F**k! I just heard the news that John Mayall has died aged 90. He died last Monday and his death was announced yesterday. I must admit I shed a tear or two.
"But, who is/was John Mayall?" you might be asking. Let me tell you.
John Mayall, born in Macclesfield in Cheshire in 1933, didn’t become a professional musician until he was 30, having previously pursued a career as a graphic designer.
The Early Years
This multi-instrumentalist formed The Bluesbreakers, which went on to become the finishing school for an amazing number of blues musicians. From memory I can think of guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Jimmy Page and Danny Kirwan, bass players John McVie, Larry Taylor, Jack Bruce and Stephen Thompson, drummers Keef Hartley, Hughie Flint, Aynsley Dunbar, Jon Hiseman and Mick Fleetwood. Blimey! What a roll-call! Dick Heckstall-Smith, a saxophonist, who went on to form Colosseum with Hiseman was another.
I had been introduced to John Mayall’s music in the sixth form around the time of the release of his album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton with Clapton reading the Beano on the album sleeve. Wow!
Interview
When I went to university up north, John Mayall was due to play at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, with his new format, no percussion. The album was The Turning Point, one of my favourites of his.
I went to interview him for the student rag magazine. I was so nervous, I forgot to turn on the cassette tape recorder. Nice man that he was, Mr Mayall pointed out that fact in the nicest possible way. My interview was printed and published but, sadly, I don’t have a copy – it was 50 years ago.
California
That means that Mayall was 40 back then. It wasn’t long before he moved to the USA, Laurel Canyon, California, to be precise.
That led to the release of his album Blues From Laurel Canyon, another great piece of work.
Mayall died in California where he continued to live after moving there in the 70s. He was still performing until comparatively recently.
Personal experience
I think I saw him live three times. At the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, at the ABC Cinema in Exeter and much later, on a shared bill with the returning-from-drugs-rehab Peter Green. I liked Green in his young days with the original Fleetwood Mac, but he was poor that night. Mayall’s band was better in every way, slick and bloody good, as you would expect.
Epilogue
Anyway, he’s passed on now. I guess he had a good innings. 90 is a good age. He was a major figure in the British blues scene for six decades. His discography consists of 35 studio albums, 34 live albums, 24 compilation albums, four extended plays (EPs), 44 singles and four video albums. Mayall's 38th studio album was released in 2022.
John Mayall was married twice and had six children and six grandchildren.
© Paul Whitelock
Links:
Classic Blues Photo from 1968 (eyeonspain.com)
Acknowledgements (Images):
Amazon
Rafa Basa
Wikipedia
Tags:
Aynsley Dunbar, Bluesbreakers, Blues From Laurel Canyon, Colosseum, Danny Kirwan, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Eric Clapton, Hughie Flint, Jack Bruce, Jimmy Page, John Mayall, John McVie, Jon Hiseman, Keef Hartley, Larry Taylor, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Stephen Thompson, The Turning Point