Gaz Mayall
Gaz Mayall is a musician, DJ, producer and record label owner. He’s the host of London’s longest running one-nighter, Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues – now in its 28th year – and the founder member of the ska band The Trojans. He also runs his record label Gaz’s Rockin’ Records.
The son of legendary British blues musician John Mayall, Gaz Mayall lives in London and was raised on a diet of R&B before falling in love with reggae and ska music in the late 1960s. A self-confessed ‘musicaholic’, he runs the famous one-nighter Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues, a Soho institution since 1980 that sees an eager crowd rocking the dancefloor every Thursday night to ska, blues and rock n’ roll. The club has also been graced with performances from the likes of The Pogues and The Stray Cats, and celebs from David Bowie to Bruce Willis have even dropped by to soak up the rockin’ vibe.
Mayall’s ska band, The Trojans, were formed in 1986 and have been recording and playing live ever since, releasing 15 albums to date. Gaz’s Rockin’ Records was started in 1985 as Gaz sought to create his own label modelled on the ska labels of his idols such as Prince Busters and Coxones. Still going strong today, the label remains devoted to ska music but has branched out to release some world music titles. And, like his Jamaican heroes, Gaz can also add a sound system to the list of his musical enterprises, being a hugely popular fixture at the Notting Hill Carnival each year.
A huge hit at Port Eliot in previous years, Gaz Mayall will once again be rockin’ the Cabaret Tent into a frenzy in the wee small hours.
“We do what we want. Where else will you hear Little Richard, old ska, drum’n’bass and a Louis Armstrong record from 1928? We’re like musical chefs, mixing the ingredients.”
Gaz Mayall
Links:
Video:
Gaz rocks the Notting Hill Carnival:
Interview clip:
