Starting in 2024 the European Blues Union has decided to create the “European Blues Hall of Fame”, a space to honor the achievements of European people who have excelled in any field of blues, to pay tribute to the substantial contribution of alive or dead people who contribute or have contributed significantly to the fame and influence of the blues in Europe to let them not to be forgotten, making them be remembered by fans and become known among the young generations of blues lovers.
TheEuropean Blues Hall of Fame inducts European artists, authors and/or composers, festivals and other venues, labels, magazines, major works whether discographic, literary or cinematographic, promoters, radio & tv broadcasters or shows, researchers, societies & associations, writers… etc.
This first year it will consist on a dedicated place in EBU website. Our future goal is to organize a live ceremony in different European places.
The EBU board has done a collective choice and has decided to induct in 2024:
JOHN MAYALL
“To the European Blues Union – Hall of Fame Thank you very much for this wonderful honour! I’m happy to hear about the creation of the European Blues Hall of Fame and thrilled to be one of the first to receive a place in it. Thank you also to all the fans who have made it possible for me to do what I love for all these years. It has been fabulous journey, and I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it. As always, keep loving the blues!” [John Mayall]
Often referred to as “The Godfather of British Blues,” John Mayall has had an impressive musical career that spans almost 60 years and crosses seven decades. Born in Macclesfield, England in 1933, John’s influence on the music and culture of his home country vaulted him to one of highest honors bestowed on English citizens as he was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire). The blues singer, pianist, harmonica player, guitarist and songwriter is the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band famous for introducing many celebrated blues and blues rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor. After Mayall moved from the Manchester area in 1963, he formed his Bluesbreakers and began performing in clubs on the London music scene. They also served as the backing band for American Blues legends like John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson and others when they toured abroad. He embarked on a stellar recording career with his first Decca release, John Mayall Plays John Mayall – a live album recorded at the Klooks Kleek club – in 1965. It was followed by three iconic and influential studio recordings: Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, A Hard Road (with Peter Green) and Crusade (with Mick Taylor). Attracted by the United States’ West Coast climate and culture, Mayall made his permanent move from England to Los Angeles, California in 1969 and began forming bands with American musicians. Throughout the next several decades, Mayall became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovations, with touring bands and recordings featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya and Buddy Whittington Mayall’s popularity continued to expand 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. John’s career has been one of evolution, innovation and change, with the one constant being his love and respect for the Blues. He toured and recorded for periods with bands in the Bluesbreakers format, with the standard four-piece lineup of guitar, bass, drums and the multiple instruments played by John. He also had solo John Mayall projects, which featured a vast myriad of instrumentation that produced legendary recordings like The Turning Point and Jazz Blues Fusion. In late 2008, Mayall made the decision to permanently retire the Bluesbreakers name. In 2009, he began a new era of touring with his longtime rhythm section of Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums, with the guitar chair manned by various musicians, including Rocky Athas and his first ever female band member, Carolyn Wonderland. He even took on all guitar duties himself for a while, performing as a trio for European, UK and US tours as he continued to experiment with styles and instrumentation. In 2013, after recording for several major labels – from Decca to Polydor to Eagle Records – John embarked on a prolific renaissance in his recording career after he signed with Forty Below Records, partnering with co-producer Eric Corne and releasing their first collaboration (A Special Life) to rave reviews. Their partnership afforded John much more control over content and scheduling as they released another four studio albums, a live album featuring the trio format (Three For The Road), as well as a three-volume remastering of never before released live recordings featuring original Fleetwood Mac members Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (Live In 1967), all of which have been enthusiastically received by critics and fans alike. John continued evolving his performances and recordings well into his eighties, while collecting well deserved accolades. In 2016, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and his final release “The Sun Is Shining Down” was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards. In 2022, John announced the end of his “epic road dog days,” but even in retirement he continues to inspire fans with his lifetime of wonderful music.
EBU thanks John Mayall for all the displayed material. EBU also acknowledges Jane Ebdon (John Mayall’s assistant), Eric Corne (Forty Below Records) and Mike Vernon for their generous support.
HORST LIPPMANN AND FRITZ RAU (Germany)
Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau promoted concerts of all sorts in Europe beginning in the 1950s, but they left their mark in blues history with the groundbreaking American Folk Blues Festival tours of the ’60s. Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2 (Rice Miller), John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Little Brother Montgomery, J.B. Lenoir, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey, Big Joe Williams, Sleepy John Estes, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Hubert Sumlin and many more appeared on these tours, occasionally billed as the American Negro Blues Festival, which introduced live blues to a European audience that has formed a major core of support for touring blues artists ever since. Lippmann and Rau formulated the concept to appeal to the already-established jazz audience in Europe, but what transpired had more to do with emerging rock ‘n’ roll musicians who soaked up the musicians of the American legends and gave the world new British variations on the blues via the likes of the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and the Animals. Lippmann and Rau also recorded the AFBF artists in the studio and in concert and featured them in television specials, providing a treasure trove of albums and DVDs for generations of blues aficionados to come. Lippmann, a former jazz drummer and magazine writer, was born on March 17, 1927, in Eisenach, Germany, while Rau, a law student in his early years, was born in Pforzheim on March 9, 1930. They staged the first AFBF in 1962 and presented it as an annual event until 1970, using Willie Dixon and drummer Jump Jackson as Chicago contacts to locate and book the musicians. The festival was held again in 1972, 1981 to 1983 and 1985. AFBF albums appeared on several labels, including Lippmann and Rau’s L+R imprint. The pair continued to present jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, and pop acts in the 1980s and ’90s, and Rau remained active after Lippmann’s death in Dreieich, Germany, on May 18, 1997. Materials compiled from their decades in the music business form much of the Lippmann + Rau Music Archive (formerly the International Jazz Archive Eisenach) in Lippmann’s home town. (From The Blues Foundation)
JEFFERSON MAGAZINE (Sweden)
We are proud to be the first presentation on EBU,s new Hall of Fame. Following dedicated persons have done their parts in the presentation: Dan Jansson, Chairman, Johan Lindberg, Art Director, Tommy Löfgren, Cashie, Bo Majling, Editor, Oscar Majling, Writer and Max W Siewert, Editor From Sweden with love for the Blues Jefferson, the world´s oldest blues magazine The world´s oldest still active blues magazine, Jefferson, came out May 1968 with its first issue. It is dedicated to music fans who love blues and related roots music, like rhythm & blues, soul, zydeco, cajun, gospel and folk music. Jefferson focus on the U.S. blues scene, but give plenty room of course to cover the Swedish blues scene, and the European and Scandinavian scenes. The editorial staff don´t aim only for the already converted, but also want to reach out for those who haven´t yet discovered the enormous importance for the development of today´s pop and rock music. The magazine run solid and well-written reports with unique interviews, covering artists, record producers, organizers and the like. Also travel reports and reviews of concerts, records and books. Our contributors lay down plenty work to deliver good photos and texts. The magazine´s high quality pictures include those of Hans Ekestang and Erik Lindahl, both recipients of the “Keeping the Blues Alive Award” from the Blues Foundation. Jefferson itself is recipient of same award (2008), as is contributor Jonas Bernholm of Route 66 Records fame. Jefferson is published quarterly by Swedish Blues Association. The size is near A4 format and usually 68 to 72 pages. Sometimes we enclose a booklet to cover some special issue. We´re on internet: https://www.jeffersonbluesmag.com/ Tommy Löfgren
CAHORS BLUES FESTIVAL (France)
The Cahors Blues Festival was created by Gérard Tertre, Member of the Hot Club de France, a pioneering Association in the introduction of Jazz in France and Europe. Based in Cahors, it was in this beautiful touristic town in the South-West of France where he produced in 1982, with his wife Anne, the first official Edition of the Festival, with the help of a few friends including Jean Marie Monestier founder from the famous Jazz record label “Black and Blue”. Faced with their success, they decided to continue the adventure and gave to the festival the legendary Black Head Logo by local graphic designer Bernard Chiappini. From 2002, affected by illness, Gerard took a step back and he was replaced succeed for short periods by Bernard Viguier, Bernard Guyot, Bernard Volant and Jean Pierre Lemozit. This last one called Robert Mauriès in 2006. He immediately joined the Festival as a volunteer, and in 2012 he was elected President, after the sudden death of Jean-Pierre Lemozit. Robert, passionate about Blues for what it has represented and still now represents, with the Festival helps to keep the Blues and its development, mainly for the public. Cahors Blues Festival takes place every year during 4-5 days mid-July, with a program mainly dedicated to the Blues, putting in each edition line up well-known artists together with new great talents. It adds new discoveries and shows that obviously, young artists give the best, like their elders. The numerous audience who comes to this kind of Festival discover real surprises every year. The Festival is also very attentive to the quality of the sound, lights and video, supported by an experienced team among the best in France. Every year the Festival also includes different actions for French blues musicians, creating the “Mississippi Blues Trail Challenge” many years ago, which takes place the first day of the Festival on the “Johnny Winter” stage free of charge for the audience. In addition, the first evening of the Festival, concerts are organized in the bars and restaurants (around 12) with jams with artists who will play in the main stage. The atmosphere looks like Memphis Tennessee!! The Festival has hosted for several years the “Toulouse Blues Society” offering them a dedicated half-day stage that becomes a national and international promotion of local and regional Blues groups. And, for the first time, Cahors Blues Festival welcomes in 2024 “France Blues” National Organization representative of Blues in France known to help the Blues Festivals, Musicians, Young Musicians and Agents.… All that is possible thanks to the help and work of a team of around a hundred loyal volunteers, very motivated and attached to Cahors Blues Festival, some of them coming for forty years, and also thanks to the financial support of dozens of private people and institutional Partners or private Companies. 2024 is already an amazing Year for Cahors Blues Festival with the tribute paid by the European Blues Union and its Administrators. It is a great honor for Cahors Blues Festival, such as magnificent recognition. We thank them very much!
Before 2024 Cahors blues festival received 4 recognitions: 1 “Mississipi Blues trail Marker” in 2014 from the Tourism Government of the Mississippi which recognized the Cahors Blues Festival as a part of Blues music history for all the work done to the Blues with several hundred of American Blues Artists performing at Cahors Blues Festival 2 “Blues Behind the Scene” Award in 2015 in Brussels to Robert Mauriès by the European Blues Union as Promoter of Cahors Blues Festival 3 “Keeping the Blues Alive in 2016” Award in Memphis from Memphis Blues Foundation 4 Inducted to French Blues Hall Of Fame in 2022 by France Blues 5 Inducted to the European Blues Hall of Fame in 2024 Braga by the European Blues Union.
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