PMA Films & A Special MJFF Musical Event
Discover the complex life and career of legendary blues musician Paul Butterfield—a man many call the greatest harmonica player of all time.
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Discover the life and career of legendary blues musician Paul Butterfield. As a teen-age harmonica player from Chicago’s south side, Paul learned the blues from the original masters performing nightly in his own back yard. Muddy Waters was Paul’s mentor and lifelong friend.
The interracial Paul Butterfield Blues Band, featuring the twin guitar sound of Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, the rhythm section of Sam Lay and Jerome Arnold and the keyboards of Mark Naftalin, added a rock edge to the Chicago blues, bringing an authenticity to its sound that struck a chord with the mainstream rock audience and rejuvenated worldwide interest in the blues. The band's first LP, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band released on Elektra Records in 1965, was named “#11 Blues Album of All Time” by Downbeat.
The only artist to perform at The Newport Folk Festival in 1965, The Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969, Paul continued to break new ground in the blues and to stand up for racial equality until his death at age 44 in 1987 from a drug overdose. Through his music and words, along with first-hand accounts of his family, his bandmates, and those closest to him, HORN FROM THE HEART: The Paul Butterfield Story tells the complex story of a man many call the greatest harmonica player of all time.
Directed by: John Anderson
Run time: 95 minutes
Rated: NR
Screening is followed by a discussion and concert with musicians Geoff Muldaur (who played with Butterfield) and Jim Kweskin.
Visit mjff.org for tickets