John Mayall - 1933-2024

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 29 / 10 / 2024

John Mayall, the pioneering guitarist who led the British blues boom of the 1960s, has died. He was 90. Growing up in Cheadle, the Manchester-born Mayall released more than 50 albums and he has often been described as “the godfather of British blues”. The son of a semi-professional guitarist, Mayall formed The Bluesbreakers in the early 1960s; this band was soon to provide a platform for talents. Eric Clapton was one such luminary as were John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green- who later formed Fleetwood Mac- not forgetting Mick Taylor who went on to join the Rolling Stones and Harvey Mandel and Larry Taylor of Canned Heat. John Mayall never achieved big success commercially but he was hugely respected by all these people and many more across the UK music scene. Eric Clapton has said:“John was far more than just a mentor. To me he was a surrogate father too; he gave me the courage and enthusiasm to express myself without limit - and I owe him a huge debt for that.” Poor health forced John Mayall to stop touring in 2021 – and he died on 22 July 2024 at his California home, surrounded by his family. All his playin’ was playin’!

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