Macclesfield's oldest and best-known rocker has passed away.

Blues legend John Mayall has passed away, aged 90.

The 'father' of British blues music was born in Macclesfield on November 29 1933, and would later grow up in Cheadle Hulme.

His dad was a guitarist who would play in local pubs. John Mayall taught himself to play the guitar, harmonica, and piano.

John Mayall is well-known for his work with his band The Bluesbreakers. (Image - CC 2.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence Photo Credit perole originally posted to Flickr as John Mayall 1. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Mayall_1.jpg Unchanged)

He went to Korea for national service, and would buy his first electric guitar in Japan.

Upon his return, he went to the Manchester College of Art and then became a full-time musician in 1963.

He would release 39 studio albums across his career, with the latest only coming out last year.

He was known as one of the oldest living active musicians, and earlier this year he was announced as one of 16 new inductees in the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

John Mayall, aged 37, pictured performing in 1970. He is credited with generating huge interest in the 1960s blues revival. (Image - Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Mayall_(1970).png)

He has performed with the likes of Eric Clapton to members of Fleetwood Mac.

He was inducted alongside Alexis Korner who back in 1963, suggested that the Macclesfield-born musician could make a living playing the blues in London.

John Mayall's death was announced on his official accounts on social media.

"It is with heavy hearts that we bear the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully in his California home yesterday, July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving family," read his Instagram.

John Mayall was still on the road in his late eighties. Here he is pictured in 2019. (Image - CC 4.0 Joe Mabel Unchanged https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Mayall_06_(cropped).jpg / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

"Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world's greatest road warriors.

"John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain. 

"In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, John reflected, "[blues] is about – and it's always been about – that raw honesty with which [it expresses] our experiences in life, something which all comes together in this music, in the words as well. Something that is connected to us, common to our experiences." That raw honesty, connection, community and playing of his will continue to affect the music and culture we experience today, and for generations to come. 

"An appointed OBE (Officer of the British Empire), 2x Grammy-nominated artist and recent inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, John is survived by his 6 children, Gaz, Jason, Red, Ben, Zak and Samson, 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

He was made an OBE in 2005. (Image - CC-BY 2.0 Gary Chvatal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Mayall_80s.jpg Unchanged)

"He is also surrounded with love by his previous wives, Pamela and Maggie, his devoted secretary, Jane, and his close friends. We, the Mayall family, cannot thank his fans and long-list of bandmembers enough for the support and love we were blessed to experience secondhand over the last six decades. 

"John closed that same Guardian interview by reflecting further on the blues, "To be honest, I don't think anyone really knows exactly what it is. I just can't stop playing it." Keep on playing the blues somewhere, John. We love you."

According to NBC News, Mayall once said, "The only reason I was born in Macclesfield was because my father was a drinker, and that's where his favourite pub was."

The late blues legend can be listened to on Spotify with his band The Bluesbreakers and as a solo artist.

Click the red links on this article to find out more. (Image - CC-BY-SA-2.0 Federico Maria Giammusso Unchanged https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Mayall_blues.jpg / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)