Editing John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers (section)

==History==
The band that would evolve into the Bluesbreakers in 1965<ref name="discography">{{cite web |url=http://www.eric-clapton.co.uk/ecla/discography.html |title=The Eric Clapton Lyric Archive – Search By Album |publisher=Eric-clapton.co.uk |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref> was formed in February 1963 and became an ever-changing lineup of more than 100 combinations of musicians performing under the name.<ref>''The Complete Rock Family Trees'', Omnibus Press (Dec 1983, {{ISBN|978-0-7119-0465-1}}) lists 109 different lineups</ref> [[Eric Clapton]] joined in April 1965, a few months after the release of their first album. Clapton brought guitar-led [[blues]] influences to the forefront of the group; he had left [[The Yardbirds]] in order to concentrate on the blues.

The first single released by John Mayall and his band, in May 1964, was the song "Crawling Up a Hill", with "Mr. James" as the B-side. The band on the single was composed of Peter Ward, [[John McVie]] on bass, Bernie Watson on guitar, and Martin Hart on drums.<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book |first=John |last=Tobler |year=1992 |title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years |edition=1st |publisher=Reed International Books Ltd |location=London |page=134 |id=CN 5585}}</ref> After the release, Watson was replaced by [[Roger Dean (guitar player)|Roger Dean]], and Hart by [[Hughie Flint]]. This lineup played on the album ''[[John Mayall Plays John Mayall]]'', recorded in December 1964 and released in 1965. After this, the band released a single called "Crocodile Walk", with "Blues City Shakedown" as the b-side, which was produced by [[Tony Clarke (record producer)|Tony Clarke]] of [[Decca Records]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wErMvG4cxao |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029055317/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wErMvG4cxao&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=29 October 2012 |url-status=dead |title=John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers – Crocodile Walk |publisher=YouTube |date=8 July 2008 |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref> Dean then left the group and was replaced by Clapton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rogerdean.info/Timeline.html |title=Roger Dean – Bluesbreaker, Bluejay, Guitarist and more – Timeline |publisher=Rogerdean.info |date=16 March 1943 |access-date=15 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208120817/http://www.rogerdean.info/Timeline.html |archive-date=8 February 2012 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

The group lost their record contract with Decca that year, which also saw the release of a single called "I'm Your Witchdoctor" (produced by [[Jimmy Page]]) in October 1965, the first credited to John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers,<ref name="discography" /> followed by a return to Decca in 1966. Then in August 1966 John Mayall and Eric Clapton released the single "Lonely Years", with the b-side "Bernard Jenkins",<ref name="discography" /> which was released by Purdah Records.<ref name=45rpm>{{cite web |url=http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/artists-j.htm |title=Artists: J |publisher=45-rpm.org.uk |date=10 February 1910 |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref> The album ''[[Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton]]'' was released in July;<ref name="discography" /> it reached the [[Record chart|Top Ten]] in the UK.

Shortly after ''Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton'' was released, Eric Clapton saw [[Buddy Guy]] in concert, and being impressed by his trio, the idea for Cream was formed, and he left to form this new group with [[Ginger Baker]] and [[Jack Bruce]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Clapton: The Autobiography |url=https://archive.org/details/claptonautobiogr00clapt |url-access=registration |last=Clapton |first=Eric |year=2007 |publisher=Broadway|isbn=9780385518512 }}</ref> Clapton was replaced by [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]] for the album ''[[A Hard Road]]'', which was recorded with McVie on bass and [[Aynsley Dunbar]] on drums. Then the same line-up served as backing band for the album ''Eddie Boyd and His Blues Band Featuring Peter Green''. After this, Green left to form Fleetwood Mac.

Mick Taylor then joined the group, and they recorded ''[[Crusade (album)|Crusade]]'' on 12 July 1967. Soon after, McVie joined Fleetwood Mac and was replaced by [[Tony Reeves]] for the album ''[[Bare Wires]]'', which was their highest-charting UK album. Then Reeves, [[Dick Heckstall-Smith]] and [[Jon Hiseman]] left to form [[Colosseum (band)|Colosseum]]. Following a further album, ''[[Blues from Laurel Canyon]]'', Taylor then left to join the [[The Rolling Stones|Rolling Stones]], and the name "Bluesbreakers" was dropped from John Mayall albums.

By the time the 1960s were over, the Bluesbreakers had finally achieved some success in the United States.
[[File:Joe Yuele with John Mayall 2008.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Joe Yuele, drummer with the band, 2008]]

With some interruptions, the Bluesbreakers have continued to tour and release albums (over 50 to date), though they never achieved the critical or popular acclaim of their earlier material. In 2003, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber reunited with the band for John Mayall's ''[[70th Birthday Concert (John Mayall & the Bluesbreaker album)|70th Birthday Concert]]'' in [[Liverpool]]—the concert was later released on CD and DVD. In 2004, their lineup included [[Buddy Whittington]], Joe Yuele, [[Hank Van Sickle]] and Tom Canning, and the band toured the UK with Mick Taylor as a guest musician.

In November 2008, Mayall announced on his website he was disbanding the Bluesbreakers, to cut back on his heavy workload and give himself freedom to work with other musicians. A 2009 solo tour with Rocky Athas (formerly of [[Black Oak Arkansas]]) was the first musical venture Mayall undertook after disbanding the band.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.johnmayall.com/news.html |title=Newsletter |publisher=John Mayall |access-date=15 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204054206/http://www.johnmayall.com/news.html |archive-date=4 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Former band member Johnny Almond died on 18 November 2009 from cancer, aged 63.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2009b.html|author=Doc Rock |title=The Dead Rock Stars Club |publisher=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref> 

In 2009, [[Eagle Records]] asked Mayall for a new album, and he put together a solo band including [[Rocky Athas]] (guitar), Tom Canning (keyboard), [[Greg Rzab]] (bass) and Jay Davenport (percussion) and produced the album ''[[Tough (John Mayall album)|Tough]]'' the same year. After a year, Canning left because of other priorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.johnmayall.com/bio.html |title=Mayall History |publisher=John Mayall |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226200336/http://johnmayall.com/bio.html |archive-date=26 December 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

John Mayall died on 22 July 2024 at the age of 90, effectively ending the band.<ref name="auto">{{Cite Instagram |user=johnmayallofficial |postid=C9yAsdCyVCj |title=It is with heavy hearts that we bear the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully in his California home yesterday, July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. |date=2024-07-23}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/blues-legend-john-mayall-is-dead-at-90 |title=Blues Legend John Mayall Is Dead at 90 |first=Mark |last=Rozzo |date=23 July 2024 |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref>