Obituary: John Mayall, musician

John Mayall’s band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for superstars such as Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many others. The influential Macclesfield-born musician developed the English take on rhythm and blues that played an important part in influencing not only his own genre but rock in general. Though Mayall never approached the fame of some of his illustrious alumni, he was still performing in his late 80s. The lack of recognition rankled a bit, and he wasn't shy about saying so. "I've never had a hit record, I never won a Grammy Award, and Rolling Stone has never done a piece about me," he said in a 2013 interview. "I'm still an underground performer."

The son of a local musician, Mayall taught himself to play the piano, guitar, and harmonica. When doing military service in Asia Mayall bought his first electric guitar and back in England he combined training and playing. Mayall moved to London in the early 1960s and by 1963 he and his new band, The Bluesbreakers, were playing the famed Marquee Club. In 1965 Eric Clapton joined the band and the former Yardbird’s presence meant added attention and better prospects. The band’s second album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton was released the following year and climbed to six in the charts — but soon after Clapton, who had long before planned to leave, decamped to join Cream. Although three more Mayall albums were to reach the top 10, the record he made with Clapton was the only one to achieve gold record sales. Other Bluesbreakers alumni include John McVie and Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones), Aynsley Dunbar (Frank Zappa, David Bowie) and Jack Bruce (Cream). "I'm a band leader and I know what I want to play in my band — who can be good friends of mine," Mayall said. "It's definitely a family."

Mayall was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year in the musical influence category. He died on July 22 aged 90. — Agencies