As a pioneering member of the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall left his unique mark by showcasing great musicians, such as Eric Clapton.
The death of iconic veteran musician John Mayall, the legend of British blues, marked the end of an era as he passed away at his home in California on July 22, 2024, surrounded by his beloved family.
“John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless effort to educate, inspire, and entertain,” reads a post on his official Instagram profile regarding his passing.
“In an interview with The Guardian in 2014, John said: ‘Blues is about – and always has been about – that raw honesty with which we express our life experiences.’ This raw honesty, connection, community, and his playing will continue to influence the music and culture we experience today and for future generations.
Appointed OBE (Officer of the British Empire), two-time Grammy nominee, and recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, John leaves behind his six children, Gaz, Jason, Red, Ben, Zak, and Samson, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He is also surrounded by the love of his former wives, Pamela and Maggie, his devoted secretary, Jane, and his close friends. We, the Mayall family, cannot thank his fans and the long list of band members enough for the support and love we have been blessed to experience over the last six decades.” we read in the related post.
John Mayall and Blues Breakers
John Mayall was born in Macclesfield, England, in 1933. He began exploring his father’s jazz and blues collection as a teenager and learned to play piano, guitar, and harmonica to create his own take on music. After three years in the armed forces that took him to Korea, he attended an art school and became a graphic designer, while also pursuing music.
He also lived in a treehouse in his parents’ garden. “When I was a teenager, until the time I got married, when I was 30,” he later said. “We lived in a small house, so my room was above a tree,” he noted, according to The Guardian.
In 1963, at the age of 30, and after encouragement from his friend Alexis Korner, he moved to London to become a professional musician amid the rhythm and blues explosion that birthed bands like the Rolling Stones, Spencer Davis Group, and the Animals.
John Mayall founded the Bluesbreakers band in the 1960s, and his role in the revival and preservation of the blues is pivotal, as he is often referred to as the “godfather of British blues.”
The Bluesbreakers were born in 1963, and throughout the 1960s, the band included the crème de la crème of the British blues and rock family, from Clapton and Peter Green to Jack Bruce, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Aynsley Dunbar (who later went on to play drums for Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and later for Journey and Jefferson Starship), and future Rolling Stone Mick Taylor.
The group was a major commercial force in the Swinging ’60s UK, with five Top 10 LPs from 1966-70. On their debut Blues Breakers album in 1966, the young and hot guitarist Clapton participated, who had just left the Yardbirds and whose fiery playing inspired the graffiti “Clapton is God.”
Health issues forced him to stop his extensive touring career. From 1969, Mayall moved to the USA and Los Angeles and continued to release albums and tour relentlessly around the world until about two years ago.
Music personalities pay tribute to the “godfather of British blues”
Figures from across the music industry are paying tribute to the late John Mayall.
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger said: “Very sad to hear of John Mayall’s passing. He was a great pioneer of British blues and had a wonderful knack for spotting talented young musicians, including Mick Taylor – whom he introduced to me after Brian Jones’s death – ushering in a new era for the Stones.”
American guitarist and singer Walter Trout, a friend of John Mayall, posted a photo of him with the musician from his 90th birthday last November, writing: “At John Mayall’s 90th birthday last November, I had no idea it would be one of the last times I would see him. As usual, he was funny, generous, and kind. He is and will always be my musical mentor. We just lost a giant. I loved him like a father and will always love him.”
American blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa shared on social media a series of John Mayall’s album covers and a photo of him with the musician, writing: “Rest in peace, my friend.”
The British musician had been honored with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire.