Legendary John Mayall to perform at The State Theatre

When legendary blues guitarist John Mayall plays The State Theatre on Sept. 18, he’ll bring with him the band he’s performed with for the past decade.

“When you see the name ‘John Mayall’ it automatically means my regular band,” said the English guitarist/singer/songwriter/organist, who is also an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. “We’ve been together going on 10 years now, and it’s just been great.”

Though in his early 80s, Mayall shows no signs of slowing down creatively. His last record, “Find a Way to Care,” was released last year, and the living legend has plans ready for another new release.

“I don’t think you ever run out,” Mayall said. “If you’re a musician, you’re expressing yourself. The material that you do is something that suits yourself and reflects what you’re thinking.”

Mayall’s upcoming record features another legendary guitarist and will hopefully be released in the next few months.

“The actual date hasn’t been set yet for the new album we’ve just finished recording,” he said. “So that will come out hopefully toward the end of the year. The album title is ‘Talk About That.’ Joe Walsh is a guest artist on a couple of tracks. It’s a really good album, and we’re certainly looking forward to that.”

Throughout his storied career, Mayall has worked with other legends like Mick Fleetwood, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Peter Green and, of course, Eric Clapton.

“It’s really hard to pick favorites, because they all have their own style that sets them apart from everybody else,” Mayall said. “I always find that difficult to answer because you name one then you’ve left somebody out equally important to you.”

Mayall said he still keeps an active touring schedule when he’s not in the studio.

“There always seems to be something to do,” he said. “Right now we’re working on the promotion for the album and doing our live shows. Time flies, really, when you’ve been working. It’s pretty much music all the time. I’ve had an exciting career and some exciting outlets.”

“Find a Way to Care” is a reflection of Mayall’s current state of being. He believes that his art is indicative of his life at the given time it was made.

“It’s a continuation of the stuff we play all the time,” he said. “Every time I make a new album, it represents the current state of affairs. It’s always a great opportunity when me and my guys get together to make a record.”

The British rock star doesn’t try to over-plan for things, but rather he prefers to let his musical collaborations come about organically.

“Everything has taken place in its proper order,” Mayall said. “We have guest artists on occasion who want to play and that’s that. Most of these sort of things are unplanned. They just happen.”

Mayall believes we all embrace music in our lives, and he is appreciative of the hold it’s had on him.

“Everybody finds music,” Mayall said. “My father was a musician, so I grew up with music. These things take their course naturally.”

Sunday’s show at The State Theatre will see a true legend take the stage, as he has for more than 50 years.

“It’s obviously something that’s going to be really exciting and memorable,” Mayall said. “We have such a variety of songs to play, and the musicianship in the band is without equal. So, don’t miss it.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Legendary John Mayall to perform at The State Theatre."