John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
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| John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre(s) | Blues-rock |
| Years active | 1963—present |
| Label(s) | Decca, Deram |
| Website | johnmayall.com |
| Members | |
| John Mayall Rocky Athos Jay Davenport Greg Rzab |
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| Former members | |
| Eric Clapton Jack Bruce Peter Green John McVie Mick Fleetwood Hughie Flint Mick Taylor Colin Allen Don "Sugarcane" Harris Harvey Mandel Larry Taylor Aynsley Dunbar Dick Heckstall-Smith Andy Fraser Johnny Almond Jon Mark Kal David Walter Trout Coco Montoya Soko Richardson Keef Hartley Buddy Whittington Joe Yuele Hank Van Sickle Tom Canning |
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John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and '67 then dropped it for some fifteen years, but in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and it has been kept since then. The name has become generic without a clear distinction which recordings are to be credited just to the leader or to leader and his band. The Bluesbreakers have included luminaries such as:
- Eric Clapton (April–August 1965, November 1965–July 1966[1]) and Jack Bruce, who both left to form Cream,
- Peter Green, who had replaced Clapton, played until August 1967, when he departed with Mick Fleetwood and then also enticed Bluesbreaker John McVie a few weeks later to form Fleetwood Mac,
- Mick Taylor (August 1967–July 1969) who later joined The Rolling Stones, and reunion tours in 1982–83 and 2004,
- Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Larry Taylor (later in Canned Heat),
- Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Randy Resnick, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (Free), Chris Mercer, Henry Lowther, Johnny Almond and Jon Mark (later of Mark-Almond).
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[edit] History
The Bluesbreakers were formed in January 1963 and became an ever-evolving lineup of more than 100 different combinations of musicians performing under that name[2]. Eric Clapton joined in 1965 just a few months after the release of their first album. Clapton brought the blues influences to the forefront of the group, as he had left The Yardbirds in order to play the blues.
The group lost their record contract with Decca that year, which also saw the release of a single called "I'm Your Witchdoctor" (produced by Jimmy Page), followed by a return to Decca in 1966. The album Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (also known as The Beano Album because Clapton is shown on the cover photo reading a copy of the comic) was released later that year; it reached the Top Ten in the UK.
Clapton and Jack Bruce left the group that year to form Cream. Clapton was replaced by Peter Green for A Hard Road, after which he left to form Fleetwood Mac. Finally, in 1969, the third Bluesbreaker-guitarist departed when Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones.
By the time the 1960s were over, the Bluesbreakers had finally achieved some success in the United States.
With some interruptions, the Bluesbreakers have continued to tour and release albums (over 50 to date), though they never achieved the critical or popular acclaim of their earlier material. In 2003, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber reunited with the band for John Mayall's 70th Birthday Concert in Liverpool — the concert was later released on CD and DVD. In 2004, their line up included Buddy Whittington, Joe Yuele, Hank Van Sickle and Tom Canning, and the band toured the UK with Mick Taylor as a guest musician.
In November 2008 Mayall announced on his website he was disbanding the Bluesbreakers to cut back on his heavy workload and give himself freedom to work with other musicians. A 2009 tour with Rocky Athos (formerly of Black Oak Arkansas) is currently advertised.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1965: John Mayall Plays John Mayall (Decca*)
- 1966: Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (Decca*)
- 1967: A Hard Road (Decca*)
- 1967: Bluesbreakers with Paul Butterfield (Decca EP single)
- 1967: Crusade (Decca*)
- 1967: The Blues Alone (Ace of Clubs*)
- 1968: Diary of a Band Volume 1 (Decca*)
- 1968: Diary of a Band Volume 2 (Decca*)
- 1968: Bare Wires (Decca*)
- 1968: Blues from Laurel Canyon (Decca*)
- 1969: Looking Back (Decca*)
- 1969: Thru the Years (London)
- 1969: Primal Solos (Decca)
- 1969: The Turning Point (Polydor*)
- 1970: Empty Rooms (Polydor*)
- 1970: USA Union (Polydor*)
- 1971: Back to the Roots (Polydor*)
- 1971: Memories (Polydor*)
- 1972: Jazz Blues Fusion (Polydor*)
- 1973: Moving On (Polydor)
- 1973: Ten Years Are Gone (Polydor)
- 1974: The Latest Edition (Polydor)
- 1975: New Year, New Band, New Company (ABC - One Way*)
- 1975: Notice to Appear (ABC - One Way*)
- 1976: Banquet in Blues (ABC - One Way*)
- 1977: Lots of People (ABC - One Way*)
- 1977: A Hard Core Package (ABC - One Way*)
- 1978: Last of the British Blues (ABC - One Way*)
- 1979: The Bottom Line (DJM)
- 1980: No More Interviews (DJM)
- 1982: Road Show Blues (DJM*)
- 1982: Return of the Bluesbreakers (Aim Australia)
- 1985: Behind the Iron Curtain (GNP Crescendo*)
- 1987: Chicago Line (Entente - Island*)
- 1988: The Power of the Blues (Entente*)
- 1988: Archives to Eighties (Polydor*)
- 1990: A Sense of Place (Island*)
- 1992: Cross Country Blues (One Way*)
- 1994: The 1982 Reunion Concert (One Way*)
- 1993: Wake Up Call (Silvertone*)
- 1995: Spinning Coin (Silvertone*)
- 1997: Blues for the Lost Days (Silvertone*)
- 1999: Padlock on the Blues (Eagle*)
- 1999: Rock the Blues Tonight (Indigo*)
- 1999: Live at the Marquee 1969 (Eagle*)
- 2000: Time Capsule (Private Stash) Limited release, website only, no longer in print
- 2001: UK Tour 2K (Private Stash) Limited release, website only, no longer in print
- 2001: Boogie Woogie Man (Private Stash*) Limited release, website only
- 2001: Along for the Ride (Eagle/Red Ink*)
- 2002: Stories (Eagle/Red Ink*)
- 2003: No Days Off (Private Stash*) Limited release, website only
- 2003: Rolling with the Blues (Shakedown UK*)
- 2003: 70th Birthday Concert CD & DVD (Eagle*)
- 2004: Cookin' Down Under DVD (Private Stash*) Limited release, website only
- 2004: The Godfather of British Blues/Turning Point DVD (Eagle*)
- 2004: The Turning Point Soundtrack (Eagle*)
- 2005: Road Dogs (Eagle*)
- 2007: Live at the BBC (Decca*)
- 2007: In the Palace of the King (Eagle*)
[edit] DVDs
- 1982: Blues Alive VHS (re-released on DVD in 2004 as Jammin' With the Blues Greats), a concert filmed in June 1982 at New Jersey's Capitol Theater with a lineup of Mayall, Mick Taylor, John McVie, and Colin Allen, and guests Etta James, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and Albert King
- 2003: 70th Birthday Concert CD & DVD (with Eric Clapton)
- 2004: The Godfather of British Blues/Turning Point DVD
From John Mayall's website only:
- 2004: Cookin' Down Under DVD
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Where's Eric an Eric Clapton fan site
- ^ The Complete Rock Family Trees, Omnibus Press (Dec 1983, ISBN 978-0711904651) lists 109 different lineups
[edit] External links
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