John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
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John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers was a pioneering British blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE, that included such luminaries as:
- Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (both later in Cream),
- Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (later all in Fleetwood Mac),
- Mick Taylor (later in The Rolling Stones),
- Don Harris, Harvey Mandel, Larry Taylor (later in Canned Heat),
- Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (Free), Johnny Almond and Jon Mark.
History
The Bluesbreakers were formed in the early 1960s with an ever-evolving lineup. 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", followed by a return to Decca in 1966. The album Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, also known as The Beano Album, 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-guitar virtuoso left the group that made him famous when Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones. He would soon be replaced by blues guitarist Kal David.
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 was 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.
Discography
Albums
- 1966: John Mayall Plays John Mayall
- 1966: Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (with Eric Clapton)
- 1967: A Hard Road (with Peter Green)
- 1967: Bluesbreakers with Paul Butterfield (EP single)
- 1967: Crusade
- 1967: The Blues Alone
- 1968: Diary of a Band Volume 1
- 1968: Diary of a Band Volume 2
- 1968: Bare Wires
- 1968: Blues from Laurel Canyon
- 1969: Looking Back
- 1969: Thru The Years
- 1969: Primal Solos
- 1969: The Turning Point
- 1970: Empty Rooms
- 1970: USA Union
- 1971: Back to the Roots
- 1971: Memories
- 1972: Jazz Blues Fusion
- 1973: Moving On
- 1973: Ten Years Are Gone
- 1974: The Latest Edition
- 1975: New Year, New Band, New Company
- 1975: Notice to Appear
- 1976: Banquet in Blues
- 1977: Lots of People
- 1977: A Hard Core Package
- 1978: Last of the British Blues
- 1979: The Bottom Line
- 1980: No More Interviews
- 1982: Road Show Blues
- 1982: Return of the Bluesbreakers
- 1985: Behind the Iron Curtain
- 1987: Chicago Line
- 1988: The Power of the Blues
- 1988: Archives to Eighties
- 1990: A Sense of Place
- 1992: 1982 Reunion Concert
- 1992: Cross Country Blues
- 1993: Wake Up Call
- 1995: Spinning Coin
- 1997: Blues for the Lost Days
- 1999: Padlock on the Blues
- 1999: Rock the Blues Tonight
- 1999: Live at the Marquee 1969
- 1999: The Masters
- 2001: Along For The Ride
- 2002: STORIES
- 2003: Rolling With The Blues
- 2004: The Turning Point Soundtrack : this is in fact a re-packaging of two previously CDs Disc One contains the music from Disc One of "The Masters" (with the addition of the track "Parchman Farm" from Disc Two) and the new Disc Two contains all the tracks from "Live at the Marquee 1969".
- 2005: Road Dogs
- 2000 Time Capsule
- 2001 UK Tour 2K
- 2001 Boogie Woogie Man
- 2003 No Days Off
DVDs
- 1982: Blues Alive VHS (Also released as Jammin' With the Blues Greats on DVD)
- 2003: 70th Birthday Concert CD & DVD (with Eric Clapton)
- 2004: The Godfather of British Blues/Turning Point DVD
- 2004: Cookin' Down Under DVD
See also
External link
| Blues | Blues genres |
| Jug band - Classic female blues - Country blues - Delta blues - Jump blues - Piano blues - Fife and drum blues |
| Jazz blues - Blues-rock - Soul blues- Punk blues |
| African blues - British blues - Chicago blues - Detroit blues - Kansas City blues - Louisiana blues - Memphis blues - Piedmont blues - St. Louis blues - Swamp blues - Texas blues - West Coast blues |
| Musicians |
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