Pioneer of British blues dies aged 90

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Pioneer of British blues ***** aged 90

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Getty Images

Mayall performing onstage in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1979

British blues musician John Mayall OBE – whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a springboard for stars including Eric Clapton – has ***** aged 90.

The songwriter ***** at his home in California on Monday surrounded by his family, a statement on his

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

page said.

“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,” it said.

“John Mayall gave us 90 years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain,” the statement added.

Mayall, who was born in Macclesfield and grew up in Manchester, founded the Bluesbreakers in the 1960s.

He was credited with helping to develop a blues revival among white musicians in England – and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

as the “godfather of British blues”.

Mayall

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that “at the time, the scene in America was racially segregated” – but in Europe and England “the ****** blues began to be heard by an audience that was not listening to them in America”.

After their 1966 album featuring guitarist Clapton, the Bluesbreakers were acclaimed by music critics as one of the world’s most influential blues bands.

The group also became a training ground for other famous rock musicians including Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, as well as Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones – cementing Mayall’s

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

He told the Guardian he “managed to pick out some pretty special people”, choosing band members based on the specific sound he was after.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Getty Images

From left to right – John Mayall, Hughie Flint, Eric Clapton, John McVie – as the Bluesbreakers in 1966

Mayall moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and continued to lead bands, release dozens of albums and tour throughout the US and Europe,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

He was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2005.

Mayall is survived by his six children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, the family statement said.

“He is also surrounded with love by his previous wives, Pamela and Maggie, his devoted secretary, Jane, and his close friends,” it added.

“We, the Mayall family, cannot thank his fans and long-list of bandmembers enough for the support and love we were blessed to experience secondhand over the last six decades.”

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Gett

Mayall pictured in 2019 performing in Malaga, Spain

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Pioneer #British #blues #***** #aged

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up