The Song Remains: John Mayall (1933 – 2024)
Perhaps he wasn't American, but Americana wouldn't exist without his influence.
It's really important to recognize just how much impact John Mayall had on the next generations of musicians in all types of music. Even though he's called the Godfather of British Blues, his innovative mindset and openness to trying new things within his genre set a path for future musicians rooted in traditional music, especially those from Britain. He was an incredible leader of bands and had a knack for recognizing future music legends. His trio of 1960s guitarists - Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor - who went on to shape the blues rock genre are well-known. Mayall was one of the first British musicians to collaborate with American artists and relocate his career to the United States. Despite being a bit eccentric, he was also smart when it came to finances, which played a big role in not only his own success but also in creating a market for traditional music in the UK.
With Alexis Korner, John Mayall showed that British musicians could play music from other cultures and make it even better. Back then, electric blues was fading in America, making way for R&B and soul music. Acoustic blues from black artists had been forgotten until the folk revival renewed interest in it. John Mayall wasn't just into blues - he also dabbled in folk music in the late ‘60s before exploring jazz and collaborating with Allen Toussaint. Although he didn't reach the same level of commercial success later on, he kept on making music and released his last album in 2022.
His final album, "The Sun Is Flying Down", featured guest appearances from musicians like Buddy Miller, former Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, Jake Shimabukaro from Hawaii, Scarlet Rivera from Rolling Thunder, and Marcus King, who looks up to Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard as his favorite guitarists. This shows how John Mayall continues to influence roots musicians. Along with Alexis Korner, he made it acceptable for young British kids to play music from black Americans, which their own communities were starting to forget. Since then, British musicians have been able to follow their musical passions and play the music they love, regardless of its cultural background, while also adding to and enriching that musical culture. It's fascinating to see legendary bluegrass musician Tony Rice covering John Mayall's "Night Flyer" on his "Native American" album, demonstrating cross-cultural influences at work. All fans of roots music, and good music in general, should appreciate John Mayall for creating an environment that allowed the Americana music enjoyed today to thrive.
