John Mayall, founder and constant member of The Bluesbreakers and mentor to numerous rock and blues legends, is dead:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/07/23/john-mayall-blues-dead/
Stranger
I saw him a few years ago and he was clearly in decline. He still put on a great show.
RIP
I saw him with Mick Taylor at the Santa Cruz Civic back in 1990. Getting to hear Room To Move in person was a dream come true for me.
I saw him 15 or more years ago, specifically because I assumed it would be my last chance.
Never got a chance to see him, but apparently my wife saw him back in the early 70s, so now I’m jealous.
Two of my all-time favorite albums are his “Beano” album with Eric Clapton, and “A Hard Road,” which immediately followed “Beano,” and introduced us to Peter Green.
RIP
I saw him and, to the shouts of “Room To Move” he replied “Wha’, cha come ta hear an ol’ record?” and never did it.
Hey, I thought, his show, let him do what he wants.
Hope the end of his life was as fulfilling as the rest of it.
I saw Boz Scaggs a few years ago.Surprisingly (to me) he is still writing new songs and he played many of them. But when he did his oldies (Harbor Lights, Lido Shuffle, etc), that was when the crowd went nuts.
This is sad news. I was formulate to see him in Montréal years ago. I loved his early work with Eric Clapton, and his many excellent subsequent discs and live albums.
Never much cared for Mr. Mayall’s voice or his covers, but when it came to hiring great guitarists – e.g., Clapton, Green, Taylor, Mandel, etc. – and promoting love for the Blues, he had few, if any, peers. That alone enshrines him a place in the pantheon of great musicians.
Eric Clapton pays his respects:
Another view (free article).
I figured he was long since dead. I was listening to Sirius today and being Bombed by Bluesbreakers. Just found out.
A Foundation.