British blues pioneer in three tracks and 5-star collaborations

In over fifty years of career, John Mayall has offered his audience some sixty albums. Since 1965, the singer has kept the blues alive and influenced the rock scene, particularly in Britain. He died on Wednesday July 24 at the age of 90, and collaborated with several big names in music, welcoming guitarists Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor to his group The Bluesbreakers, among others. Focus on three songs that have left their mark on the blues and on minds.

1“All Your Love” (1967), Eric Clapton and The Bluesbreakers

Just days after leaving the Yardbirds, a band he had been playing with for three years, Eric Clapton joined John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Together, the musicians recorded the album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton. Considered a monument of the British “blues boom”, the album, released after the departure of the prodigious guitarist, was a great success. Almost forty years later, John Mayall and Eric Clapton were still performing one of the flagship titles of this collaboration on stage: All Your Love.

2“Long Gone Midnight” (1968), Mick Taylor on guitar

If John Mayall has always defended himself from being a talent scout, his music group was a first big step in the careers of several musicians. After Eric Clapton, it was Mick Taylor, future guitarist of the Rolling Stones, who joined The Bluesbreakers. The title Long Gone Midnight is notably the fruit of their rapid collaboration.

3“Room To Move” (1969), John Mayall’s only gold record

Recorded live in July 1969 in a concert hall in New York, the album The Turning Point peaked at number eleven in the UK charts and at number 32 on the Billboard 200. Among the tracks, the single Room To Move is enjoying real success. The Turning Point is John Mayall’s only album to be certified gold in the United States.