Bloomfield was an indifferent student and self-described social outcast and immersed himself in the multi-cultural music world that existed in Chicago in the 1950s. He got his first guitar at age 13. Initially attracted to the roots-rock sound of Elvis Presley and Scotty Moore, Bloomfield soon discovered the electrified big-city blues music indigenous to Chicago. At the age of 14, the exuberant guitar wunderkind began to visit the blues clubs on Chicago’s South Side with friend Roy Ruby in search of his new heroes: players such as Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Howling Wolf, and Magic Sam. Not content with viewing the scene from the audience, Bloomfield was known to leap onto the stage, asking if he could sit in as he simultaneously plugged in his guitar and began playing riffs.
Bloomfield was quickly accepted on the South Side, as much for his ability as for the audiences' appreciation of the novelty of seeing a young white player in a part of town where few whites were seen. Bloomfield soon discovered a group of like-minded outcasts. Young white players such as Paul Butterfield, Nick Gravenites, Charlie Musselwhite, and Elvin Bishop were also establishing themselves as fans who could hold their own with established bluesmen, many of whom were old enough to be their fathers.
In addition to playing with the established stars of the day, Bloomfield began to search out older, forgotten bluesmen, playing and recording with Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachell, Little Brother Montgomery and Big Joe Williams, among others. By this time he was managing a Chicago folk music club, the Fickle Pickle, and often hired older acoustic blues players for the Tuesday night blues sessions. Big Joe Williams memorialized those times in the song "Pick A Pickle" with the line "You know Mike Bloomfield...will always treat you right...come to the Pickle, every Tuesday night." Bloomfield’s relationship with Big Joe Williams is documented in "Me And Big Joe," a moving short story detailing Bloomfield’s adventures on the road with Williams.
Bloomfield's guitar work as a session player caught the ear of legendary CBS producer and talent scout John Hammond, Sr., who flew to Chicago and immediately signed him to a recording contract. However CBS was unsure of exactly how to promote their new artist, declining to release any of the tracks recorded by Bloomfield's band, which included harp player Charlie Musselwhite.
With a contract but not much else, Bloomfield returned to playing clubs around Chicago until he was approached by Paul Rothchild, the producer of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band albums. Bloomfield was recruited to play slide guitar and piano on early recordings (later released as The Lost Elektra Sessions) which were rejected for not fully capturing the sound of the band. Although more competitors than friends ("I knew Paul [and I] was scared of him" remembered Mike), the addition of Bloomfield to the Butterfield Band provided Paul Butterfield with a musician of equal caliber -- Paul and Michael inspired and challenged each other as they traded riffs and musical ideas, one establishing a pattern and the other following it, extending it, and handing it back.
In between recording sessions with the Butterfield Band, Bloomfield backed up Bob Dylan on the classic Highway 61 Revisited album, and appeared with him at the Newport Folk Music Festival in 1965 when Dylan stunned the purist folk music crowd by playing electric rock-and-roll. Declining an offer from Dylan to join his touring band, Bloomfield and the Butter Band returned to the studio; with the addition of pianist Mark Naftalin they finally captured their live sound on vinyl.
The first two Butterfield Blues Band albums, the Dylan sessions, and the live appearances by the Butterfield Band firmly established Bloomfield as one of the most talented and influential guitar players in America. The second album featured the Bloomfield composition "East-West" which ushered in an era of long instrumental psychedelic improvisations.
Bloomfield left the Butterfield Blues Band in early 1967 ostensibly to give original guitarist Elvin Bishop, in Mike's words, "a little space." Undoubtedly he had also become uncomfortable with Paul Butterfield's position as bandleader and was anxious to lead his own band.
That band, The Electric Flag, included Bloomfield's old friends from Chicago, organist Barry Goldberg and singer/songwriter Nick Gravenites, as well as bass player Harvey Brooks and drummer Buddy Miles. The band was well received at its official debut at the Monterey Pop Festival but quickly fell apart due to drugs, egos, and poor management.
Bloomfield, weary of the road, suffering from insomnia, and uncomfortable in the role of guitar superstar, returned to San Francisco to score movies, produce other artists, and play studio sessions. One of those sessions was a day of jamming in the studio with keyboardist Al Kooper, who had previously worked with Bloomfield on the 1965 Dylan sessions.
Super Session, the resultant release, with Bloomfield on side one and guitarist Stephen Stills on side two, once again thrust Bloomfield into the spotlight. Kooper's production and the improvisational nature of the recording session captured the quintessential Bloomfield sound: the fast flurries of notes, the incredible string bending, the precise attack, and his masterful use of tension and release.
Although Super Session was the most successful recording of his career, Bloomfield considered it to be a scam, more of an excuse to sell records than a pursuit of musical goals. After a follow-up live album, he "retired" to San Francisco and lowered his visibility.
In the seventies Bloomfield played gigs in the San Francisco area and infrequently toured as Bloomfield And Friends, a group which usually included Mark Naftalin and Nick Gravenites. Bloomfield also occasionally helped out friends by lending his name to recording projects and business propositions, such as the ill-fated Electric Flag reunion in 1974 and the KGB album in 1976. In the mid-seventies Bloomfield recorded a number of albums with a more traditional blues focus for smaller record labels. He also recorded an instructional album of various blues styles for Guitar Player magazine.
By the late seventies Bloomfield's continuing drug and health problems caused erratic behavior and missed gigs, alienating a number of his old associates. Bloomfield continued playing with other musicians, including Dave Shorey and Jonathan Cramer. In the summer of 1980 he toured Italy with classical guitarist Woody Harris and cellist Maggie Edmondson. On November 15, 1980, Bloomfield joined Bob Dylan on stage at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco and jammed on "Like A Rolling Stone," the song they had recorded together 15 years earlier.
Michael Bloomfield was found dead in his car of a drug overdose in San Francisco, California on February 15, 1981.
Bad Luck Baby
Mike Bloomfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
mula noong akoy naging sayo
di mo man lamang isipin na minamahal
kita tibok ng puso koy iyong iyo
ngunit bakit tila yata biglang
nag laho nah tamis nang yong pag ibig dina nadarama
kung ika'y nag bibiro sanay umamin na
BABABAERO BABABAERO
BABABAERO Daw ako
sinong may sabing
makakating labi
di di di di naman totoo
puro imbento sari saring kwento
basta sayo lang ako
wag na sanang mag duda wag nang ma alala
tsismis at tsismosay iwasan nah
di ko kayang sugatan di ko kayang saktan di ko yata kayang ika'y balikan
ibibigay ng todo mahirapan man ako
upang mapatunayan akoy tapat sayo
sanay paniwalaang ika'y mahal ko
at wag mong sasabihing akoy
BABABAERO BABABAERO
BABABAERO Daw ako
sinong may sabing makakating labi
di di di di naman totoo
puro imbento sari saring kwento
basta sayo lang ako
araw araw kung napapansin
pag iwas mo sakin
di malaman ang gagawin
kayat sabihin mo sa akin ang iyong tunay na hangarin
wag na wag mong iisipin may karibal ka sakin
ibibigay ng todo mahirapan man ako
upang mapatunayan akoy tapat sayo
sanay paniwalaang ika'y mahal ko
at wag mong sasabihing akoy
BABABAERO BABABAERO
BABABAERO Daw ako
sinong may sabing makakating labi
di di di di naman totoo
BABABAERO BABABAERO
BABABAERO Daw ako
sinong may sabing makakating labi
di di di di naman totoo
BABABAERO BABABAERO
BABABAERO Daw ako
sinong may sabing makakating labi
di di di di naman totoo
The lyrics to Mike Bloomfield's song "Bad Luck Baby" are a plea to a love interest who is doubting the singer's fidelity. The song starts with questions about how long they have known each other and how the singer has loved the other person from the beginning. However, they express confusion over why the sweetness of their love suddenly disappeared. The chorus emphasizes that he is not a "bababae" (ladies' man) and that the rumors are false. He assures his love interest that he is faithful and wants them to believe that he loves them. The second verse reinforces that the singer wants to be trusted and that they are willing to do whatever it takes to prove their faithfulness, even if it means going through a painful process.
Overall, the song conveys an emotional sense of desperation and frustration. The singer is trying to make their love interest believe that they are sincere about their feelings and that the rumors about them are not true. The chorus serves as a hook, with the repeated lines and catchy melody sticking in listeners' heads.
Line by Line Meaning
kailan nga ba tayo unang nag ka kilala
When did we first meet?
mula noong akoy naging sayo
Ever since I became yours
di mo man lamang isipin na minamahal kita tibok ng puso koy iyong iyo
You do not even seem to think that my heart beats just for you, and that I love you
ngunit bakit tila yata biglang nag laho nah tamis nang yong pag ibig dina nadarama
But why did the sweetness of your love suddenly disappear, to the point where I don't feel it anymore?
kung ika'y nag bibiro sanay umamin na
If you are joking, please admit it
at wag mong sasabihin akoy BABABAERO BABABAERO BABABAERO Daw ako
And do not say that I am a playboy
sinong may sabing makakating labi di di di di naman totoo
Who said that I have wandering lips? It's not true
puro imbento sari saring kwento
All made up stories and rumors
basta sayo lang ako
I am only for you
wag na sanang mag duda wag nang ma alala tsismis at tsismosay iwasan nah
Please do not doubt me and avoid gossip and rumors
di ko kayang sugatan di ko kayang saktan di ko yata kayang ika'y balikan
I cannot hurt you, I cannot bear to hurt you, and I cannot seem to win you back
ibibigay ng todo mahirapan man ako upang mapatunayan akoy tapat sayo
Even if it is hard, I will give my all just to prove my loyalty and sincerity to you
sanay paniwalaang ika'y mahal ko
I hope you believe that I love you
araw araw kung napapansin pag iwas mo sakin di malaman ang gagawin
Every day, if I notice you avoiding me, I don't know what to do
kayat sabihin mo sa akin ang iyong tunay na hangarin
So please tell me your true intentions
wag na wag mong iisipin may karibal ka sakin
Never think that there is someone else competing with me
Contributed by Annabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mikevarela9141
Mike Bloomfield and his band were outta rhis world
@MySamuel1979
Pure maestro della Slide
@johngeraghty1084
F’ n Heavy Al cooper too? Thankyou 🎶🎼
@dimitriskarkavelos5042
Great!!!
@kristofernewton422
...i Never got past...The Blooze
@karendurant4981
Never got past the bligarettez
@karendurant4981
Indeed huh?
@karendurant4981
Nick the Greek, Nick the Survivor