This years headliner for Eureka’s Blues by the Bay , John Mayall simply amazed me how agile and witty a man he is for his age. I think he plans to keep the blues alive for many more years to come. Father of six, grandfather of six, and 75 years old, John Mayall shows no signs of slowing down. Burning up the stage with an ensemble of heavy hitting blues men, John Mayal rocked Humboldt County once again.

John was born November 29th 1933 in Macclesfield, England, the eldest of three from humble working class origins. John grew up listening to his guitarist father's extensive jazz record collection and felt drawn to the blues, influenced by such greats as Leadbelly, Albert Ammons, Pinetop Smith, and Eddie Lang. At 13 he taught himself to play with the assistance of a neighbor's piano, borrowed guitars, and secondhand harmonicas.
From an art college training, to three years with the British Army in Korea, to a successful career in graphic design, his musical endeavors didn’t take flight until he reached the age of 30. From 1956 until 1962, John fronted The Powerhouse Four and, later on, The Blues Syndicate. Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated formed what was to become known as The British Blues Boom of the Late 60's. John moved to London where he soon turned professional under the name John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. After a couple of years and a revolving door of musicians, he met Eric Clapton, who had quit the Yardbirds in favor of playing the blues, and later formed Cream.

John's leadership became well known for discovering new talent such as Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood ( all in Fleetwood Mac), Andy Fraser ( Free), and Mick Taylor ( the Rolling Stones). As Eric Clapton has stated, "John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians."
In 1969 John turned a few ears with the release of acoustic live album entitled "The Turning Point" which produced a gold record , from which his song "Room To Move"(the Chicker, Chicker song) became a signature anthem for the sixties. In love with the West Coast , John then made his permanent move from England to Laurel Canyon in Southern California and began forming bands with American musicians. In the 70's, John furthered his jazz/rock/blues innovations featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, and Harvey Mandel. Sometimes he’d play sideman to such legends as John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours. In the following decades, John persevered to keep blues authentic, despite the wane in public popularity.

With Live popularity gaining each year, the 90's gave us several John Mayall albums that have taken rock/blues to a whole new level: "Behind The Iron Curtain", "Chicago Line", "A Sense of Place", and the Grammy-nominated "Wake Up Call" with such players as Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins, and Mick Taylor. 1993 Texas guitar genius Buddy Whittington joined the Bluesbreakers recording on Mayall's "Spinning Coin" album,. After that, they released two powerhouse blues records: "Blues For the Lost Days" and "Padlock On The Blues", (the latter co-produced by John and his wife Maggie.)
In addition, Mayall released three CD's through his own private label, Private Stash Records. They are "Time Capsule" (containing historic 1957-62 live tapes-no longer available), "UK Tour 2K" (live recordings from the Bluesbreakers 2000 British tour), and a selection of solo performances from John entitled "Boogie Woogie Man". Mayall continues to strive to remain true to the timeless music that first inspired this
In 2002: Mayall with the Bluesbreakers, again produced by David Z., recorded the August 27, 2002 release "STORIES", which debuted the Billboard blues charts at #1, and followed it with an widespread world tour. 2003: John Mayall turned 70 years old. After extensive touring, John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers had a 70th Birthday celebration in Liverpool, with a concert for UNICEF with Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber. This concert was released as a DVD and double CD in December 2003. BBC aired an hour-long documentary on John Mayall's life and career, entitled "The Godfather of British Blues". At the age of 73 he was awarded an OBE in the Queens Honors list.

I saw him play in 2003 at the Eureka Theater where he and the Bluesbreakers rocked the house featuring the mighty Buddy Whittington on lead guitar. After the show, I purchased a CD of his 70th Birthday bash. As I strolled up to the concession table, I spied a gaunt elderly man with a pony tail sitting there selling CDs. To my amazement, it was John Mayall himself signing and chatting like a haberdasher. A friend who went to the show with me had insisted throughout the performance that John had played with Jeff Beck. I thought otherwise. “Now I can settle a bet.” I explained the debate we were having about Jeff Beck . I voiced that Jeff beck took Eric Claptons place in the Yardbirds when Eric joined the Bluesbreakers, to which he responded, “Yes sir, you are correct.”, and then signed my CD.

John Mayall is not only an accomplished musician and musical director, he is a man of integrity, humility and humor. In an interview in 2005 with Jason Mac Neil, when asked who he considered the greatest blues guitarist, Mayall gives a diplomatic response.

"There are so many who are such individuals that you can't really compare one against the other," he says. "I usually prefer not to single any one out because they are all great as they are." He showed a great sense of humor also, as his guitarist riffed away at some Led Zeppelin arpeggios ala Jimmy Page. John egged him on and just laughed away as Buddy Whitaker wailed away. He is as genuine and inspiring in concert as he is on records and print, so, go see Mr. Mayal as soon as possible.

for more information on the festival visit www.bluesbythebay.org