GRAMMY-nominated British blues artist John Mayall recently participated in an installment of the GRAMMY Museum's An Evening With series. Before an intimate audience at the Museum's Clive Davis Theater, Mayall discussed forming his band the Bluesbreakers and creating his 2014 album, A Special Life, among other topics.
"It came together very easily. All [I] had to do was look around [at] the things [I] was observing and put them into words and music," said Mayall regarding creating A Special Life. "It's very important to me that people appreciate [the album] because it's honoring the blues."
Raised outside of Manchester, England, Mayall became interested in jazz and blues as a teenager, listening to guitarists such as Eddie Lang, Brownie McGhee and Lead Belly, among others. After spending two years in art school Mayall started work as a graphic designer for a major department store. When he learned that British blues musicians Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies had opened a club devoted to the blues in Ealing, a suburb of West London, Mayall subsequently relocated.
Soon after moving to London, Mayall formed the Bluesbreakers, which featured a revolving lineup throughout the '60s, including guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor, who went on to form Cream, Fleetwood Mac and the Rolling Stones, respectively. Considered a seminal blues album, Mayall's 1966 album Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton reached No. 195 on Rolling Stone's 50 Greatest Albums of All Time list. In 1969 Mayall relocated to Los Angeles and released The Turning Point, an all-acoustic album that peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200. Mayall subsequently released several charting albums throughout the '70s, including USA Union (1970, No. 22), Empty Rooms (1970, No. 33) and Back To The Roots (1971, No. 52). Mayall earned his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album for 1993 for Wake Up Call, which featured guest appearances by GRAMMY winners Buddy Guy and Mavis Staples, among others.
Released in May, A Special Life features 11 tracks, including covers of classic blues songs by artists such as Albert King ("Floodin' In California"), among others. The album peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Blues Album chart and features a guest appearance by GRAMMY-nominated accordionist C.J. Chenier.
Mayall is currently in the midst of an international tour, with dates scheduled through April 2015.
Upcoming GRAMMY Museum events include A Conversation With Richard Lewis (Nov. 19), Reel To Reel: Legends Of Ska (Nov. 20), Reel To Reel: Jaco (Dec. 8), and An Evening With Hot Rize (Dec. 9).