When Madge puts together her New Years Honours list, she surely must this time create the lifetime peer Lord Mayall of Macclesfield. The popular press are currently lobbying for Gary Barlow and Rod Stewart who's contributions to music pale compared to yesterday's birthday boy. At seventy-six he still plays live and produces fine albums and the guitar lineage he boasts cannot be nay-said. STAR BLUES last night paid our respects in celebrating his birthday through his music and his stated influences.
Just about every era of his Bluesbreakers band had a track from the earliest recording "Blues City Breakdown" (a pre-Clapton instrumental done live in 1964) through to "Palace of the King" a rambunctious run through of a Freddie King classic from 2008. Along the way we also explored his suggestions for starting a blues collection, taking his comments from the website www.johnmayall.com Thus Ray Charles, Robert Johnson, the afore-mentioned Mr. King and the "second" Sonny Boy Williamson brought along some classic blues. There was also a masterclass in blues piano from Albert Ammons, Big Maceo and Cripple Clarence Lofton - the latter being a perfect example of the boogie-stride style.
On 22nd November show, I played the Bluesbreakers version of "My Time After A While" and thanks to an internet listener I was able to play the original version by Tiny Powell featuring a gospel drenched vocal and anguished guitar from Johnny Heartsman. The Pilgrim Travellers set themselves up in the gospel tent and the show was over almost before it began. The lengthy live version of JB Lenoir's "Talk To Your Daughter" from John's 70th birthday concert provided fitting finale for us with Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Buddy Whittington and Chris Barber joining in the fun.
I promised a reprise of the list of Bluesbreakers guitarists that I read out around eleven o'clock, so here goes (In chronological sequence):
Bernie Watson / Roger Dean / Eric Clapton / Peter Green / Mick Taylor / John Mark / Harvey Mandel / Coco Montoya / Walter Trout / Buddy Whittington / Rocky Athas
Thanks for your company, calls and comments, this upcoming Sunday will be a special themed around Elvis Presley to coincide with "75" the career anthology due for release on 8th December - be really good if you can make it at 10pm on Sunday at the Commercial Radio Station of the Year on 107.9/1FM for Cambridge, Ely and the Fens or on-line from www.star107.co.uk. Until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you
Gary Blue
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