock and roll song at a 1959 school gathering. He attended Cornwall Academy in Massachusetts for one year and then returned to Chicago, where he spent his last year of education at a local Central YMCA High School. Bloomfield had attended a 1957 Chicago performance by blues singer Josh White , and began spending time in Chicago's South Side blues clubs and playing guitar with such black bluesmen as Sleepy John Estes , Yank Rachell , and Little Brother Montgomery . He first sat in with
2190-564: The Internet, received nearly 65,000 plays in the first seven weeks after it was made available on mp3.com. Johnson promoted Souvenir with an electric tour in 2003 and an acoustic tour in 2004. Johnson's album Bloom was released in June 2005, on Vai's Favored Nations label. The album was divided into three sections with different musical styles, intended to showcase Johnson's versatility. His December 1988 Austin City Limits performance
2263-792: The Los Angeles area due to the storied two-week run at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach. He became a mentor and inspiration for many guitarists, especially in the SF Bay Area. He did a 1965 date with Peter, Paul and Mary that resulted in a song called "The King of Names", and he recorded in 1966 with pop group Chicago Loop, whose "When She Wants Good Lovin' (My Baby Comes to Me)" made Billboard Magazine ' s chart that year. He also played guitar on recordings by Chuck Berry , Mitch Ryder and James Cotton . Bloomfield tired of
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2336-745: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band . He also began friendships and professional associations with fellow Chicagoan Nick Gravenites and Bronx -born record producer Norman Dayron , who was attending the University of Chicago . He developed a friendship with blues singer Big Joe Williams . In 1963 Bloomfield and his two friends George Mitchell and Pete Welding ran a weekly blues showcase at the Fickle Pickle. He subsequently built up his reputation in two Chicago clubs, Big John's and Magoo's. With help from his friend Joel Harlib,
2409-532: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which included Elvin Bishop and keyboardist Mark Naftalin , along with drummer Sam Lay and bassist Jerome Arnold , who had previously worked in Howlin' Wolf's band. Elektra Records producer Paul Rothchild recorded the band in spring 1965, but the majority of the tracks were not released until the 1990s. However, one of the tracks Rothchild recorded during his first pass at producing
2482-604: The Southwest. In 2016, he released EJ: Explorations on Guitar and Piano , which was his first entirely acoustic album. He toured the album in early 2017. In 2017, Johnson released Collage , which also coincided with the announcement of a tour revisiting his hit album Ah Via Musicom . In the fall of 2018, he was invited to promote the Fender and Nissan collaboration for car stereo systems designed by Fender Audio. In January 2020, Johnson released EJ: Volume II , which
2555-475: The actual guitar had been unaccounted for so many years, Gibson relied on hundreds of photographs provided by Bloomfield's family to reproduce it. The model comes in two configurations—a Vintage Original Specifications (VOS), modified by Bloomfield's mismatched volume and tone control knobs, missing toggle switch cover, and kidney-shaped tuners replacing the Gibson original, and a faithful process-aged reproduction of
2628-446: The age of 15, he joined his first professional band, Mariani, a psychedelic rock group. In 1970, Johnson and the group recorded a demonstration, which had an extremely limited release. The recording became a prized collector's item years later. After graduating from high school, Johnson briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin and traveled with his family to Africa . He eventually returned to Austin, and in 1974, joined
2701-420: The album was in the works, but as of 2022 it has not been released. Robert Taylor at AllMusic gave Ah Via Musicom 4.5 stars out of 5, saying that it has "reached near-classic proportions within the guitar community" and highlighting the varied styles present, namely rock , pop , blues , country and jazz . Praise was given to Johnson for his "excellent chops and a clear tone" as well as his singing, which
2774-569: The album, and played the guitar solo on Joplin's blues composition "One Good Man". Columbia released another 1969 album, a live concert jam, Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West , including Mark Naftalin, former Electric Flag bandmates Marcus Doubleday and Snooky Flowers, and a guest appearance by Taj Mahal . In the same year he reunited with Paul Butterfield and Sam Lay for the Chess Records album Fathers and Sons , featuring Muddy Waters and pianist Otis Spann . Bloomfield composed and recorded
2847-584: The autopsy ruled the death accidental overdose, due to cocaine and methamphetamine poisoning. Bloomfield's last album, Cruisin' for a Bruisin' , was released the day his death was announced. His remains are interred in a crypt at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery , in Culver City , near Los Angeles. Bloomfield's musical influences include Scotty Moore , Chuck Berry , Little Richard , B.B. King , Big Joe Williams , Otis Rush , Albert King , Freddie King and Ray Charles . Bloomfield originally used
2920-511: The band exploring modal music, and it was based upon a song Gravenites and Bloomfield had been playing since 1965, "It's About Time". Bloomfield played on recording sessions between 1965 and 1967. His guitar playing had a huge impact on San Francisco Bay Area musicians after playing with the Butterfield band at Bill Graham's Fillmore in March 1966, San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom and also in
2993-588: The band was already disintegrating, with rivalries between members, shortsighted management, and heroin abuse all taking their toll. Shortly after the release of that album, Bloomfield left the band, with Gravenites, Goldberg, and bassist Harvey Brooks following. Bloomfield also made an impact through his work with Al Kooper , who had played with Bloomfield on Dylan's " Like a Rolling Stone ". Kooper had become an A&R man for Columbia Records, and Bloomfield and Kooper had played piano on Moby Grape 's 1968 Grape Jam , an instrumental album that had been packaged with
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3066-441: The bridge pickups in some of his Stratocasters for DiMarzio HS-2 pickups, because they do not hum as much as standard single-coil pickups. Johnson has also played other guitar brands such as Robin , Rickenbacker , Jackson , Maton , and Charvel , one of which appears on the cover of the Ah Via Musicom album. In 2001, Johnson added a Gibson Custom Shop '59 Les Paul Reissue to his collection of guitars. Of note, he no longer uses
3139-627: The eighth edition of the Experience Hendrix Tour highlighting the music of Jimi Hendrix, in March 2014. Johnson returned to the Experience Hendrix Tour in September and October 2014. Johnson and fellow guitarist Mike Stern kicked off their Eclectic Guitar Tour on November 6, 2014, and released an album supporting it on October 27, 2014. In August 2015, he participated in the "Vai Academy" along with guitarists Steve Vai and Sonny Landreth , and also kicked off an acoustic tour of
3212-466: The film Caged Heat . In 1976 he recorded an instructional album for guitarists, If You Love These Blues, Play 'Em as You Please , which was financed through Guitar Player magazine. In the 1970s Bloomfield played in local San Francisco Bay area clubs, including the Keystone Korner , and sat in with other bands. In 1977, Bloomfield was selected by Andy Warhol to do the soundtrack for
3285-417: The fly in one or two days. Why not try and legitimize rock by adhering to these standards? In addition, as a fan, I was dissatisfied with Bloomfield's recorded studio output up until then. It seemed that his studio work was inhibited and reined in, compared to his incendiary live performances. Could I put him in a studio setting where he could feel free to just burn like he did in live performances?" The result
3358-408: The group's Wow collection. "Why not do an entire jam album together?" Kooper remembered in 1998, writing the booklet notes for the Bloomfield anthology Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man: Essential Blues, 1964–1969 . "At the time, most jazz albums were made using this modus operandi: pick a leader or two co-leaders, hire appropriate sidemen, pick some tunes, make some up and record an entire album on
3431-515: The group, a Nick Gravenites song titled "Born in Chicago", was included on the Elektra album Folksong '65 , which sold two hundred thousand copies when it was released in September 1965. "Born in Chicago" became an underground hit for the Butterfield Band. Their debut album, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band , was recorded in September and released the following month. In June 1965, Bloomfield had recorded with Bob Dylan , whom he had met in 1963 at
3504-470: The guitar down – didn't touch it. Shooting junk made everything else unimportant, null and void, nolo contendere . My playing fell apart. I just didn't want to play. He recorded his second solo album, Try It Before You Buy It , in 1973. Columbia rejected it; the complete version of the record would not appear until 1990. Also in 1973, he cut Triumvirate with Dr. John and guitarist and singer John Hammond Jr. In 1973 he teamed up with Mark Naftalin, at
3577-678: The guitar's sales profit to his father's college, Jefferson Medical College (now called the Thomas Jefferson University). Johnson has also been known to use the Martin D-45 before his signature Martin guitar was released. In 2005, Fender released an Eric Johnson Signature Fender Stratocaster also built to his specifications. This was followed up by the Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Rosewood model in 2009. It featured
3650-754: The it and the Telecaster, but his use of the Les Paul inspired other guitarists to use the model and spurred Gibson to reintroduce the Standard in 1968. Bloomfield eventually lost the guitar in Canada when a club owner kept two he had left behind as partial compensation after Bloomfield cut short a round of appearances. He had been booked at the Cave in Vancouver, from Tue. Nov. 12th, 1974, for five days, until Sat.
3723-465: The local band Storyville , made up of members of Stevie Ray Vaughan 's Double Trouble . In 1998, Johnson was among the judges in Musician magazine's "Best Unsigned Bands" competition, along with Ani DiFranco , Moby , Art Alexakis of Everclear , Keb' Mo' , and Joe Perry of Aerosmith . In 2003, he contributed a guitar solo on Mike Tramp 's solo album, More to Life than This . The solo
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#17327829378563796-459: The mid-1960s. In 1965, he played on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited , including the single " Like a Rolling Stone ", and performed with Dylan at that year's Newport Folk Festival . Bloomfield was ranked No. 22 on Rolling Stone 's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2003 and No. 42 by the same magazine in 2011. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012 and, as
3869-513: The most respected guitarists on the planet" in 2006. Born into a musically inclined family, Eric Johnson and his three sisters studied piano, while his father was a whistling enthusiast. Johnson started learning the guitar at age 11 and rapidly progressed while listening to the musicians who would heavily influence his future style, including Mike Bloomfield , Chet Atkins , Eric Clapton , Jimi Hendrix , Ric Bailey, Wes Montgomery , Jerry Reed , Bob Dylan , and Django Reinhardt , among others. At
3942-525: The pop artist's last film, Andy Warhol's Bad (also known as BAD). An unreleased single, "Andy's Bad", was also produced for the project. During 1979–1981 he performed often with the King Perkoff Band, sometimes introducing them as the "Michael Bloomfield and Friends" outfit. Bloomfield recorded "Hustlin' Queen", written by John Isabeau and Perkoff in 1979. He toured Italy and Sweden with guitarist Woody Harris and cellist Maggie Edmondson in
4015-434: The record hit stores in 1976, Bloomfield told journalists that the group had been an ill-conceived moneymaking project. The album was not well received by critics, but it did contain the standout track "Sail On, Sailor". Its authorship was credited to "Wilson-Kennedy", and had a bluesy, darker feel, along with Ray Kennedy's original cocaine-related lyrics. In the same year, he performed with John Cale on Cale's soundtrack for
4088-539: The same specifications as his first signature Strat, the sole exception being that the guitar is a semihollow design, which is a rarity for Fender. The guitar is available in Vintage White and two-color Sunburst, with quarter-sawn maple necks exclusively. In early 2020, Fender announced the Eric Johnson "Virginia" Custom Shop Stratocaster, modeled after a 1954 Stratocaster he owned. The original "Virginia"
4161-766: The same specifications as the Eric Johnson Maple Neck guitar, but with the addition of an unusual three-ply, eight-hole white pick guard, hotter treble pickup, and a bound rosewood laminated fingerboard with pearloid dot position markers . In January 2006, a man named Brian Sparks was arrested for posing as Johnson, and in the process, defrauding businesses out of about US$ 18,000 worth of guitars and equipment. Also in 2006, some of Johnson's guitars that had been stolen 24 years earlier were recovered. Johnson has also released other signature gear such as GHS Eric Johnson Nickel Rockers Electric Guitar Strings, DiMarzio DP211 Eric Johnson Signature Custom Pickups, and
4234-598: The sessions for Highway 61 Revisited , and Dylan asked Bloomfield to join his touring band. Bloomfield demurred, preferring to continue playing with the Butterfield Band. When Sam Lay fell ill after a series of dates in November 1965, the Butterfield Band brought Chicago-born drummer Billy Davenport into the group. During the first part of 1966, the band played in California, and they recorded their second album, East-West , that summer. The record's title track found
4307-657: The soundtrack for the film Medium Cool , directed by his second cousin, Haskell Wexler . The film includes footage shot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. With Nick Gravenites, he produced blues guitarist Otis Rush 's 1969 album Mourning in the Morning , recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with a band that included keyboardists Mark Naftalin and Barry Beckett , along with guitarist Duane Allman . During 1970 Bloomfield gave up playing because of his heroin addiction: ...and I put
4380-579: The success of its predecessor. As a result, Johnson was dropped from Capitol Records. He rebounded with a successful tour from October to November 1996 with fellow guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai . Named the "G3" tour , it resulted in a platinum-selling compact disc and DVD titled G3: Live in Concert . Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing Souvenir in January 2003 on his own Vortexan Records label. The album, released on
4453-522: The summer of 1980. He sat in with Bob Dylan at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre on November 15, 1980. Bloomfield played on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar". He continued to play live dates, with his performance at San Francisco State College on February 7, 1981, being his penultimate appearance. His final performance was at Mission Ranch , Carmel, CA , approximately 48 hours before his death. Bloomfield came from
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#17327829378564526-433: The three years he had spent touring in support of Ah Via Musicom . He also had setbacks involving musical growth and personal issues while recording his next album Venus Isle . Venus Isle was released on September 3, 1996. It was an album with world influences that demonstrated Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, producer, musical arranger, and vocalist, but the album received mixed reviews and did not match
4599-633: Was Super Session , a jam album that spotlighted Bloomfield's guitar skills on one side. Bloomfield, who suffered from insomnia, left the sessions after the first day. Guitarist Stephen Stills completed the album with Kooper. It received excellent reviews and became the best-selling album of Bloomfield's career. Its success led to a live sequel, The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper , recorded over three nights at Fillmore West in September 1968. Bloomfield continued with solo, session and back-up work from 1968 to 1980. He played guitar on Mother Earth 's cover of Memphis Slim's "Mother Earth",
4672-488: Was a follow-up to his first acoustic album. On September 12, 2023, Johnson was announced as a part of the G3 2024 Tour along with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani . Johnson is best known for playing the lightly modified Fender Stratocasters and Gibson ES-335 electric guitars through either a Fender or Marshall amplifier , depending on whether he is targeting a clean rhythm, dirty rhythm, or lead tone. He tends to swap out
4745-411: Was an American blues guitarist and composer. Born in Chicago , he became one of the first popular music stars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, as he rarely sang before 1969. Respected for his guitar playing, Bloomfield knew and played with many of Chicago's blues musicians before achieving his own fame and was instrumental in popularizing blues music in
4818-532: Was born in Chicago in 1918 and married Harold in 1940. She came from an artistic, musical family, and worked as an actress and model before marrying. Bloomfield's family lived in various locations around Chicago before settling at 424 West Melrose Street on the North Side. When he was twelve his family moved to suburban Glencoe , where he attended New Trier High School for two years. During this time, he began playing in local bands, then put together one called
4891-420: Was described as "not quite as interesting as his guitar playing", but also for being "not obtrusive and ... at times quite pleasing". "Cliffs of Dover" has endured as Johnson's best-known song and is a mainstay at his concerts. It was ranked No. 17 in a list of "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" by Guitar World magazine, No. 34 in a list of "50 greatest guitar tones of all time" by Guitarist magazine, and remains
4964-487: Was distributed in a flexi-disc soundpage in the May 1986 issue of Guitar Player magazine. In May 1986, Guitar Player magazine ran a cover story about Johnson. The article helped promote the release of Tones and brought Johnson critical praise, as well as elevating his profile in the guitar and music community. The album's track "Zap" was nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance , but as
5037-593: Was featured on the track "The Good, the Sad and the Ugly". In September 2006, Johnson took part in a theatrical production titled Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar – the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar's colorful and controversial 3,500-year history. In September 2007, Johnson participated in a second theatrical production by the same company titled Love In: A Musical Celebration in which he performed
5110-1237: Was made out of sassafras and was featured extensively on Ah Via Musicom and Venus Isle . Johnson generally does not collect guitars, as he is not interested in owning superfluous items. His collection is limited to the best-playing examples of the guitar he finds: Johnson uses effect pedals such as the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face , BK Butler Tube Driver, MXR KD IV Stereo Chorus, Vox CryBaby wah-wah, ToadWorks Barracuda flanger, Prescription Electronics Experience octave fuzz, Xotic AC Booster, MXR Flanger/Doubler, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man delay, Boss Corporation DD-2 Digital Delay, MXR 1500 Digital Delay, Line 6 Echo Pro Studio Modeler, and up to two Maestro Echoplex tape delays. All of these are connected to multiple A/B boxes to create sounds and tones that are both clean and distorted. Dunlop has also begun selling Johnson's signature Fuzz Face pedal. In late 2006, Johnson switched from recording in analog to digital format. Johnson has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards , winning once in 1991. Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981)
5183-501: Was not just another white boy; this was someone who truly understood what the blues were all about." Among his early supporters were B.B. King , Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan and Buddy Guy . "Michael used to say, 'It's a natural. Black people suffer externally in this country. Jewish people suffer internally. The suffering's the mutual fulcrum for the blues.'" In the early 1960s he met harmonica player and singer Paul Butterfield and guitarist Elvin Bishop , with whom he would later play in
5256-556: Was released on both DVD and compact disc on New West Records in November 2005. His instructional guitar DVD, The Art of Guitar ( Hal Leonard Corporation ), was also released at the end of 2005. On June 24, 2014, Provogue Records released Europe Live , a retrospective of Johnson's work that features two new compositions. One of the new compositions is entitled "Evinrude Fever" and draws inspiration from water skiing and boating. In 1991, Johnson contributed guitar for two tracks on Stuart Hamm 's album, The Urge . In 1994, he formed
5329-458: Was the soundtrack for director-producer Roger Corman 's 1967 movie The Trip , which was recorded in the spring of that year. The Electric Flag debuted at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and issued an album, A Long Time Comin' , in April 1968 on Columbia Records . Critics complimented the group's distinctive, intriguing sound but found the record itself somewhat uneven. By that time, however,
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