The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

One of the most influential blues acts of their time, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band introduced a gritty, authentic brand of electric blues to the rock audience, and could incorporate jazz, world music, R&B, and psychedelia into their performances while staying true to their roots. The act featured three musicians who would put a strong, highly individual stamp on the music -- harmonica player Paul Butterfield and guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop -- and the tough, fluid sound they conjured on 1965's The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the more exploratory approach of 1966's East-West carved out a path dozens of blues-rock acts would follow. The group evolved into a sound more beholden to soul and contemporary R&B on 1968's In My Own Dream, then folded after 1971's Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin', with Butterfield forming the short-lived Better Days and recording solo before his death in 1987.