The Electric Flag was an American soul rock band, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield formed the Electric Flag in 1967, following his stint with the Butterfield Blues Band. The band reached its peak with the 1968 release, A Long Time Comin', a fusion of rock, jazz, and R&B styles that charted well in the Billboard Pop Albums chart. Their initial recording was a soundtrack for The Trip, a movie about an LSD experience by Peter Fonda, written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Roger Corman. History With his appreciation for blues, soul and R&B, Bloomfield wanted to create a group of his own that would feature what he called "American music." He was inspired not only by the big band blues of B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, and Guitar Slim (Eddie Jones), but also by the contemporary soul sounds of Otis Redding, Steve Cropper, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and other Stax recording artists. He also drew inspiration from traditional country, gospel, and blues forms. Initially called the American Music Band, Bloomfield organized the band that would become known as The Electric Flag in the spring of 1967, not long after he produced a session with Chicago blues harmonica player James Cotton that featured a horn section. Bloomfield decided that his new band would also have horns and would play an amalgam of the American music he loved. The group was initially formed at the instigation of Bloomfield, and the assistance of Barry Goldberg. Harvey Brooks, who had previously worked with Bloomfield in 1965, recording Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, joined as bassist, and recommended Buddy Miles, then 19 years old, who was the drummer at the time for Wilson Pickett. Brooks was working with Murray the K on the "Music in the Fifth Dimension" show at the RKO Theatre and was at Wilson Pickett's sound check/rehearsal watching Pickett fine Miles $50 a pop for missed cues. After the rehearsal Brooks approached Miles telling him about Bloomfield's credits, asking if he wanted to meet and talk about Bloomfield's new band. Miles was persuaded by Goldberg, Bloomfield and Brooks to leave Pickett. Initially, Bloomfield and Goldberg had asked Mitch Ryder to be the vocalist, since Bloomfield and Goldberg had been contributing to some Ryder recording sessions. Ryder declined the invitation, preferring