Bluesbreakers
| John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers | |
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John Mayall in 1970, the year The Bluesbreakers brokeup.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
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| Website | johnmayall |
| Past members | See former members section |
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers were an English blues rock band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced, and the name was in use until the band again dissolved in 2008, to be resurrected again in 2009. The name has become generic, without a clear distinction between recordings that are to be credited to Mayall alone and recordings that are to be credited to Mayall and his band. The Bluesbreakers have included musicians such as:
The band that would evolve to the Bluesbreakers in 1965 was formed in March 1963 and became an ever-evolving lineup of more than 100 different combinations of musicians performing under that name. Eric Clapton joined in April 1965, just a few months after the release of their first album. Clapton brought guitar-led blues influences to the forefront of the group; he had left The Yardbirds in order to concentrate on the blues.
The first single released by John Mayall and his band, in May 1964, was the song "Crawling Up a Hill", with "Mr. James" as the b-side. The band on the single were Peter Ward, John McVie on bass, Bernie Watson on guitar, and Martin Hart on drums. After the single release, Bernie Watson was replaced by Roger Dean, and Martin Hart was replaced by Hughie Flint. This lineup played on John Mayall Plays John Mayall. After this, the band released a single called "Crocodile Walk", with "Blues City Shakedown" as the b-side. The single was produced by Decca producer Tony Clarke. Roger Dean then left the group and was replaced by Eric Clapton.
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) in October 1965, the first credited to John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, followed by a return to Decca in 1966. Then in August 1966 John Mayall and Eric Clapton released the single "Lonely Years", with the b-side "Bernard Jenkins", which was released by Purdah Records. The album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton was released in July; it reached the Top Ten in the UK.
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