John Mayall live at 'Olympia / Music Hall Paris (1969)

John Mayall, OBE (Macclesfield, Cheshire, November 29, 1933) is a singer, instrumentalist (especially guitar) and British composer of blues and pop-rock. Precursor of the invasion of English blues with Alexis Korner. In 1955 he founded his first band, The Powerhouse Four; and later his most famous band: The Bluesbreakers, which involved the collaboration of guitarists like Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor. His band was the alma mater of several subsequent formations. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie were part of the band and participated in the recording of A hard road, with guitarist Peter Green, forming, after leaving the Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac.

Tuned in to the new proposals of love and peace, between 1969 and 1971 Mayall decided to use an acoustic blues without battery. Then makes a warm, soft blues, facing towards the hippie movement, represented by the use of the flute and acoustic guitar. However folky predominance in this stage does not leave at all Mayall standards more electric blues. It also gives a certain treatment jazz, approaching quite the beatnik wave of the fifties, and foreshadowing of something what will come. Indeed, during 1972-1974 fused the blues with jazz, integrating its band with black musicians. Then pulls out a big band type sound, with a strong touch of swing and jump blues.