R. I. P. John Mayall

John Mayall, the godfather of the (British) blues has passed. He was 90.

Like many of us, I suspect, our record collections contain more than one Mayall album. I have a few. Off the top of my head: Bare Wires, Blues From Laurel Canyon, Diary of a Band, Vol. 2, USA Union, The Turning Point.

Without Mayall, I doubt the blues would have achieved the level of popular acceptance it enjoys today. And many of the superb musicians who apprenticed under him.

R. I. P.

I still remember the first time I heard Eric Clapton play Freddie King’s “Hideaway” on the Blues Breakers album. I was rehearsing with bluesman, Bryan Lee, and I had played Freddie King’s version many, many times going back to when I started playing in ‘61. Bryan told me to give Clapton’s interpretation a listen to see what I thought of it. I can remember thinking, “wow, that’s great”.

That’s my first John Mayall experience.