Foremost blues guitarist of the '60s and '70s Mike Bloomfield writes the tale of his early days in Chicago, where he befriends great blues legend Joe Lee Williams (AKA "Big Joe"). Together they embark on a journey to the dark, smoky blues clubs of the Midwest, encountering Lightnin' Hopkins, Sonny Boy Williamson, Tampa Red, Kokomo Arnold, and other blues musicians along the way. A classic American adventure story, a must read for any blues lover or musician.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"I can't recommend ME AND BIG JOE highly enough. It is a beautifully realized American miniature--nearly as scary as Melville's white whale, fully as grotesque and funny as a Fellini dreamscape and as exhilarating as Bloomfield's best solo." -- David Armstrong, AMERICAN JOURNAL
About the Author
Michael Bloomfield played with Bob Dylan, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and the Electric Flag in the 1960s, and on record and film soundtracks in the '70s. He is one of his generation's foremost blues guitarists.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One Funky Book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Me and Big Joe (Paperback)
Bloomfield's Me and Big Joe is a wild little book. It's a drunk and dirty account of Bloomfield's attempt to "live the blues" with Big Joe Williams, one of the stars of the Rediscovery period of the blues back in the early 60s, and the discovery that he may be able to learn how to play the guitar by watching Williams play, but there was no way he was ever going to be able to live in Williams' manner. The anecdotes are extemely funny adn poignant, and Bloomfield takes great joy in presenting his and Williams' very, very different lives and expereinces. The music pulled them together, no doubt, but Bloomfield never descends into cliches about bridging cultures and becoming soul-mates and so on. He stays on the ground, and in the process writes one of the few interesting works of blues auto-biography. If you want lots of PC uplift stories about Williams as a musical genius, go elsewhere. This is a book about musicians, not role models, and the picture ain't always pretty, even if it's enlightening, fun and defintitely wierd.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
spare stunning story by blues guitar legend,
This review is from: Me and Big Joe (Paperback)
Like being there, this story captures the feel of hootchhouse blues and the myths and legends that surround them. Fans of blues, Michael Bloomfield, and their great history should buy and read this book. Highly recomended
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kind of bad but then again oh so good,
By
This review is from: Me and Big Joe (Paperback)
Most of this book is kind of annoying - for much of the first part of it you wonder why Bloomfield, who was by all accounts just a brilliant guy, couldn't manage to write any better. The ending of the book on the other hand is great - featuring two pages that Mike might well have taken a mouthful of.
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