About Michael Erlewine
In 1965, the same year that the Grateful Dead were
forming, Michael Erlewine, his brother Daniel, and a few
others, formed the first new-style band in the Midwest—
the Prime Movers Blues Band. Iggy Pop was their
drummer, and it was during his stint in this band that he
got the name ‘Iggy’. This was the beginning of the
hippie era. Michael was the band’s lead singer, and
played an amplified Chicago-style blues harmonica. He
still plays.
Erlewine was also the manager of the band, and
personally designed and silkscreened the band’s
posters, one of which is shown below.
The Prime Movers became a seminal band throughout
the Midwest and they traveled as far as the West Coast,
where they spent the year of 1967—the “Summer of
Love”—playing at all the famous clubs, and opening for
artists such as Eric Clapton and Cream, at the Fillmore
Auditorium.
As the 60’s wound down and bands began to break up,
Erlewine was still studying the music of American
Blacks, in particular—blues. Because of their knowledge
of the blues and their familiarity with many of the blues
players, Michael and his brother Dan were invited to
help host the first major electric blues festival ever held
in the United States—the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues
Festival. They got to wine and dine the performers and
to look after them in general.
Michael interviewed (audio and video) most of the blues
players (musicians) at the first two Ann Arbor Blues
Festivals, including: Big Joe Turner, Luther Allison,
Carey Bell, Bobby Bland, Clifton Chenier, James Cotton,
Pee Wee Crayton, Arthur Crudup, Jimmy Dawkins,