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Brit Blues Bands of the Sixties
Emerging rock superstars were part of all three of them
The excitement generated by The Beatles and other British Invasion Rock ’n’ Roll bands of the Sixties sometimes overshadows another closely aligned musical genre: Rhythm & Blues. There were so many overlaps between rock and r&b that it was often hard to distinguish one from the other. But there was a stylistic difference, as was evidenced by these three Brit blues bands, each of which spun off rock superstars.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
John Mayall, widely recognized as “The Godfather of British Blues,” was active in music until two years before his death at the age of 90 in July 2024. Mayall was a multi-talented musical artist — singer, guitarist, harmonica player and keyboardist — who loved jazz and the blues from his teens. Mayall left a graphic design job when blues became “a thing” in the UK around 1962. In the early Sixties, Mayall formed a group he called “The Bluesbreakers.”
Probably the most remarkable thing about the band was its eventual reputation as an important stop along the way for musicians who would become rock superstars. At one point or another, Jack Bruce (Cream), Eric Clapton (Cream, Derek & the Dominos), Aynsley Dunbar (Jefferson Starship), Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac)…
