Eric Clapton has paid tribute to his “mentor,” blues and rock legend John Mayall, who passed away Monday at the age of 90.
Before hitting it big, Clapton was a member of Mayall’s band the Bluebreakers. In a video posted to Instagram, Clapton thanked Mayall “for rescuing me from oblivion and God knows what when I was a young man ’round the age of 18, 19 when I decided that I was gonna quit music.”
“He found me and took me into his home and asked me to join his band and I stayed with him and I learned all that I really have to draw on for today in terms of technique and desire to play the kind of music I love to play,” he said.
Clapton called playing in Mayall’s band “a fantastic experience,” noting Mayall taught him “it was OK just to play the music you wanted to play.”
“He was my mentor and a surrogate father,” Clapton added. “He taught me all I really know and gave me the courage and enthusiasm to express myself without fear, without limit.” Clapton then noted that all he taught Mayall was drinking and womanizing, noting, “I wish to make amends for that. I did that while he was alive and I have obviously since learned that is not the best way to carry on.”
“I shall miss him but I hope to see him on the other side,” Clapton concluded. “Thank you, John. I love you, I’ll see you soon, but not yet, as they say in the Gladiator movie.”
Clapton wasn’t the only one to honor Mayall. The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood both shared tributes on social media, as did Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler.
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