UPDATE TO BELOW STORY..................
Eric Clapton has lost many friends and colleagues over the years -- sometimes he'll make a brief comment; other times he'll post a short piece of original music; but most often, he'll mourn privately.
But when it came to the death Tuesday of UK blues legend John Mayall, Clapton, who first joined Mayall's Bluesbreakers in April 1965 after quitting The Yardbirds, posted a two-minute-plus video remembering his "mentor" and "surrogate father."
Clapton goes onto say that while Mayall taught him all he really knows and "gave [him] the courage and enthusiasm to express [himself] without fear or without limit," he does have some regrets.
While a member of Mayall's band, Clapton recorded the album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton in three days. It was an artistic success and a consistent seller, and it pretty much launched the British blues craze.
He left Mayall in July 1966 to form Cream, with another Mayall alum, bassist Jack Bruce, and Mayall replaced him with Peter Green who would eventually leave to form Fleetwood Mac. Bluesbreakers' drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie would soon leave Mayall to join the Mac.
Mayall will be honored with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Musical Influence Award in October.
Joining Clapton in paying tribute are former Bluesbreaker Mick Fleetwood (here's Mick's post) Jagger (here's Jagger's original post), Ronnie Wood (Ronnie's post) and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler (Geezer's original post here).
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John Mayall, the British bluesman who was set to receive the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Musical Influence Award in October, died on Monday at the age of 90.
His family reports on Facebook that he "passed away peacefully in his California home... yesterday, surrounded by loving family. Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world’s greatest road warriors. John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain."
Mayall is best known for nurturing some of Britain's greatest musicians in his backing band The Bluesbreakers, particularly during the mid-1960s when he hired, in succession, guitarists Eric Clapton, future Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green and future Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Green was joined by two other Mayall alumni, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, whose names Green combined to name this new band.
Mayall was born on November 25th, 1933 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. The son of a jazz fan and guitarist, he became a fan of American blues at a young age and taught himself to play piano, guitar and harmonica as well as sing. He moved to London in 1963, where he and The Bluesbreakers landed a residency at the Marquee Club.
Clapton, already well known from The Yardbirds, but wanting a less commercial band, joined in 1965 and Mayall recorded the album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton in three days. It was an artistic success and a consistent seller and pretty much launched the British blues craze. Clapton left to form Cream, with another Mayall alum, bassist Jack Bruce, and Mayall replaced him with Green. After recording The Hard Road album in 1966, Green left, and was replaced by the 18-year old Taylor, who starred on the albums Crusade, Bare Wires and Blues from Laurel Canyon.
At the end of the '60s, Mayall began living part time in the U.S. He also got quieter, playing what he called "blues without bashing" with his next band, a drummerless quartet, that included acoustic guitarist Jon Mark and saxophonist Johnny Almond. Those two would eventually start their own band, Mark Almond.
In 1972, Mayall moved to the U.S. permanently. Although his profile never again approached what it had been in the '60s, he continued making albums and touring with various lineups, sometimes as The Bluesbreakers and sometimes reuniting with his notable alumni, up until his death -- about 30 since 1970.
Earlier this year, he was one of three blues musicians announced as recipients of the Rock Hall's Musical Influence Award. The award was set to be go to Mayall and posthumously to Alexis Korner, a British contemporary of Mayall's who also launched the careers on numerous future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, and "Big Mama" Thornton, the American blues singer who recorded the original version of Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" and Janis Joplin's "Ball and Chain." Now all three will receive posthumous induction.
Mayall received the title Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) in 2005. He is survived by ex-wives Pamela and Maggie, six children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.