Pioneering British blues and rock musician John Mayall has died aged 90.
Often regarded as “The Godfather of British Blues”, John Mayall was a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for American blues and jazz and a talent for discovering promising young artists using his band The Bluesbreakers as a platform.
Born in the United States, Mayall moved to London in the early 1960s and founded the Bluesbreakers in 1963, with whom he became a pioneer of the British blues and rock scene. During the 1960s the band featured a constant rotation of rock greats, many of whom became legends in their own right, including Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Aynsley Dunbar and future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor.
In the early 1970s, Mayall returned to the United States, where he continued to work with emerging talent. He incorporated elements of jazz, funk and rock into his blues sound and collaborated with artists such as Paul Butterfield, Patti Smith, Larry Taylor and Harvey Mandel of Canned Heat, Jesse Ed Davis, Rick Vito, Freebo and others.
Throughout his extensive career, Mayall recorded and released over thirty albums, both as a member of a band and as a solo artist, his last recording being “The Sun Is Shining Down” 2022. His induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was scheduled for October of this year in Cleveland.
Mayall’s passing was announced by his family on social media early this morning: “It is with great sadness that we announce that John Mayall passed away peacefully at his home in California yesterday, July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. The health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally brought peace to one of this world’s greatest road warriors. John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain.”
Following the news of his death, numerous musicians have paid tribute to John Mayall on their social networks.
