The Rock World mourns over the death of British Blues legend John Mayall.
The founder of the Bluesbreakers helped pave the way for Blues Rock and Hard Rock in the mid to late 60's. As much lore as there is for the Yardbirds being psychadelic blues pioneers, that gave a home for three of the greatest guitarists of all time, The Bluesbreakers were just as historic in advancing the careers of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and members of Fleetwood Mac, and Journey.
The godfather of British blues cut no corners when it came to playing and creating the blues. His band was one of the rare ones to come out of the British Blues explosion that did not stray too far from the source sound, which made it the perfect landing spot for Eric Clapton, when he left The Yardbirds after having to record a pop song in "For Your Love".
With the Bluesbreakers Clapton who was already a mythic star in England ascended to Blues God status in recording the first Bluesbreakers album, now infamously known as the Beano album, due to Clapton photographed reading a Beano comic book on the cover. The Bluesbreakers became the signature album of the British Blues scene, and the favorite UK album of every band that came out during the time.
After butting heads with Clapton, Mayall would move on from Clapton and recruit a new young blues prodigy in Peter Green. Shifting the lineup of the Bluesbreakers constantly, adding the likes of John McVie on bass and Ansley Dunsbar on drums. The group would achieve a bit more mainstream success in this phase and Green would rise to become the next big thing in British Blues. Green's mastery gave him a confidence to eventually find his own way in music, and he too would leave Mayall and take McVie to form Fleetwood Mac, and once again Mayall looked to fill the void and did so with the young Mick Taylor.
With Taylor, the Bluesbreakers would run out the decade of the 60's, until he too would leave to replace Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones leaving John to eventually retire the Bluesbreakers name and just go on as John Mayall.
Mayall devoted his life to the blues touring with blues pioneers Sonny Boy Williamson and John Lee Hooker, to bring their music to a wider audience.
“John Mayall, he was the master of it,” B.B. King said. “If it wasn’t for the British musicians, a lot of us Black musicians in America would still be catchin’ the hell that we caught long before.”
Mayall is as much known for helping launch iconic rock careers as much as being a great musician, writer, and producer. Seven members of his bands are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and John himself is due to be inducted this fall. Many British bands are branded as champions of the blues, but few have a catalogue that's as loyal as that of The Bluesbreakers. His entry into the Hall of Fame is long overdue and that oversight stings even more now that he won't be there to enjoy the moment. Like the very music he loved, appreciation of Mayall's career is highly overlooked and deserved much more than it got. He died at his home in California, after last performing in 2022 He was 90.