“The Godfather of British Blues,” John Mayall, will return to the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on June 13. He last performed there in October 2016.
Tickets for John Mayall are available at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre box office and online at Ticketmaster.com. The Ponte Vedra Concert Hall box office will remain closed at this time.
Mayall’s musical career spans more than 50 years. The English blues singer, pianist, harmonica player, guitarist and songwriter founded the band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in the 1960s. Members included many celebrated blues and blues rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya and Buddy Whittington.
Attracted by the West Coast climate and culture, Mayall then made his permanent move from England to Los Angeles in 1969 and began forming bands with American musicians.
Throughout the next three decades, Mayall became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovations featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor and Harvey Mandel.
Mayall’s popularity continued with a succession of dynamic albums including the Grammy-nominated “Wake Up Call” that featured guest artists Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins and Mick Taylor.
In 2008, Mayall made the decision to permanently retire the Bluesbreakers name and in 2009 started a new era of touring with band members Rocky Athas on guitar, Jay Davenport on drums and Greg Rzab on bass. They toured together for over seven years, averaging about 100 shows a year, and are featured players on four of Mayall’s studio albums.
In 2015 and 2016, Mayall released a couple of never-before-heard live albums from 1967 featuring Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, which have been enthusiastically received by critics and fans alike.
Mayall has hired a new member to be added to all live shows, Carolyn Wonderland. She is the first woman to hold the position of lead guitarist in any of Mayall’s bands. She was one of the featured guitar players on Mayall’s latest studio album “Nobody Told Me,” released February 2019, that also features Todd Rundgren, Steven Van Zandt, Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray and Alex Lifeson on selected cuts.
The St. Augustine Amphitheatre box office will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays. Payment will only be accepted via debit or credit card.
