John Mayall Among 2016 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees
John Mayall, Elvin Bishop, Malaco Records and a Mamie Smith classic will be among the inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame for 2016. The induction ceremony will take place on 4 May at the Sheraton Memphis Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee, 24 hours before the 37th Blues Music Awards. Five performers in total will be inducted, with British blues flag-bearer Mayall to be joined by Elvin Bishop, Eddy Clearwater, Jimmy Johnson and the Memphis Jug Band. (John Mayall photo credit: Jeff Fasano).
The Blues Foundation has also selected a number of other notable people, recordings and artefacts to join the Hall of Fame this year. Among them are Tommy Couch Sr. and Wolf Stephenson, partners in the long-running independent southern soul label Malaco Records, widely respected for its work with such artists as Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor and Denise LaSalle.
The literature entry for 2016 is the book Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis by Jeff Todd Titon, noted as a highly significant analytical study of blues music. The album Blues In The Mississippi Night, released on Nixa in 1957 and United Artists in 1959, is being honoured, and so are five vintage singles.
These individual classics are Mamie Smith’s ‘Crazy Blues’ (OKeh Records, 1920); ‘Blues Before Sunrise,’ from 1934, by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell; Jimmy Rogers’ 1950 Chess recording ‘That’s All Right’; the first Christmas entry in the Hall of Fame, 1947’s ‘Merry Christmas Baby’ by Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers featuring Charles Brown on vocals and piano; and Billy Boy Arnold’s ‘I Wish You Would’ (Vee-Jay, 1955).
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Chuck Purcell
February 17, 2016 at 6:34 pm
This is wonderful news! CONGRATULATIONS John Mayall! It was John Mayall who led me to Fred McDowell in 1972 and I have been Bluesin ever since.
Mike
February 17, 2016 at 6:50 pm
It’s about fuckin’ time!
Marc Ballan
February 17, 2016 at 9:15 pm
What are doing now ? Prepare us for you to die ? Be sure I’ll cry you as much as I cried the hero living at 2401. Ne vous pressez pas.
Dee Schafer
February 18, 2016 at 8:07 am
Congratulations John Mayall you made i love love love your music it certainly makes my world go round thank you.
Dee Schafer
February 18, 2016 at 8:09 am
I meant you made it..lol
Tony Hutchens
February 18, 2016 at 11:06 am
Congratulations John, Iv listened to you all my life, seen you live, now I want to ser you get a Knighthood as well, because you helped a lot of fine musicians along in their careers as well as been an outstanding performer yourself.
Rodney
February 18, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Fabulous, John is very deserving of this prestigious award after all he’s done for the industry. Saw him first in 1972 in Vancouver , BC with The WInter Brothers and James Cotton. I’ve been layin’ down the blues on dobro, guitar and mandolin ever since. 🙂 Cheers John and thanks again Brother.
DG
February 18, 2016 at 4:44 pm
saw him when he was with the “Blues Breakers” when my brother took me to my 1st concert after i turned 17
DG
February 18, 2016 at 4:49 pm
saw at my very 1st Bill Graham concert when i turned 17 in 1968 at Winterland in SF.
Frank Clarke
February 19, 2016 at 12:53 am
Congratulations John, this is long overdue, from an Irish fan of over fifty years.