That time John Mayall told me that his Bluesbreakers of 1988 were the best band he ever had
By Steve Newton
The first time I interviewed blues legend John Mayall was in December of 1988, shortly after he’d released his Chicago Line album, which featured smokin’ guitarists Walter Trout and Carlos Montoya.
Mayall has always surrounded himself with the finest pickers–including guys like Mick Taylor, Eric Clapton, and Peter Green–so at one point in the conversation I asked if he ever heard from those guys any more.
Eventually we got around to talking about him bringing the Bluesbreakers back, the resurgence in popularity of the blues, and the difficulty he’s had in getting on a major label.
Then he told me how tight (and loose) his current version of the Bluesbreakers was.
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