Late blues icon John Mayall refused to compare himself and his success to his former Bluesbreakers bandmate Eric Clapton.
It was announced via his official Facebook page that the legendary musician passed away “peacefully” on July 22 after battling “health issues” that had prevented him from touring in recent years.
In one of his final interviews, Mayall opened up to BANG Showbiz about the array of acclaimed musicians he worked with over his seven-decade spanning career.
The ‘All Your Love’ rocker recruited Clapton to join his influential group John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers in 1965.
Over the years, the band featured the likes of the late Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac and former Rolling Stones strummer Mick Taylor and the group spawned and inspired a whole generation of blues and rock legends.
Clapton’s career with Cream and as a solo artist saw him catapulted to rock superstardom, but Mayall was adamant that the most important thing to him was being an authentic artist rather than chasing fame.
Mayall – who was dubbed ‘The Godfather of British Blues’ – insisted that he was always happy for Clapton regarding his numerous achievements in the music business, and was never jealous.
When asked if he had ever envied Clapton, Mayall said: “I don’t think it really works that way. You do what’s natural to you and see if it works for the public in the same way it does for you.”
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, he continued: “My philosophy has always been to work as honestly as I can with the kind of music that was natural to me so to put those songs into words, it’s a great feeling to have had that freedom.”
Clapton quit the Bluesbreakers in July 1966 and was replaced by Green. He was then invited by late drummer Ginger Baker to play in his new group Cream, the now-iconic band which also featured former Bluesbreakers member Jack Bruce.
Before Cream, Clapton was not well known in America, and had left his other group, The Yardbirds, before their track ‘For Your Love’ hit the US top 10.
Mayall will be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19 in Cleveland, Ohio.
He is survived by his six children, Gaz, Jason, Red, Ben, Zak and Samson, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.