Photo Via John Mayall - Facebook
John Mayall
If there ever were such a thing as a school for English blues artists, then its headmaster undoubtedly would have been John Mayall. He died Monday at his home in California. He was 90.
The multi-instrumentalist’s influence led to a host of blues luminaries who created some of the leading blues-rock bands of the mid- to late 1960s, all of them graduates of Mayall’s band, The Bluesbreakers.
Former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton spent time with Mayall, departing to form Cream with another Mayall protégé, bassist Jack Bruce. (Unfortunately, the creation of the band, which included drummer Ginger Baker, was announced in the press before Clapton had the chance to tell his boss.)
Guitarist Peter Green took over for Clapton as a Bluesbreaker, eventually leaving to form the original Fleetwood Mac with bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, two other Mayall alumni. Guitarist Mick Taylor replaced Green, and after two years exited Mayall’s band to replace the late Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones. And the list goes on.
I interviewed Mayall in 2018 when he was scheduled to play at Shank Hall.
Your father was a jazz guitarist, yet you migrated to the blues. How did that come about?
My father was a jazz enthusiast, and I did grow up listening to most of what he had. But I became fixated on boogie-woogie pianists that my father didn’t care for. From these roots, I explored everything I could from the history of American blues music, and that exploration continues to this day.
Popular music ebbs and flows, but the blues always seem to be with us. Why is that?
The most important aspect of the blues is that the singer always has something to say about the world we live in. The music always reflects the same energy and message.
You have had an extraordinary eye for musical talent over the years. What do you look for in your prospective sidemen, and now side-women?
With all the musicians I have ever worked with the motivation has always been in enjoying their personal take on the music. People always seem to comment on this, but it is really as simple as me picking musicians who share the same devotion I have to what we play together.
If you could assemble a “super group” from past iterations of the Bluesbreakers, who would you include in the lineup?
That’s a tough one because all of the best players have their own distinctive styles, and a super group could include any number of players. I did this with a couple of my albums where I had guest appearances from a multitude of my favorite available players at the time and it was always exciting and stimulating for all of us.
What lessons have you learned from a lifetime of playing the blues?
I think experience and time have everything to do with anyone’s musical progress. The influences one picks up along the way are countless and become part of your own individual style.
Luckily for me, there are enough of my staunch followers who enjoy what I do. I love the freedom they have always supported in whatever lineup I’ve put together, so my thanks to all for that and I will continue to explore the blues in my own way.
