“It never dawned on me that I could make a living playing music. For many years, it was just a hobby, a way I could express myself”: John Mayall changed blues music forever – and introduced the world to some of its greatest guitar players

John Mayall performs onstage at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, California in 1969.

John Mayall – British blues patriarch, godfather, progenitor, legend, musical force and every accolade one could ascribe – passed on July 22 at age 90. Starting in the mid-’60s and continuing throughout his long and illustrious career, Mayall has been nothing less than a blues messiah to generations of listeners.

He deserves acknowledgement as a vital figure in the development and ultimate massive popularity of blues and blues/rock music. His prodigious career spanned an incredible seven decades, from the late 1950s till his recent retirement from touring just two years ago in 2022 at age 88.