blues and rock Musician John Mayall, the “godfather of British blues” whose band included some of the most famous and skilled rock musicians of the past 50 years, died on Monday at the age of 90.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully at his home in California yesterday, July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving family,” his family said in a statement Tuesday. “The health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally brought peace to one of the world’s greatest road warriors.” A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
“John Mayall gave us 90 years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain people,” the statement continued, adding that he was “surrounded by love” from his ex-wives Pamela and Maggie, his secretary Jane, and close friends. “Keep playing the blues somewhere, John. We love you,” his family wrote.
Mayall is credited with pioneering the blues in England in the late 1960s. His band the Bluesbreakers previously included the likes of Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Mick Taylor. Mayall is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October, after the organization's committee awarded him the Musical Influence Award, along with Alexis Korner and Big Mama Thornton, earlier this year.
Born in Cheshire, England, Mayall developed a love for American blues and jazz from an early age. He taught himself to play piano, guitar and harmonica before moving to London to form the Bluesbreakers, which included Clapton after he left the Yardbirds.
The musician's most respected work was his first album, Blues Breakersany rolling stone It was ranked 195th on the 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Mayall released several albums in the 1970s after moving to Los Angeles in 1969. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.
In 2020, Mayall released a 1967 recording of “Curly” alongside Peter Green and John McVie. The recording was made for the BBC Sessions before Green left the band to form Fleetwood Mac, which McVie joined shortly after. The track was included on a box set titled First generation: 1966-1974which declined in 2021.
That year, Mayall said, rolling stoneWhen he was 88, he decided to “hang up his sneakers,” although he promised to release another album, the sun is rising.
The family's tribute referred to a 2014 interview with Mayall. Watchman“The blues has always been about the raw honesty with which the blues expresses our experiences in life, and that’s something that comes together in this music,” Mayall added. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone really knows what the blues is. I can’t stop playing it.”
