John Mayall, the blues and rock musician known as the “Godfather of British Blues” and whose bands included some of the best-known and greatest rock musicians of the past 50 years, died on Monday at the age of 90.
“It is with heavy hearts that we receive the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully yesterday, July 22, 2024, at his home in California surrounded by his loving family,” his family said in a statement Tuesday. “The health challenges that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally brought one of the world's greatest road warriors to rest.” The cause of death was not immediately released.
“For 90 years, John Mayall worked tirelessly to educate, enlighten and entertain us,” the statement continued, adding that he was “surrounded by love” from his ex-wives Pamela and Maggie, his secretary Jane and close friends. “John, keep playing the blues somewhere. We love you,” the family wrote.
Mayall is known as a pioneer of the British blues in the late '60s. His band, the Bluesbreakers, once featured Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Mick Taylor. He is due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October after the hall's committee awarded him its Musical Influence Award earlier this year, along with Alexis Korner and Big Mama Thornton.
Born in Cheshire, England, Mayall loved American blues and jazz from an early age. After teaching himself to play piano, guitar and harmonica, he moved to London and formed the Bluesbreakers, which also included Clapton, who had left the Yardbirds.
Clapton, who called Mayall his “mentor,” said in a eulogy Wednesday: “He taught me to just play the music I want to play, without embellishing it or trying to please anyone. Listen to yourself. He taught me everything I really know, and gave me the courage and enthusiasm to express myself without fear and without restriction.”
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The musician's most revered work is his debut album, Blues Breakers, which was ranked 195th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003. Mayall released several albums in the 1970s after moving to Los Angeles in 1969. He was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Bluesbreakers also included guitarist Mick Taylor, who joined the Rolling Stones on Mayall's recommendation. “Very sad to hear of the passing of John Mayall,” Mick Jagger said in a tribute on Wednesday. “He was a great pioneer of British blues and had a great eye for spotting talented young musicians, including Mick Taylor, who recommended him to me after Brian Jones' death and helped bring about a new era for the Stones.”
In 2020, Mayall released “Curly,” a 1967 song performed with Peter Green and John McVie. The recording was made for BBC Sessions after Green left the band to form Fleetwood Mac, with McVie joining shortly thereafter. The song appears on the 2021 box set The First Generation: 1966-1974.
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That year, Mayall, who turned 88, told Rolling Stone magazine he had decided to “retire,” but promised to release his next album, The Sun Is Shining Down.
The family's tribute quoted a 2014 interview with Mayall by The Guardian, in which he said he felt a connection to the blues because “it's always been about the raw honesty of life experience, and that's what this music is all about.” Mayall added, “To be honest, I don't think anybody knows exactly what the blues is. They just can't stop playing it.”