John Mayall has been dubbed ‘The Godfather of British Blues’ for good reason. His Bluesbreakers bands of the Sixties constituted something of a finishing school for guitarists, among whom numbered Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor. We know about EC/Slowhand, but it may often be forgotten Green founded Fleetwood Mac (as a blues band!), while Taylor–with Mayall’s blessing to Mick Jagger–joined the Rolling Stones in 1969. The excellence of 1968’s Blues From Laurel Canyon no doubt figured into those decisions: as evidenced in this clip, under John’s tutelage, Taylor’s natural facility with his instrument blossomed and hinted at how he would subsequently distinguish what is often regarded as the finest era in the somewhat checkered history of ‘the greatest rock and roll band in the world.’
