John Mayall, the “Godfather of British Blues,” Dies at 90

Pitchfork

British guitarist and Bluesbreakers leader John Mayall has died. Mayall’s family announced the news on his official social media accounts, stating that the musician died in his California home on Monday, July 22, “surrounded by loving family.” The statement cited unspecified health issues, but did not reveal an exact cause of death. John Mayall was 90 years old.

Dubbed “the Godfather of British Blues,” John Mayall was a nurturing figure to a slew of musicians at the start of their careers. Mayall formed the Bluesbreakers in the early 1960s after moving to London, and the band’s shifting lineup included a post-Yardbirds, pre-Cream Eric Clapton, who recorded with Mayall on the highly influential 1966 LP Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton. When Clapton left to start Cream, he was replaced by eventual Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green and Mick Taylor, who was ultimately snatched up by the Rolling Stones.

Born in 1933 in Macclesfield, England, Mayall learned guitar, piano, and harmonica while growing up. He also spent time poring through his father’s record collection, which included jazz and blues 78s by the likes of Big Bill Broonzy, Leadbelly, and Brownie McGhee. After studying graphic design at Manchester Art School and serving in Korea, Mayall worked in advertising agencies before shifting focus to music full-time.

Mayall moved to London and formed the Bluesbreakers in his early thirties, playing regularly around his new city. The Bluesbreakers ultimately caught attention from Decca, and the label offered Mayall a contract in 1964. Mayall released his debut album with the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall Plays John Mayall, in 1965. One year later, Clapton replaced the band’s guitarist Roger Dean.

Mayall was a central figure in the narrative of young white British rockers who were fascinated with Black blues musicians from the Mississippi Delta. “The blues fitted in with the early ’60s, the social way of life at the time,” Mayall told The Guardian in 2014. “It happened here, rather than in America, because at the time, the scene in America was racially segregated—over there, never the twain would meet.”

Mayall’s output during the 1960s and 1970s was dense, and the prolific artist continued at this pace for decades. In 2013, Mayall experienced a late-career renaissance when he signed to Forty Below Records, releasing a number of studio albums before his death. It was during this fruitful period that Mayall was inducted into Blues Hall of Fame (in 2016).

Mayall retired from touring in 2022, but continued releasing records up until last year, with the third installment of his Live in 1967 series, which features Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie.

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