John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years. He was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Throughout the 1960s the Bluesbreakers acted as a finishing school for the leading British blues-rock musicians of the era. Guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor joined his band in a remarkable succession in the mid-60s, honing their chops with Mayall before going on to join Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones, respectively. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Andy Fraser (of Free), John Almond, and Jon Mark also played and recorded with Mayall before moving on to become Blues-Rock luminaries in their own right.
By the time this album was recorded in Los Angeles in the early 1980s the core line-up of his band had played hundreds of shows together, and were a tight and well-oiled electric Blues machine. Big Man Blues, complete with airtight rhythm section, piercing guitar licks, Mayall’s fierce harmonica, and distinctively soulful vocals, is a worthy addition to any Blues fan’s collection.
Tracklist:
01. Why Worry (3:13)
02. Road Show (4:22)
03. Mama Talk to Your Daughter (3:53)
04. A Big Man (4:48)
05. Lost and Gone (2:39)
06. John Lee Boogie (4:08)
07. Reaching for a Mountain (4:20)
08. Baby, What You Want Me to Do (live) (5:10)
09. Mexico City (live) (5:56)
Personnel:
John Mayall (vocals, guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, keyboards)
Maggie Parker (vocals, percussion, background vocals)
James Quill Smith (guitar, background vocals)
Christiaan Mostert (flute, saxophone)
Soko Richardson (drums)