Editing John Mayall (section)

====Eric Clapton as guitarist, 1965–1966====
In 1965, with [[Eric Clapton]] as their new guitar player, the Bluesbreakers began attracting considerable attention. That summer the band cut a couple of tracks for a single, "[[I'm Your Witchdoctor]]" b/w "Telephone Blues" (released in October).<ref>During Clapton's stay with the Bluesbreakers, the (in)famous graffito "[[Clapton is God]]" appeared on a wall on the London Underground.</ref> In August, however, Clapton left for a jaunt to Greece with a bunch of relative musical amateurs calling themselves the 'Glands'. John Weider, John Slaughter, and Geoff Krivit attempted to fill in as Bluesbreaker guitarist but, finally, [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]] took charge. John McVie was dismissed, and during the next few months [[Jack Bruce]], from the [[Graham Bond Organisation]], played bass.<ref name="deep">{{cite web |date=17 September 2023 |title=Understanding John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers: A Deep Dive |url=https://guitardoor.com/understanding-john-mayall-bluesbreakers-deep-dive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923140148/https://guitardoor.com/understanding-john-mayall-bluesbreakers-deep-dive/ |archive-date=23 September 2023 |website=Guitardoor}}</ref>

In November 1965, Clapton returned, and Green departed as Mayall had guaranteed Clapton his spot back in the Bluesbreakers whenever he tired of the Glands.<ref>Marc Roberty, ''The Eric Clapton Scrapbook'', 1994, New York: Citadel Press, p. 14</ref> McVie was allowed back, and Bruce left to join [[Manfred Mann]], but not before a live date by the Mayall-Clapton-Bruce-Flint line-up was recorded on Mayall's two-track tape recorder at London's [[The Flamingo Club]] in November. The rough recording provided tracks that later appeared on the 1969 compilation ''Looking Back'' and the 1977 ''Primal Solos''.<ref>Roberty, pp.&nbsp;12–14</ref><ref name="Hjort 2007">{{cite book| last=Hjort| first=Christopher| author-link=Christopher Hjort| title=Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & the British Blues Boom, 1965–1970| publisher=Jawbone Press| year=2007| location=London, UK| pages=g. 29| isbn=978-1-906002-00-8| url=https://archive.org/details/strangebrewericc00hjor}}</ref> The same line-up also entered the studio to record a planned single, "On Top of the World", which was not released at that time.<ref>{{cite book| last=Hjort| first=Christopher| author-link=Christopher Hjort| title=Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & the British Blues Boom, 1965–1970| publisher=Jawbone Press| year=2007| location=London, UK| pages=g. 30| isbn=978-1-906002-00-8| url=https://archive.org/details/strangebrewericc00hjor}}</ref> Mayall and Clapton cut a couple of tracks without the others (although some sources give this as occurring back in the summer): "Lonely Years" b/w "Bernard Jenkins" was released as a single the next August on producer [[Mike Vernon (producer)|Mike Vernon]]'s Purdah Records label (both tracks appeared again two decades later in Clapton's ''[[Crossroads (Eric Clapton album)|Crossroads]]'' box set). In a November 1965 session, blues pianist-singer [[Champion Jack Dupree]] (originally from New Orleans but in the 1960s living in Europe) got Mayall and Clapton to play on a few tracks.<ref name="Hjort 2007"/>

In April 1966, the Bluesbreakers returned to Decca Studios to record a second LP with producer Vernon. The sessions, with horn arrangements for some tracks (John Almond on baritone sax, Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, and Dennis Healey on trumpet), lasted just three days. ''[[Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton]]'' was released in the UK on 22 July 1966.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> Several of the 12 tracks were covers of pure Chicago blues (side 1 kicking off with [[Otis Rush]]'s "[[All Your Love]]" and [[Freddy King]]'s hit instrumental "[[Hide Away (instrumental)|Hide Away]]" [here spelled without a space as "Hideaway"]); Mayall wrote or arranged five (such as "Double Crossing Time", a slow blues with a solo by co-writer Clapton); and Clapton debuted as lead vocalist, and began his practice of paying tribute to [[Robert Johnson]], with "[[Ramblin' on My Mind]]".<ref>{{cite book| last = Clapton| first = Eric| title = Clapton: The Autobiography| year = 2007| location = New York City| publisher = [[Broadway Books]]| isbn = 978-0-7679-2536-5| page = 72}}</ref> The album was Mayall's commercial breakthrough, rising to No. 6 on the [[UK Albums Chart]], and has since gained classic status, largely for the audacious aggressiveness and molten fluidity of Clapton's guitar playing.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> "It's Eric Clapton who steals the limelight," reported music mag ''Beat Instrumental'', adding with unintended understatement, "and no doubt several copies of the album will be sold on the strength of his name."<ref>Beat Instrumental, September 1966</ref>

In the meantime, on 11 June, the formation of [[Cream (band)|Cream]]—Clapton, bassist [[Jack Bruce]], and drummer [[Ginger Baker]]—had been revealed in the music press, much to the embarrassment of Clapton, who had not said anything about this to Mayall. (After a May Bluesbreakers gig at which Baker had sat in, he and Clapton had first discussed forming their own band, and surreptitious rehearsal jams with Bruce soon commenced.) Clapton's last scheduled gig with the Bluesbreakers was 17 July in Bexley, south-east of London;<ref>{{cite book| last=Hjort| first=Christopher| author-link=Christopher Hjort| title=Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & the British Blues Boom, 1965–1970| publisher=Jawbone Press| year=2007| location=London, UK| pages=g. 57| isbn=978-1-906002-00-8| url=https://archive.org/details/strangebrewericc00hjor}}</ref> Cream made a warmup club debut 29 July in [[Manchester]] and its "official" live debut two days later at the Sixth National Jazz and Blues Festival, [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]].<ref name="classic">{{cite video|title = Cream: Classic Artists|medium = DVD|publisher=Image Entertainment|date = 2007}}</ref>