John Mayall, 74, just can’t retire

One person who isn’t surprised about all this talk of a Led Zeppelin reunion is John Mayall, the grand old master of British blues, who said Robert Plant and Jimmy Page might be flying in Zeppelin again for reasons that go well beyond the major payday. “I don’t think you can ever really retire; the music won’t let you, and you miss that time on the stage,” said Mayall, who turned 74 two weeks ago and this Friday will headline a fundraiser called From Malibu With Love, which benefits the Midnight Mission.

Mayall will be joined at the benefit at the Malibu Performing Arts Center by REO Speedwagon, which will perform an acoustic set of their hits, and musicians Laurence Juber, Rick Vito, and Freebo and the All Stars. There will also be celebrity hosts such as Dick Van Dyke, Ed Begley Jr. and television weatherman Fritz Coleman.

Mayall said he’s pleased to look around the music scene of 2007 and see young, accomplished artists picking up the baton of the blues. “The integrity and the reach of blues music is a wonderful thing. It’s not going anywhere.”

-- Geoff Boucher