John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, guitarist, organist and songwriter, whose musical career spans over fifty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band which has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians. They include Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Taylor, Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Harvey Mandel, Larry Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar, Hughie Flint, Jon Hiseman, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser, Johnny Almond, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, and Buddy Whittington. (More from Wikipedia)
Eric Clapton joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers after leaving the Yardbirds in order to concentrate on the blues; he was in the band from April to August 1965, and from November 1965 to July 1966. John Mayall’s band was a revolving door of famous British musicians; but even more remarkably, bandmembers who left John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers often helped form other rock bands. Examples include Jack Bruce, later a member of Cream with Clapton. Shortly after Eric Clapton left for good, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers consisted of John Mayall plus three of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac: Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood. Others include Mick Taylor, the first new musician to join the Rolling Stones since their classic line-up was formed; Jon Mark and Johnny Almond, who later formed Mark-Almond, among other musical accomplishments (not to be confused with Marc Almond of Soft Cell); top English drummer Aynsley Dunbar; and Andy Fraser, a founding member of Free.
(May 2014)
