UAWIL #293: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton

UAWIL #293: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton

From The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast by Mac B.

July 9, 2026 · 1h 21m · Season 1 · Episode 293

About this episode

The episode explores Eric Clapton's transition from The Yardbirds to John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, highlighting their live performances and musical influences.

Eric Clapton had achieved pop success with The Yardbirds but that's not what he wanted. All Eric wanted to do was play the blues. So he left The Yardbirds to join John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers where through many miles and many gigs honed a guitar sound & style that would create a mythology around Clapton like no guitar player before. Their gigs must see happenings as once they were into a groove, the Bluesbreakers could improvise their way into something spectacular. John Mayall wanted to capture that live energy and creativity on an album but their first attempt (with bassist Jack Bruce who would figure into Clapton's story later) was not up to par. So they went to Decca Studios and worked to capture the best bits of their live set. Eric doesn't just take off, he does seem to build throughout the record just as he might during a live show. And John Mayall does take the spotlight as the lead singer, solid piano/organ man and a cool harmonica player. John McVie (who would eventually break from Mayall to form Fleetwood Mac with future drummer Mick Fleetwood) holds down the bass and Hughie Flint keeps it steady on the drums leaving room for Mayall and Clapton to do their thing…

People in this episode

Host: Mac B.

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Yardbirds, Decca Studios, Fleetwood Mac

Books & works: Ramblin' on My Mind

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