"Keep on playing the blues somewhere": British blues legend John Mayall dead at 90
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British Blues legend John Mayall has died at the age of 90. The news was confirmed in a statement released on social media by his family.
The statement read: "It is with heavy hearts that we bear the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully in his California home yesterday, July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world’s greatest road warriors. John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain.
"In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, John reflected, “[blues] is about – and it’s always been about – that raw honesty with which [it expresses] our experiences in life, something which all comes together in this music, in the words as well. Something that is connected to us, common to our experiences.” That raw honesty, connection, community and playing of his will continue to affect the music and culture we experience today, and for generations to come.
"An appointed OBE (Officer of the British Empire), 2x Grammy-nominated artist and recent inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, John is survived by his 6 children, Gaz, Jason, Red, Ben, Zak and Samson, 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He is also surrounded with love by his previous wives, Pamela and Maggie, his devoted secretary, Jane, and his close friends. We, the Mayall family, cannot thank his fans and long list of band members enough for the support and love we were blessed to experience secondhand over the last six decades.
"John closed that same Guardian interview by reflecting further on the blues, “To be honest, I don’t think anyone really knows exactly what it is. I just can’t stop playing it.”
"Keep on playing the blues somewhere, John. We love you."
Born was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, in November 1933, and was one of the mainstays of the British blues scene in the 1960s with his band the Bluesbreakers, whose members included – at one time or another – Cream's Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor.
In a career that included more than 50 album releases, including such early highlights as A Hard Road (1967), Turning Point (1969), USA Union (1970) and Back To The Roots (1971), Mayall’s best-known is almost certainly the classic Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton, released in 1966. The album established Clapton as a blues guitarist of considerable talent and, largely as a result of Clapton’s following, also brought singer/keyboardist/harmonica player Mayall a much bigger and broader audience.
"I wouldn’t change anything." he told Classic Rock in 2016. "I mean, if you look at all the stuff I’ve done over the years – I’ve explored every kind of variation on the blues – it’s all added up to a wonderful career. I haven’t had hit records, but I’ve always had the artistic freedom to create music the way I want."
