John Mayall was a lightning rod for the blues who changed the course of British music

Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds in the spring of 1965 because he was not happy with the direction their music was heading. He didn't want their latest single, For Your Love, to become a commercial hit and wanted to stay true to his musical beliefs. He joined John Mayall's band, the Bluesbreakers, and found solace in their pure blues sound. Although they didn't have any hit singles, their music quickly gained popularity on the UK club circuit.

In Mayall, the eager blues fans recognized a more experienced figure who had a deep understanding of the genre, which gave him incredible credibility. In Clapton, they saw a hero who was just like them.

During that time, it was interesting to watch Mayall and his band perform twice before Clapton joined them. The first time, they were on a club tour with the experienced American guitarist T-Bone Walker, acting like humble followers. The second time, they were suddenly receiving a lot of admiration and praise.

Mayall, who passed away at the age of 90, was a crucial figure in the development of the British blues scene. He served as a helpful and giving mentor to younger musicians who were eager to study the music that originated in the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and the clubs of Chicago's South Side.

He came from Manchester to London in 1963 with a record collection that had music from Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, and other lesser-known blues musicians. He and Alexis Korner, who had similar tastes, encouraged their followers to listen and learn from the music they loved. Eventually, they made the music their own by embracing it as their language, even though it was a bold move of cultural appropriation.

From the bands led by Korner and Mayall emerged a number of talented musicians who quickly moved on to pursue their own paths. After Clapton left Mayall and formed Cream, Peter Green joined as his replacement. Green later left to form Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, and was replaced by Mick Taylor. Taylor eventually joined the Rolling Stones after two years.

When they played with Mayall, they quickly rose to fame in the club scene as the new generation of talented guitarists. These young men had spent countless hours practicing in their bedrooms to perfect their skills, and now they were captivating audiences with their incredible talent and passionate performances. Even though they were thousands of miles away from where the blues originated, in cities like London, Manchester, and Newcastle, young musicians and fans were embracing their cause and mission.

Similarly to Korner, Mayall was not someone the new audiences could relate to. Even though he looked like a hippie with his long hair and clothes, there was a scholarly aura about him as he played alongside Clapton, Green, or Taylor's impressive solos.

He didn't just stick to playing Delta blues songs - Mayall wrote his own songs for entire albums, like Bare Wires in 1968 which was a hit in the UK. However, as a blues singer, sitting at his keyboards, he didn't have the same visual appeal as younger artists like Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Eric Burdon, or Keith Relf. They could simply play the harmonica, while Mayall delivered songs like Otis Rush's All Your Love or Elmore James's Dust My Blues in a rough, gritty voice. He was talented, but not as captivating as the younger musicians.

He didn't let that phase him. He was content to follow his own path in the expanding world of blues music, whether it meant including horns, getting rid of a drummer, or recording solo albums. That era of his life, and of the blues scene in Britain, came to an end in 1969 when he relocated to Los Angeles. By that time, he had gained the appreciation of all those who played in blues bands in the 1960s or witnessed the local blues scene grow into the rock phenomenon of the following decade and beyond.

From his new home in southern California, he kept finding talented musicians to join him on tours, at festivals, and in the recording studio. Larry Taylor and Harvey Mandel from Canned Heat were some of the musicians he brought on board, along with Don "Sugarcane" Harris on violin. He also ventured into jazz, collaborating with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Red Holloway, Ernie Watts, and Clifford Solomon on saxophone. Sonny Landreth and Walter Trout, both budding guitarists at the time, were also early collaborators of his.

Mayall also alternated between playing keyboards and guitar as he crafted his own songs that explored different genres like folk, funk, and cajun music, moving away from the traditional blues sound. Throughout his career, he released over 70 albums, some of which included live performances with musicians from his early bands. In 1993, his album Wake Up Call, which featured collaborations with Mavis Staples and Buddy Guy, received a Grammy nomination.

He released his latest album, The Sun Is Shining Down, in 2022. That same year, he had his last show with his band in San Juan Capistrano, California. His lasting passion for the blues proved to be more than just a passing interest, but rather a doorway to a lifelong journey of discovering the endless potential of the music.