"This book traces the rise and fall of one of the most talented, charismatic, and influential guitarists of the 1960s. Born into a wealthy family, misunderstood by his father, and plagued by manic depression, Michael Bloomfield achieved a musical brilliance that led to gold records and a posthumous election to The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.". "Drawn from over 80 in-depth interviews with family, friends and colleagues, this oral history chronicles the achievements and anomalies of Bloomfield's career. It also offers a look inside some milestones of '60s culture: the white blues movement, with groups like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bloomfield's first steady gig; the special bond between young white blues players and the older bluesmen; and the rift between purist folk singers and the new guard, which exploded when Bob Dylan "went electric" at the Newport festival.". "This book also reveals Bloomfield's personal and professional decline in the late 1970s, which ended in his tragic and mysterious drug-related death."--BOOK JACKET.