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Online Mercury's Conversation with Elvin Bishop
August 5, 2000
By Michael Evans
(Thanks to Brian, Ceciley & Ian)
Drawing of Ed Earley and Elvin
Bishop
by "Mr. Digital," from a photo by Michael Evans
Introduction:
Elvin Bishop has made his place in Rock and Blues as a singer,
songwriter and bandleader.
He has recorded for Columbia/Epic records, and Alligator Records.
He's often accorded the title "Blues Legend," and he surely
deserves it as a compliment to his talent, but there was a
time when he was considered a sideman -- just a player in
a band with stars like Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield
in the "front line."
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band influenced Rock on both sides
of the Atlantic Ocean in the mid-60's.
Butterfield brought the saxophone-like electrified harmonica
style of "Big Walter" Horton and "Little Walter" Jacobs to
the ears of millions of white teenagers straight from the
black clubs of Chicago's South Side.
Jeff Beck himself acknowledged their contribution to his sound.
Lead guitarist Mike Bloomfield, and drummer Sam Lay electrified
folksinger/songwriter Bob Dylan and helped change Rock 'N
Roll forever.
When Elvin Bishop traded licks with Bloomfield, he gave nothing
up. Two exemplary commercial jams exist from their heyday
-- on the "East/West" album.
Bishop plays an inventive melodic solo after the 'head' on
"Work Song." His guitar has a mild fuzz tone, with major sustain
on each stroke -- there's a distinctive voice that sounds
almost like scat-singing, only it comes from a very-electric
guitar.
Bloomfield pours on a rain of hyper-boosted sixteenth-to-sixty-fourth
notes, like a cross between B.B. King, and a meteor shower.
Organist Mark Naftalin gets a jazzy solo, as does Butterfield,
but the climax is held together by Elvin Bishop, with his
concentrated melodic line, and disciplined attack.
The song "East/West" itself is mostly a raga'd Bloomfield
tour de force, but once again, Elvin Bishop plays, or
jams, the melody that holds it together.
"It was just the tip of the iceberg in the Butterfield days.
I hadn't learned to write songs yet," said Bishop.
Once Bloomfield formed the "Electric Flag," with Buddy Miles,
and Nick Gravenites (an old compadre of Bishop and Butterfield
from Chicago), Elvin stepped out as lead guitarist of Butterfield's
band.
Their third album was even called "The Resurrection of Pigboy
Crabshaw," a reference to Bishop himself.
("Just foolishness!" says Elvin.)
Horns were added at this time, and Bishop had to share the
stage with luminaries such as David Sanborn -- but he learned
enough to front his own band by 1969 -- with a drawing of
a PIG on the first album (Obviously referring to "Pigboy.")
He cultivated an "aw-shucks" image, wearing a straw hat, bib
overalls, and a beer-can pop-top on a chain for a goodly number
of years.
Bishop made dynamite records like "Hometown Boy Makes Good,"
and "Hog Heaven," with a fine band that featured Mickey Thomas,
plus Bishop, alternating lead vocal chores between songs.
He had a major hit in the mid-70's with "Fooled Around and
Fell in Love," and an all-too-normal up-and-down cycle of
luck.
Thomas became the male voice of Jefferson Starship, and got
to share microphones with Grace Slick through the 80's.
"Mickey Thomas can open up a phone book, and make it sound
good," says Bishop.
Elvin eventually signed with Alligator Records, and revitalized
his career as HIMSELF, leaving "Pigboy" in the past.
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Elvin Bishop on writing songs:
In my case it was pretty much working around my limitations. I never had a beautiful voice … my voice has definite limitations.
That forced me to, if I wanted to get over -- but I had a burning desire to get over with a crowd, communicate with people, to REACH 'em -- Say HEY! DIG THIS! y' know?
To do that, I had to have a super strong story.
I had to have a good melody -- what there was of it --
and I had to present it in a musically, vocally, and dramatic fashion...
And all of that calls for quite a bit of maturity as a songwriter. It's a large order and took me a while to get it together, but I flatter myself I did a few of 'em that filled that bill -- all of 'em were aiming at filling that bill, but a few of 'em actually did I think!
I don't think that point (Is there a point when you know you've got this down?) has happened yet. There's a few I've been happy with (for instance?) the current one I've been working on. I have a tendency to like 'em all when they first get together. It's not an easy thing for me to write a tune. When I get one together that I'm proud of, it makes me feel really good!
Elvin Bishop on his unique and distinctive horn arrangements:
I have a way -- I write the horn harmonies pretty much on the guitar.
If you let the horn players write them, most of the time they'll come up with something generic, that sounds like -- uh, y'know -- regular horn parts!
BUT if I kinda just hum it and dictate to them what I want, y'know, and have them search around for a harmony, or maybe I'll find one on the guitar -- and they're off the beaten path horn-wise.
They'll hate you for an hour or two until they get the fingering for it 'cause it doesn't fall easily under the fingers for the horn 'cause it's not written by horn players.
It makes me feel good that someone noticed!
Elvin Bishop on Mickey Thomas:
Having Mickey in the band was kind of good for me at the time. It made me not have to carry the whole load of the vocals. I was feeling my way in there, like "How can I use my voice, as limited as it is as an effective tool for meeting people?" and I only had to be responsible for half the show 'cause Mickey was there to take care of the other slack.
It came along kinda on-schedule, when Mickey left. By that time I was ready to try doing the whole show myself anyway. I might have had a couple of minutes of panic … I usually do when guys quit … but in every case so far it always turns out for the best.
Elvin Bishop on his early days in Chicago:
The University of Chicago was located on an island in the middle of the south side ghetto. It's the type of school where all you have to do is show up at the end of the semester and take the tests … I just went and got lost in the ghetto … I was able to keep up school for two years that way, and finally music just totally took over.
I met (Paul) Butterfield my first day in Chicago. He was sitting
on some steps, playing guitar, drinking a quart of beer, and
playing blues. There weren't FIVE white people interested
in blues that I knew in Chicago at that time! This was like
1960 -- so we gravitated RIGHT together. That's how I met
him.
(Nick Gravenites) was a little further along than I was at the time. He was already going down to the Black clubs and hanging out. I actually got to know Nick when we were both working for US Steel -- South Works!
(Michael Bloomfield) …was kind of a hot shot. He'd been playing in bands since was 12 or 14, and he knew all this jazz theory, and had this fabulous technique and all that … When we got ready to make the record … it was originally four pieces, and the producer hired Bloomfield … that's how that happened.
Elvin Bishop on the 1965 Newport Folk Festival:
I was hanging out with Mance Lipscomb, John Hurt and the blues guys … drinkin' whiskey off the 'way other side of the grounds with the blues guys. I wasn't really interested in Dylan.
I might of seen some of that (electric Bob Dylan) … I knew what it was … because Sam Lay and Bloomfield did those sessions … and I went and kinda checked out the session a little bit.
Elvin Bishop's first recording:
...was with Butterfield and James Cotton -- acoustic! It came
out on an album called "Rare Gems"… put out by a guy named
Norman Dayron -- used to cart a tape recorder around. He got
us to go in some building at the University of Chicago.
"You guys want to see how ya' sound on tape?"
"Yeah, man!"
and Butterfield and Cotton -- one of 'em would play that great big harmonica, with a chunky rhythm, and the other guy would play the other harp
they sang 3 or 4 tunes and I was playing this dobro acoustic ... sounds pretty damn good, to tell ya' the truth -- '63!
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