John Mayall is an English blues rock musician. Originally from Macclesfield, he began his career in 1963 when he moved to London and formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. The band's original lineup included Mayall on vocals, keyboards and harmonica, guitarist Bernie Watson, bassist John McVie and drummer Peter Ward. After changing personnel numerous times, the group disbanded in 1968 when Mayall relocated to the United States and continued his career using his own name. The current lineup of Mayall's solo band includes bassist Greg Rzab, drummer Jay Davenport (both since 2009) and guitarist Carolyn Wonderland (since 2018).
Mayall formed the Bluesbreakers in February 1963. Early performers involved with the band included guitarists Sammy Prosser, Davey Graham and John Gilbey, bassists Ricky Brown and Pete Burford, and drummers Sam Stone, Brian Myall and Keith Robertson. The first official lineup of the group introduced in July included guitarist Bernie Watson, bassist John McVie and drummer Peter Ward.[1] Martin Hart replaced Ward shortly after the band's formation.[2] Shortly before the release of their first single, Watson and Hart were replaced by Roger Dean and Hughie Flint, respectively.[2] A year later, Dean was replaced by Eric Clapton, who debuted with the group on 9 April 1965.[3] By September, the guitarist had abruptly left to form a new band and tour Greece.[4] Several substitutes filled in for Clapton, including Geoff Krivit,[5][6] ending with Peter Green for around a week.[7] Clapton returned in November.[8] Meanwhile, McVie had been fired in October and replaced by Jack Bruce, who only stayed for around a month.[8]
Mick Taylor was the third long-term guitarist in John Mayall's band.
Clapton remained until 17 July 1966, after forming Cream the previous day,[9][10] and was replaced again by Green.[11] Flint left the band in September, with Aynsley Dunbar taking his place.[12] The drummer left in April 1967, when he was replaced by Micky Waller and later by Mick Fleetwood.[13][14] Fleetwood was fired after two months, with Green following him to form Fleetwood Mac.[14][13] McVie initially hesitated to join the pair, but did so in September.[13][15] Green was replaced by Mick Taylor and Terry Edmonds, the latter of whom left after only a few weeks.[16] Fleetwood was replaced by Keef Hartley.[17] At the same time, Mayall expanded the group with the addition of saxophonists Chris Mercer and Rip Kant, the latter of whom was replaced by Dick Heckstall-Smith in August.[17] McVie was initially replaced for a month by Paul Williams, and later by Keith Tillman.[17] The group added a seventh member in February 1968, as trumpeter Henry Lowther joined the band.[18]
After the band's first American tour in early 1968, Tillman was replaced for around a month by Andy Fraser. When the bassist joined Free, he was replaced in the Bluesbreakers by Tony Reeves; at the same time, Hartley left and was replaced by Jon Hiseman.[17] This lineup recorded Bare Wires, which was the last studio album to bear the Bluesbreakers name.[19] Soon after the album's release, Reeves, Hiseman and Heckstall-Smith left Mayall's band to form Colosseum, a progressivejazz-rock group.[20] Mercer and Lowther also left, as Mayall disbanded the Bluesbreakers after just a few weeks of touring for Bare Wires.[18] Mayall would subsequently relocate from London to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California in August to continue his career as a solo artist, with Taylor joining him.[17]
1968–1981: Early solo career
Upon disbanding the Bluesbreakers and moving to the US, Mayall and Taylor recorded Blues from Laurel Canyon with bassist Steve Thompson and drummer Colin Allen.[21] This lineup remained active for almost a year, until Taylor left to replace Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones on 5 June 1969.[22] After the guitarist's departure, Mayall restructured his band to focus on more acoustic music; he replaced Taylor with Jon Mark, dropped Allen from the group, and added saxophonist Johnny Almond.[23] Early the next year, he replaced Thompson with Alex Dmochowski and added Duster Bennett on harmonica.[23] In August, Mark and Almond left to form the eponymous group Mark-Almond,[24] and Mayall put together another lineup which included former Canned Heat members Harvey Mandel (guitar) and Larry Taylor (bass), as well as violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris.[23] From November 1970 to January 1971, Mayall recorded Back to the Roots with new drummer Paul Lagos and a range of former bandmates.[25]
Larry Taylor had one of the longest tenures in Mayall's band in the 1970s.
Following the release of Back to the Roots, Mayall downsized to a lineup of just him, bassist Taylor and new guitarist Jerry McGee, with their only effort Memories released before the end of the year.[26] By the end of the year, the group had been restructured again to reflect a much more jazz-heavy direction, with Mayall enlisting guitarist Freddie Robinson, drummer Ron Selico, saxophonist Clifford Solomon and trumpeter Richard "Blue" Mitchell to record the live album Jazz Blues Fusion.[27]Patrick "Putter" Smith was added as a second bassist in early 1972, before Victor Gaskin took over a few months later.[28][29] Former drummer Hartley returned to replace Selico in June,[30] The group briefly added three more saxophonists – Charles Owens, Fred Jackson and Ernie Watts – for the live album Moving On,[31] before all four were replaced by James "Red" Holloway.[32] This lineup released the album Ten Years Are Gone in September 1973, which marked Mayall's ten-year anniversary as a professional musician.[33]
In early 1974, after recovering from a broken leg, Mayall restructured his band again for a planned European tour, retaining only Holloway and adding guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, returning bassist Larry Taylor and drummer Soko Richardson.[34] Davis was soon replaced by Randy Resnick and Hightide Harris, however.[35] After releasing The Latest Edition, the band's lineup changed again as Mayall, Taylor and Richardson added returning violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris and new members Rick Vito on guitar, Jay Spell on keyboards and Dee McKinnie on vocals.[36] In 1976, Mayall collaborated with a wide range of his former bandmates for a second time on A Banquet in Blues, released in August.[37] After the album's release, he toured with Taylor, Spell, Holloway, guitarist Gary Rowles and drummer Frank Wilson, plus touring percussionist Warren Bryant, saxophonists Jimmy Roberts, Ann Patterson and David Majal Li, trumpeter Nolan Smith, trombonist Bill Lamb, and vocalists Pepper Watkins and Patti Smith.[38]
Mayall downsized again in 1977, bringing back Thompson and Richardson, and adding guitarist James Quill Smith.[39][40] This lineup released A Hard Core Package in 1977 and The Last of the British Blues in 1978.[41][42] After releasing Bottom Line in 1979, an album recorded with various session musicians,[43] Mayall reunited with Mandel, who brought his backing band with him: bassist Angus Thomas, drummer Ruben Alvarez and vocalist Maggie Parker.[44] Mandel pulled out of the tour early on, however, and Smith returned.[44]No More Interviews was released at the end of the year, which also featured former guitarist Vito, keyboardist Chris Cameron and saxophonist Chris Mostert.[45] In 1980, Road Show Blues was recorded with returning drummer Richardson and new bassist Kevin McCormick, as well as Parker and Smith.[46]
1981–2008: The band reforms
In December 1981, it was announced that John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers would reform for an Australian tour starting the following January, with the frontman joined by guitarist Mick Taylor, bassist John McVie and drummer Colin Allen.[47] Hughie Flint filled in for Allen at four warm-up shows earlier in the month.[47] The tour spawned the live video release Blues Alive,[48] as well as several live tracks for the album Return of the Bluesbreakers.[49] By June, McVie had been replaced by McCormick, who was then replaced by Thompson.[50] In early 1984, Mayall and Taylor toured with bassist Tim Drummond and drummer Mike Gardner.[50][51] Later in the year, Mayall introduced a new lineup of the Bluesbreakers, with Henry "Coco" Montoya and "Kal" David Raskin on guitars, Bobby Haynes on bass and Willie McNeil on drums, who recorded several tracks later released on the album Cross Country Blues.[52] Raskin and McNeil were replaced early the following year by Walter Trout and Joe Yuele, respectively.[53]
Coco Montoya was Mayall's lead guitarist between 1984 and 1993.
The lineup of Montoya, Trout, Haynes and Yuele remained stable for four years, recording two live albums and Mayall's first full studio effort in seven years, Chicago Line.[54][55] In 1989, Trout left the Bluesbreakers to pursue a solo career, releasing his debut album before the end of the year.[56] Rather than replace him, Mayall decided to reduce the band to a four-piece.[57] In 1990, Haynes also left the group.[58] Several tracks on 1990's A Sense of Place were recorded by Daniel "Freebo" Friedberg,[59] who later also replaced Haynes on tour.[57] Rick Cortes took over on bass before the end of the year.[60] Following the release of Wake Up Call in 1993, Montoya left the band to pursue a solo career, with Buddy Whittington taking his place.[61] Cortes left in 1996, with John Paulus taking his place in time to record 1997's Blues for the Lost Days.[62][63]
Greg Rzab replaced Paulus for a European tour in 1999,[64] but left again the following year to join The Black Crowes.[65] Greg Boaz filled in for a tour in the summer of 2000,[66] before Hank Van Sickle took over on a permanent basis in September.[67]Along for the Ride, released in 2001, was credited to "John Mayall & Friends" and featured a wide range of contributors, including current band members, former members and other guest musicians.[68] In early 2001, keyboardist Tom Canning – who had contributed to 1993's Wake Up Call as well as Along for the Ride – was added as an official member of the Bluesbreakers.[69][67] In 2003, Mayall released the live album 70th Birthday Concert, recorded earlier in the year with guests including former members Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Henry Lowther.[70]
2008 onwards: Later solo work
In November 2008, Mayall announced that he was retiring the Bluesbreakers name, and would return the following year with a new solo band.[71] By January, he had revealed the members of his eponymous group: lead guitarist Rocky Athas, returning bassist Greg Rzab, and new drummer Jay Davenport.[71][72] This lineup remained unchanged until September 2016, when Athas left Mayall's band due to the frontman's desire to revert to performing as a trio.[73] This format yielded only one album, however – the 2018 live release Three for the Road[74] – before Carolyn Wonderland joined in April 2018 as the band's new lead guitarist.[75]
↑ "Lonely Years" features Mayall and Clapton only, and accordingly is credited to the duo rather than the Bluesbreakers.[76]
↑ "Curly" features Green, McVie and Dunbar only, and is the only release credited to the Bluesbreakers without Mayall.[77]
↑ In addition to the band's regular lineup, Back to the Roots also features a number of former band members as guest contributors.[25]
↑ In addition to the band's regular lineup, A Banquet in Blues also features a number of former band members as guest contributors.[37]
↑ In addition to the band's regular lineup, Along for the Ride also features a number of former band members and other musicians as guest contributors.[68]
↑ In addition to the band's regular lineup, 70th Birthday Concert also features a number of former band members as guest contributors.[70]
Bibliography
Bowling, David (18 July 2013), Eric Clapton FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Slowhand, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Backbeat Books, ISBN978-1617134548
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter John Mayall. The band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues musicians. Many of the best known bands to come out of Britain in the 1960s and 1970s had members that came through the Bluesbreakers at one time, forming the foundation of British blues music that is still played heavily on classic rock radio. Among those with a tenure in the Bluesbreakers are Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie, Mick Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar, Jon Hiseman, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Tony Reeves, and numerous others.
John Mayall is an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians.
John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.
Peter Allen Greenbaum, known professionally as Peter Green, was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. As the founder of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Green founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 after a stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and quickly established the new band as a popular live act in addition to a successful recording act, before departing in 1970. Green's songs, such as "Albatross", "Black Magic Woman", "Oh Well", "The Green Manalishi " and "Man of the World", appeared on singles charts, and several have been adapted by a variety of musicians.
Michael Kevin Taylor is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on Let It Bleed (1969), Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert (1970), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), Goats Head Soup (1973) and It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974).
John Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of drummer Mick Fleetwood, was the source for the band's name.
Fleetwood Mac, also known as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, is the debut studio album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in February 1968. The album is a mixture of blues covers and originals penned by guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, who also share the vocal duties. It is the only album by the band without any involvement of keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie.
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Journey, Jefferson Starship, Nils Lofgren, Eric Burdon, Shuggie Otis, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Whitesnake, Pat Travers, Sammy Hagar, Michael Schenker, UFO, Michael Chapman, Jake E. Lee, Leslie West, Kathi McDonald, Keith Emerson, Mike Onesko, Herbie Mann and Flo & Eddie. Dunbar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.
Savoy Brown were a British blues rock band formed in Battersea, southwest London, in 1965. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where they promoted their albums with non-stop touring. Founder, guitarist and primary songwriter Kim Simmonds was the sole constant member of the band from its formation in 1965 until his death in 2022.
Blues Breakers, colloquially known as The Beano Album, is the debut studio album by the English blues rock band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, originally credited to John Mayall with Eric Clapton. Produced by Mike Vernon and released in 1966 by Decca Records (UK) and London Records (US), it pioneered a guitar-dominated blues-rock sound.
A Hard Road is the third album recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, released in 1967. It features Peter Green on lead guitar, John McVie on bass, Aynsley Dunbar on drums and John Almond on saxophone. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section of Alan Skidmore and Ray Warleigh. Peter Green sings lead vocals on "You Don't Love Me" and "The Same Way".
Hughie Flint is an English drummer, known for his stint in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, for his group McGuinness Flint in the early 1970s and for his subsequent association with The Blues Band.
Decca Studios was a recording facility at 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England, controlled by Decca Records from 1937 to 1980.
"Steppin' Out" is a blues-instrumental composition recorded by American blues musician Memphis Slim in 1959. It was released by Vee-Jay Records as a single and on Slim's At the Gate of the Horn album. Although both releases list L. C. Frazier as the writer, Vee-Jay owner James Bracken is often credited on versions by other performers.
Bare Wires is a studio album by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, featuring Mick Taylor on guitar, Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophones, Jon Hiseman on drums, Henry Lowther on cornet and violin, and Tony Reeves on bass. It was released in 1968 on Decca Records. The album was the last John Mayall studio album to feature the name "Bluesbreakers". The album was also Mayall's first successful U.S. album reaching #59 on the Billboard 200.
Johnny Almond was a British saxophonist, who is best known for his recordings with the Alan Price Set, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall and Mark-Almond.
Greg Rzab is an American bass guitar player.
The discography of English blues rock musician John Mayall, including the band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, consists of 35 studio albums, 34 live albums, 24 compilation albums, four extended plays (EPs), 44 singles and four video albums. Mayall's 38th studio album was released in 2022.
↑ "Mayall Signs to ABC Records"(PDF). Cash Box. Vol.36, no.27. New York City: The Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc. 30 November 1974. pp.7, 43. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
↑ "Record World Album Picks"(PDF). Record World. Vol.35, no.1575. New York City: Record World Publishing Co., Inc. 10 September 1977. p.16. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
1 2 Harrison, Victor (7 April 1979). "Talent in Action: John Mayall"(PDF). Billboard. Vol.91, no.14. New York City: Billboard Publications, Inc. p.49. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
1 2 Baker, Glenn A. (19 December 1981). "Mayall to Tour Australia"(PDF). Billboard. Vol.93, no.50. New York City: Billboard Publications, Inc. p.20. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
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