Music Diary – 12th November

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 12th November!

Neil Young

Happy birthday to Mr. Neil Percival Young, who was born on the 12th November 1945 in Toronto, Ontario! The Canadian singer-songwriter started his music career at the age of 15. In 1966 he moved to California where he founded with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay the Folk-Country-Rock band Buffalo Springfield. After the group called it a day, Neil startet his solo career in 1968 and one year later he joined the famous trio Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member. Neil Young’s work is outstanding and all over the decades he still likes it to experiment with all types of musical genres. He is also called the „Godfather of Grunge“ and so it’s no surprise that Neil Young also toured and recorded with Pearl Jam.

Neil Young recorded over 35 studio albums in his outstanding career. Many of them became real milestones in Rock history like „Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere“ (1969 – feat. the classics „Cinnamon Girl„, „Down by the River“ and „Cowgirl in the Sand„), „After the Gold Rush“ (1970 – feat. „“Southern Man„), „Harvest“ (1972 – feat. „Heart of Gold“ and „The Needle and the Damage Done„),  „Rust Never Sleeps“ (1979), „Freedom“ (1989), „Ragged Glory“ (1990), „Harvest Moon“ (1992), „Sleeps with Angels“ (1994) or the cooperation with Pearl Jam on „Mirror Ball“ (1995).

 

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Music Diary – 15th February

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 15th February!

Michael Bernard „Mike“ Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981)

 On the 15th February 1981, an outstanding guitar player passed away:
Mr. Michael Bernard „Mike“ Bloomfield died at the age of only 38 years.

Mike Bloomfied was born on the 28th July 1943 in Chicago, Illinois (USA). Already in his teenage years, Mike was addicted to Blues music and early he began to play with local black musicians like Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachell and Little Brother Montgomery. Among his early supporters, who recognised Mike’s talent, were  B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Buddy Guy and Al Kooper, who said about him: „They knew this was not just another white boy; this was someone who truly understood what the blues were all about.“

In 1964, Mike joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which included Elvin Bishop, Howlin‘ Wolf, Sam Lay and Jerome Arnold. Three years later, Bloomfield left the band, moved to San Francisco and founded Electric Flag with organist Barry Goldberg and singer Nick Gravenites. Drummer Buddy Miles completed the line-up and on the Monterey Pop Festival they performed for the very first time. In April 1968 the debut album „A Long Time Comin‘“ was released. Although the LP received excellent reviews, rivalries and Mike’s heroin abuse took a heavy toll on the band and so Bloomfield left with Gravenites Goldberg and bassist Harvey Brooks.

In 1968, Bloomfield crossed paths with Al Kooper again and they were thinking about, to record a jam album. With Mike’s mates Brooks, Goldberg and with drummer Eddie Hoh, the quintet recorded this legendary album. To complete the sessions, Kooper invited Stephen Stills – and the member of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young added his guitar parts for the LP, which was called „Super Session“ (released in July 1968).

One year later, Bloomfield’s first solo album „It’s Not Killing Me“ hit the stores and he worked with different artists and on several projects. Unfortunately Mike’s heroin addiction grew bigger and bigger and on 15th February 1981 he was found dead in his car. Mike Bloomfield died on an heroin overdors – he was only 38 years old.

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