What a life John Mayall had. From compulsory military service in Korea in the 50's through sepia tones of early 60's England trad jazz & blues, a self imposed exile to Los Angeles from the late 60's through to the 2020's with 30 sec Tik Tok videos & streaming, one constant has always been Mayall out touring on the back of a latest album release , never straying from the Blues as his beloved genre.
It is easy to forget that he was already 30 by the time of his first album , hence he was always the elder statesman in whatever blues based setting he found himself leading.
Never a virtuoso in any discipline (as a vocalist, guitarist or keyboard player leaving his harmonica playing as his greatest instrument ), Mayall's overarching skill was as a bandleader, producer & arranger. Let's face it the Blues is rudimentary but Mayall had a way to keep it varied and interesting.
From the 50+ albums over his career here are three timeless entries in Mayall's catelogue and a strong recommendation to check out a concert in the 80's via YouTube.
Bluesbreakers, 1966
There were many tributes after the announcement of Mayall passing away aged 90 recently , none more so than Eric Clapton in which he pointed out how generous Mayall was taking him in , being a mentor and exposing him to his vast record collection when he was living with Mayall ( noting had nowhere else to go at the time & needed a roof over his head) . In his outstanding book "It Might Get Loud" , Ian Port devoted a whole chapter to the significance of this 1966 album in terms of the collision of Eric Clapton and electric guitar (Les Paul) and chosen amplifier (Marshall) . Mayall gives 20 year old Eric Clapton creative licence to push the boundaries of sustained , distorted playing to a degree never heard before ( all he was essentially doing was taking the electric Chicago Blues from the 1950's but cranking the volume up past 11 all with his youthful anger thrown in) . All the "Kings" are here Albert, BB & Freddie and Mayall even lets Clapton take the the lead vocal on Robert Johnson's "Rambling On My Mind". Minor key opener Iconic track "All Your Love" alone inspired the "Clapton is God" graffiti and , you could speculate ..hard rock. Elsewhere, Mayall covers the bases with some Ray Charles ("What I'd Say") , solo Harp ("Parchmant Farm") , Horns }"It Ain't Right"), he really is checking boxes here amongst Clapton being unleashed.
Blues From Laurel Canyon , 1968 - the greatest Mayall record?
Mayall knew he always needed to have a virtuoso guitar player at hand and having already had the services of Peter Green to replace Clapton , Mayall finds 17 year old Mick Taylor to add to the Bluesbreakers sound through the albums Crusade and Bare Wires. At this point Mayall dispenses with the Blues Breakers moniker as part of epiphany after a vacation to Los Angeles in 1968.
As a very tightly focused & honest travelogue of his time spent in the Laurel Canyon & associated areas, Mayall harnesses a tight 4 x piece of himself, Taylor, drummer Colin Allen and bass player Stephen Thompson. Mayall's arranging & production within the blues genre are on full display here and he utilises Taylor as his secret weapon to carry the songs through.
Witness opener "Vacation" in which Mayall pre-empts the Beatles Back in the USSR by the sound of a jet landing as the first thing you hear but from this point comparisons end (though you could argue that Lennon's 'Yer Blues "was a direct result of Mayall's influence.) Allen lays down a tribal drum rhythm over the spare 4 chord sequence . Mayall keeps it simple opening with this phrase..
10 hours on a plane , England left behind,
Here in LA wonder what I'll find
At barely the 40 second mark Taylor takes care the rest of the track building blues based riffs one after another with Mayall's church organ taking the track to an epic conclusion.
The momentum continues via with a standard blues shuffle "Walking on Sunset" , lyrically you are there as Mayall can't believe the sights & sounds of LA that he is experiencing. Via the slow blues slow blues of "Laurel Canyon Home we land on the killer track 4 "2401"
If there was ever a track that secured the gig for Taylor in the Rolling Stones it was surely "2401" . Over a buzz saw rhythm track Taylor layers a huge slide guitar part over a pulsating groove that wouldn't sound out of place on side four of Exile on Main Street. What Taylor lays down gives a lie to the "Richards was rhythm, Taylor was lead" of the Rolling Stones Mach II, as the sole rhythm player with Mayall he needed to have the required rhythm chops too . Mayall meanwhile screams a lead vocal that seems to talk about Frank Zappa his band the Mothers of Invention and his GTO entourage
There are many more highlights, side 2 opens with a wall of harmonic feedback against a Jon-Lee Hooker/Canned Heat "On The Road" again riff before a story about Mayall hanging out with legendary Canned Heat frontman Alan Wilson via "The Bear" . Mayall recounts encounters with various women via "Miss James" and "First Time Alone' and Taylor closes the album with a reprise of the opener with "Fly Tomorrow" more structured soloing echoing again what he would bring to the Stones .
It's no wonder Mayall and co author Joel McIver called his Biography "Blues From Laurel Canyon, My Life As A Bluesman" in 2019, this album is arguably the highlight of his recorded career.
A Sense of Place (1990)
Fast forward to 1990, and Mayall continues to evolve with A Sense of Place, an album that blended traditional blues with world music influences. This album is a testament to Mayall’s ability to adapt and innovate, even after decades in the music industry. Tracks like "I Want to Go" and "Congo Square" demonstrate his willingness to explore new sounds while maintaining the core elements of the blues. The inclusion of African rhythms and Latin percussion added a new dimension to his music, making A Sense of Place a standout latter day album in his extensive discography (ok he still went on to make albums for another 30 plus years!).
If you browse Spotify you will notice that the track "Sensitive Kind" , a JJ Cale cover, has one of the most plays out of Mayall's catelogue. Working in music retail at the time of this album's release,I recall many of the punters through the record store going ape sh*t regarding this one track. Slide virtuoso Sonny Landreth applies a swampy Daniel Lanois type feel then hands over to Coco Montoya to apply searing lead guitar at the end. Mayall applies the right amount of vocal restraint over this minor key blues.
Also worth checking out ...
The 1982 Reunion Tour (YouTube)
Mayall loses his LA house due to a fire ( note - this makes 3 LA house fires I have heard of from around this time - Keith Richards, Tom Petty & Mayall, what on earth was happening in LA at this time?) and reportedly as part of recouping costs he reconvenes a Bluesbreakers line up of Colin Allen, Mick Taylor, and (very much a celebrity at the time- bassist John McVie}. The chemistry between the four was palpable, as they revisited classic tracks amongst new Mayall originals. . Mayall’s harmonica playing and frontman role was as sharp as ever, while Taylor’s guitar and McVie’s basslines provided the perfect complement to Allen’s steady drumming. It was this tour that Bob Dylan saw that resulted in Taylor being used on Bob's 1983 Infidels with Allen joining the Dylan's iconic 1984 European tour with Taylor.
Conclusion
If you watch all the footage from the 1982 reunion tour show above, Blues legends Albert King, Etta James, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Sippie Wallace share the stage with Mayall and the Bluesbreakers as guests . This illustrates Mayall's sense of history and the respect he had via artists who influenced him. His own contributions to the blues is immeasurable. As we look back on these milestones in his career above , we are reminded of the profound impact John Mayall has had on the blues and on music as a whole.
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