Additional information
Personnel includes: John Mayall (vocals, slide guitar, harmonica, Wurlitzer piano, Clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ); Jeff Healey, Shannon Curfman (vocals, guitar); Billy Preston (vocals, melodica, Wurlitzer piano, Clavinet); Otis Rush, Chris Rea (vocals); Andy Fairweather Low (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Peter Green, Buddy Whittington, Davy Green (acoustic guitar); Steve Cropper, Billy F. Gibbons, David Z, Steve Miller, Gary Moore, Joe Delgado (guitar); Tom Canning (Wurlitzer piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Reese Wynans (Hammond B-3 organ); David Smith, John McVie, Bob Delgado, Greg Rzab (bass); Joe Yuele, Mike Fleetwood (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion); Wendy Moten, Crystal Taliefero (background vocals). Engineers include: David Z, Bill Cooper, Chad Brown. John Mayall helped popularize the blues with '60s rock audiences via his pioneering albums, which brought a rock-oriented energy to the blues without any trace of pandering. Impressive as those early recordings were, few would have predicted that Mayall would still be doggedly pursuing his own personal blues-rock vision three-and-a-half decades later. Mayall is accompanying by a stellar roster of guests on ALONG FOR THE RIDE, but title notwithstanding, he remains fully at the helm throughout. Some of those who contribute their talents are younger artists who've probably learned a few lessons from Mayall (Jonny Lang, Jeff Healey), but others are respected peers who helped usher in a new wave of blues in the '60s, such as cult heroes Peter Green and Davy Graham. The sound they create is a hard-hitting take on the blues, often enlivened by rock inflections. But no matter how many other artists get the spotlight on ALONG FOR THE RIDE, it's Mayall's personal style that gives the album its shape.
