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| Ten Thousand Motels |
John Mayall bows at Blues Festival
June 9, 2005
ChicagoSun Times
BY JEFF JOHNSON Staff
It took "The Father of British Blues" 22 years to get to Grant Park for the Chicago Blues Festival. But tonight John Mayall makes his long-overdue bow, and he's not only being asked to share the stage with long-ago Bluesbreaker Mick Taylor -- he's only being allowed to perform half of his usual set.
"The weird thing about it, if you're going to have something like this happening, why would you allow only one hour and 15 minutes for it, when it usually takes us two hours to complete our whole show without anything else?" asks Mayall, never one to bite his tongue. "That would definitely pose a problem in fitting in everything. That's the only down side. If Mick shows up, we'll try to incorporate him for a couple of numbers. I guess that's what the festival is usually about, though, trying to fit in as much as possible."
Taylor, who went on to post-Bluesbreakers fame as the Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers"-era guitarist, is enthusiastic about his appearance, says fest coordinator Barry Dolins, even if Mayall is not. He appeared with Mayall at several European gigs last summer, and plays on the 2003 Mayall 70th birthday CD and DVD.
But when it came time to select a guest guitarist for "Road Dogs," due out on Tuesday, Mayall chose 14-year-old Pennsylvania flash Eric Steckel, with whom he shared the stage during a 2004 tour. The Bluesbreakers thus come full circle, from being the cradle of blues-rock guitarists to robbing the cradle.
"He's a phenomenal player," Mayall raves. "He sat in with us in Scandinavia and matched licks with Buddy [Whittington, lead guitarist] and I."
Mayall's status as "the father of British blues" stems from his early association with such future stars as Cream's Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce; Taylor; Fleetwood Mac founders John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green; Jon Hiseman; Keef Hartley, and Aynsley Dunbar. Himself a versatile musician, Mayall has served as the Bluesbreakers' keyboardist, harmonica player, guitarist and vocalist since the '60s. While he's best known for developing guitar heroes, his revolving door of axmen has long since swung shut.
"That period of guitar turnover was a brief time during the '60s when those young guys had to go out and see what they could do by themselves," Mayall says. "Most of my fans probably weren't even born then. Now when you're talking about guitar turnover, the last two probably stayed longer than most groups stay together [Whittington for the last 11 years, preceded by Coco Montoya, who stayed 10 years]."
And while Clapton and Taylor fans might consider it blasphemy, Mayall asserts that Whittington is the most complete guitar player he's ever worked with. "I've never worked with anyone as good as Buddy," he says. "I think he's better in a lot of respects. He plays great rhythm and slide and knows everything there is to know about the guitar. He's so versatile, and he's always coming up with new things.''
Another veteran guitarist from the '60s British blues-rock boom, Kim Simmonds, brings his latest version of Savoy Brown to the fest at 7 tonight as part of a "40th Anniversary of the British Blues Invasion" program. Savoy Brown co-founder Bob Hall will join the reunion set on keyboards. Rod Price from the Savoy Brown spinoff group Foghat had been booked to appear, but Price died in March after falling in his New Hampshire home.
David "Honeyboy" Edwards, who's 19 days shy of his 90th birthday, will inject some authentic Delta acoustic country blues into the mix as the 6 p.m. opening act on the mainstage.
Mayall promises that he'll work several songs into the repertoire from "Road Dogs," which he calls "a very personal statement with observations about the world around us." He wrote 13 of the 15 tracks himself, and production was "an in-house job."
The four-man group that Mayall brings to the festival has been intact since bassist Hank Van Sickle joined in 2000. Besides Whittington, the band also includes drummer Joe Yuele, a Bluesbreaker for 20 years. Mayall is enjoying the stability.
"With these particular guys, they're like the best band ever for many, many reasons, and the personal side is the most important," he says. "In order to create great music, you have to be compatible as friends and have a great relationship."
And about that "father of British blues" billing, which he so adamantly rejected in a 1995 interview, Mayall now says, "It's become so ingrained now, it's like water off a duck's back.
"It's a compliment and a historical identification, so I don't fight it."
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| parmeda |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
"The weird thing about it, if you're going to have something like this happening, why would you allow only one hour and 15 minutes for it, when it usually takes us two hours to complete our whole show without anything else?" asks Mayall, never one to bite his tongue. "That would definitely pose a problem in fitting in everything. That's the only down side. If Mick shows up, we'll try to incorporate him for a couple of numbers. I guess that's what the festival is usually about, though, trying to fit in as much as possible."
David "Honeyboy" Edwards, who's 19 days shy of his 90th birthday, will inject some authentic Delta acoustic country blues into the mix as the 6 p.m. opening act on the mainstage.
Thanks for posting this 10K...
I just arrived back home from the Blues Festival and let me tell ya...Mayall is a crybaby. Period. He did not deserve to be the headliner. And Mick Taylor doesn't need his ass either...
Oh!...do you have any idea on how many 'tongue' shirts I saw walking thru Grant Park today? ...tons, I tell ya!
Now then...
It should have been reversed tonight. Honeyboy Edwards should have rolled up the streets tonight. His set was incredible and I almost felt sorry for ANYONE that had to come and sweep up the dust after him. Mayall obviously wasn't worthy. |
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| polksalad69 |
^^^
wow, thanks for the update. I just got back to Chicago tonight. missed night 1 and 2 but I'll be there for the rock star Buddy Guy tomorrow night. great to hear Honeyboy did well, I was worried about him on the big stage. did he play alone or with Devil in a Woodpile? |
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| parmeda |
I saw Rick Sherry there, polk...and I know the Woodpile is playing at the Hot House on Saturday for a big Birthday bash concert for Honeyboy. THAT should be oustanding!
I'll be back at the park again Saturday to see Buddy, lol...I can't get enough of these guys |
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| polksalad69 |
quote:
parmeda wrote:
I saw Rick Sherry there, polk...and I know the Woodpile is playing at the Hot House on Saturday for a big Birthday bash concert for Honeyboy. THAT should be oustanding!
I'll be back at the park again Saturday to see Buddy, lol...I can't get enough of these guys
Excellent. I hope to be there this afternoon. Looks like some good stuff before Buddy on the main stage too. I plan on sticking around. |
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