John Mayall Dead at 90

[Tippaporn]

My Mayall tribute.

 

I was fortunate to see him live in a small lounge type venue in Chicago back in the late 90's along with Peter Green, himself an ex-Blues Breakers member.

Parchman Farm off of the '66 Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton LP.

 

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John Mayall, featuring Harvey Mandel on guitar, Larry Taylor on bass and Don "Sugarcane" Harris on violin with Crying off of Mayall's '70 USA Union LP.

 

[Tippaporn]

 

I would rate Mayall as the most influential British musician promoting African-American blues and ensuring it's widespread influence on so many other great British blues artists.  With eternal gratefulness for what you given the world, John.

Born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, on 29 November 1933, Mayall grew up in Cheadle Hulme.  He was the son of Murray Mayall, a guitarist and jazz enthusiast.  From an early age he was drawn to the sounds of American blues players such as Lead Belly, Albert Ammons, Pinetop Smith and Eddie Lang, and taught himself to play the piano, guitars, and harmonica.

Country Road off of his '71 Jazz Blues Fusion live LP.  

• Freddy Robinson - lead guitar
• Larry Taylor - bass guitar
• John Mayall - vocals, piano, guitar, harmonica
• Ron Selico - drums
• Blue Mitchell - trumpet
• Clifford Solomon - alto & tenor saxophone

 

[Tippaporn]

John Mayall & Friends with So Many Roads featuring blues legend Otis Rush.  Off of his 2001 Along For The Ride album.

 

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Off of the same Along For The Ride album; If I Don't Get Home, featuring Gary Moore on lead guitar.

 

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John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with a cover of Otis Rush's All Your Love off of their '66 Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton LP.

 

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Room To Move recorded at a concert at Bill Graham's Fillmore East on 12 July '69 and found on his '69 The Turning Point LP.

 

[Tippaporn]

Volume is a bit suppressed so it might need a turn of the dial.  Walking On Sunset live with the Blues Breakers.

Shot in 1968 on Rick Shaw's "Saturday Hop", Miami, FL.  John was 34 years old and had a young looking Bluesbreaker band that didn't look too enthusiastic being on TV.  Check out Mick Taylor on the guitar.  Sooo young and talented.

 

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John Mayall with California, also off of  his '69 The Turning Point LP.  So smooth and silky.

 

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Another Otis Rush cover, his '58 Double Trouble live with Peter Green and future Fleetwood Mac rhythm section comprising John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.  Recorded in '67   Issued originally in the Netherlands on So Many Roads in '67.

 

[Tippaporn]

3 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

I was fortunate to see him live in a small lounge type venue in Chicago back in the late 90's along with Peter Green, himself an ex-Blues Breakers member.

BTW, I enjoy including musical history, interesting trivia, and especially personal stories as I post music.  At the least I provide album or performance dates, venues, album titles, and perhaps featured guest musicians and original song artist or writer.

Such is the case with Peter Green.  Green along with his current group, Splinter Group, made two appearances at Chicago's Park West, an idyllic venue as it was small and offered a lounge type atmosphere, replete with lounge seating and coffee tables, alcoholic drinks serviced by waitresses.

The first show I attended was on 30 August '96.  It was a double-header with John Mayall preceding Green.  Although they were billed separately hopes were high that Green and Mayall would do a few numbers together.  Unfortunately, Mayall was engaged to perform in another gig in Minneapolis, Minnesota so his schedule was too tight and he was unable to linger.

I attended the second show, two years to the day later, 30 August '98, this time with my sister tagging along.  Folks sitting next to us let us in a little bombshell secret.  They, too, had attended the '96 show and had been stragglers after the show let out.  When the people still in the venue numbered perhaps less than a dozen Green and his bandmates appeared to chat them up.  So these friendly folks advised us to hang around after the show finished.  And we most certainly did.

Sure enough, less than a dozen people were still in the venue and Green with bandmates came out.  They chatted up for about a half hour, so I actually had an opportunity to talk to Green personally.  Perhaps it's because I was a bit star struck, I don't remember anything I or Green had said to each other.  As a momento, I did come home with a signed ticket stub by Green and the rest of the band.  Still hav e it in a drawer next to me.

Well, that's my fond and cherished personal memory to go with the Mayall tribute.

[Tippaporn]

There's no doubt in my mind that Providence had bestowed Mayall with a great many blessings considering the degree and numbers of exceptional talent which moved in and out of the Blues Breakers.  I can only imagine the great sense of loss Mayall must have felt at the departure of Clapton.  Only to find Green as a replacement.

I can't recall quite accurately but I do believe it was Mayall who commented, in so many words, that Green was the better of the two.  Green was considered a Guitar God in the UK in the late 60's.  And that he was.  Of course, so was Clapton.  In my mind they share a pedestal.  I cannot bring myself to pick one over the other.