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Bonamassa reflects on the legacy of John Mayall

In a soon to be released interview with Blues Rock Review, Joe Bonamassa reflected on the impact and legacy of John Mayall.

Mayall, known as the “Godfather of British Blues,” died at 90 on Monday, July 22.

“John was a friend of mine,” Bonamassa told Blues Rock Review. “I played on a couple of his albums, his later albums. He was always so nice. I would run into him in Europe at Festivals.” Joe added, “Every time I would see John, this is going back 25 years, always smiling, always excited, always excited about the gig, the action, the whole thing. He was just an excitable guy.”

Bonamassa spoke about the impact of Mayall’s records.

“Every suburban white kid who was remotely interested in blues guitar had to through The Beano Album. That was just standard issue. It was Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Beano album (…) and Hendrix.” Joe said, “The impact of his music and the impact of the blues, you could never imagine what the music would sound like if it wasn’t for John Mayall and Alexis Korner and Big Bill Broonzy. And those guys were the founding fathers of this movement that turned into the Led Zeppelin’s, the Rory Gallagher’s, and the Gary Moore’s.”

Earlier this year, it was announced that John Mayall would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19, 2024.

Bonamassa commented, “I’ve been screaming to anyone who would listen over at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame going you need to get John Mayall in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before he dies.” Joe reflects, “I’m glad that he knew that he was going in because he was a Hall of Famer. I’m just mad and sad that he never got to get the statue because I know two people, one being in my band (Reese Wynans), that have a statue from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it means something to them. It’s a validation of a career.”

Bonamassa hopes to see more artists late in their careers get the credit they deserve.

“I implore anybody at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to do the right thing by these artists who are now in their late 70s and 80s, and in John’s case 90s, let’s get them in.”

About Mayall not getting named to the Hall of Fame until his 90s, Bonamassa said, “John Mayall is the perfect example of waiting too long to acknowledge the impact of what he did.”

Bonamassa reiterated, “Every suburban white kid who plays a Les Paul guitar owes a debt of gratitude to John Mayall and I’ll take that to my grave.”

Watch Bonamassa speak about Mayall’s impact and legacy below and stay tuned for Blues Rock Review’s full interview with Joe Bonamassa.

Pete Francis

Pete Francis is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Blues Rock Review. Pete founded Blues Rock Review in 2010 because he felt there was a major void in how the blues rock genre was covered. Pete is the host of Blues Rock Weekly and a co-host on the Blues Rock Show.

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