John Mayall, the pioneer of blues The British singer, who played with stars such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green and some of the members of Fleetwood Mac, has died at his home in California at the age of 90, his family announced. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that John Mayall passed away peacefully at his home in California on July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving family,” reads the Instagram message about the British-born musician. “The health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally brought peace to one of this world’s greatest road warriors. John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain,” the message added.
In the text published on the social network, his relatives recall the interview that the musician gave to the newspaper The Guardian in which Mayall reflected: “(The blues) is, and always has been, about that raw honesty with which our experiences in life are expressed, all of which comes together in this music, including the lyrics.” His family’s message highlights “his honesty, his connection, his community and his way of playing” that will continue to “influence the music and culture of today and for generations to come.”
John Mayall was knighted, had two Grammy nominations and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. According to his family, he was with his six sons, Gaz, Jason, Red, Ben, Zak and Samson, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, as well as his former wives Pamela and Maggie, when he died. “To be honest, I don’t think anyone really knows what it is,” he said. blues) exactly. I just can’t stop playing it,” the musician said.
He was called “the white father of the blues”. He had lived in California since the early seventies, but his legend was cemented in Great Britain, between 1965 and 1969. At the head of the Bluesbreakers he acted as a mentor to extraordinary guitarists: in order of arrival, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor. There was nothing premeditated in this streak, he explained in an interview with EL PAÍS: “They wanted to play blues and I gave them the opportunity.” He revolted against the rumour that he was a demanding and stingy boss: “The blues only reached the initiated, there was no money to be made. I don’t remember ever earning more than three figures until I came to the United States.”
One thing set him apart from his pupils: he had more life experience. Born in 1933, Mayall did his compulsory military service and was deployed in Korea. In California he enjoyed the freedoms won by the hippismo: “I had a house in the Hollywood Hills, in Laurel Canyon. It was a pretty wild community; a lot of musicians lived there, from Neil Young to Joni Mitchell.” He tuned into the atmosphere and made acoustic records, without drums. But it is a time he would rather forget: “My house burned down. Everything was in ashes.” Even his famous collection of erotica and pornography? “Everything.”
At that time I was writing songs with political content (“The laws must change”) the ecological (“Nature’s disappearing”). They were not responding to revolutionary aspirations: “I have always thought that laws are there to be obeyed, even if they are unjust.” He followed the lead of his masters, such as JB Lenoir, “who wrote songs about Vietnam.” During the prosperous period of the industry, Mayall published at least one album a year, “and would continue to do so, if there was demand,” he confessed to this newspaper.