Joe Walsh
Photo: Elektra

John Mayall, Joe Walsh and others will join Mick Fleetwood later this month at an all-star benefit concert for friend and veteran musician Peter Bardens.

Mick Fleetwood and Friends, which will also feature Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie, percussionist Sheila E., singer/guitarist Ron Thompson, guitarist Steve Adams and saxophonist Dave Koz, is set for September 28 at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, according to organizers.

Ben Harper will open for the all-star band with a rare acoustic set. Bardens, a former member of Peter B's with Fleetwood and the Shotgun Express with Rod Stewart, is also expected to take the stage.

The concert will raise money for Bardens, who is battling cancer, and MusiCares, an arm of the Recording Academy that provides emergency financial assistance to musicians in need.

At the benefit, Bardens will be signing copies of his upcoming album, The Art of Levitation, which features his daughter Tallulah on vocals and Fleetwood on drums, organizers said. An exhibition of Bardens' artwork, also titled "The Art of Levitation," will be on display at the Canyon Club.

Tickets range from $20 to $100 and are available through Ticketmaster.

• Joe Walsh
• John Mayall
• Mick Fleetwood
• Ben Harper

John Lee Hooker
Photo: Anton Corbijn

Blues patriarch John Lee Hooker may have been known for his one-chord guitar playing, but that was enough to inspire countless musicians to get their boogie on. "He was timeless, he was priceless and he was precious," Hooker's close friend George Thorogood said backstage before a show in London on Friday night. "And I won't say the world is a little colder now — I'll just say that heaven is a little warmer." Thorogood, who met Hooker in 1971, had a radio hit in 1977 with the Boogie Man's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." He dedicated Friday's show at Shepherd's Bush Empire to his friend.

One of the last links to the original Delta bluesmen, Hooker died in his sleep at age 83 in his Los Altos, California, home on Thursday, just days after giving his final performance in nearby Santa Rosa (see "Legendary Bluesman John Lee Hooker Dead at 83").

"I know I've lost a good friend, and the world has lost a great talent," B.B. King said in a statement. "He was the best at what he did." Hooker, known for his hypnotic grooves and deep growl, estimated he recorded more than 100 albums since cutting his first single, "Boogie Chillen," in 1948. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2000 Grammys. Among the scores of musicians who have cited Hooker as an influence or have covered his songs are the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt and Ben Harper.

"When I was a child, he was the first circus I wanted to run away with," Santana said in a statement.

Bassist Billy Blough of Thorogood's backing group, the Destroyers, said Hooker is "probably the reason for this band's existence." Born in August 1917 near Clarksdale, Mississippi, Hooker was one of 11 children. He began singing spiritual music at a young age, but he credited his stepfather, William Moore, with fueling his love for blues by teaching him guitar. After stints in Memphis and Cincinnati, he eventually made his way to Detroit and began building a reputation in the Motor City's blues scene. His popularity soared during the 1950s blues revival with such hits as "Boom Boom" and "Dimples." "What a loss to the blues world, and how sad having known him so well and for so long," British blues pioneer John Mayall said in a statement. "He's always been one of the foundation stones in my blues roster of influences, and I'll miss him." Mayall's Bluesbreakers were hired as Hooker's backing band for a summer 1964 tour, and Hooker appeared on Mayall's 1999 release, Padlock on the Blues. He helped pass on Hooker's mojo by influencing such artists as Clapton and Mick Taylor as well as Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, who went on to form Fleetwood Mac.

In the '60s, Hooker won over folk fans by switching to a solo acoustic format, while rock acts like the Stones proclaimed him as an influence.

Though blues' popularity declined, Hooker continued play live, write music and record throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s. His final studio album was 1997's Don't Look Back. "Any [musician] who has been doing his own thing for so long to the point where you have so much respect for them, you almost want to be them," former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash said. "The real traditional, down-home blues guitar playing has always been a huge influence on me and countless other guitar players. You could talk to anyone from Eddie Van Halen to Eric Clapton and they'll tell you that." Hooker made a comeback with 1989's The Healer, featuring guest appearances from Santana, Los Lobos and Robert Cray. The album's duet with Bonnie Raitt on "I'm in the Mood" earned him his first Grammy Award.

"I'm deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and one of the last and greatest of the original Delta bluesmen," Raitt said in a statement Thursday. "John Lee's power and influence in the world of rock, R&B, jazz and blues are a legacy that will never die. Getting to know him and work with him these last 30 years has truly been one of the greatest joys of my life. I'm so very grateful to have known him and know that he went not in pain, truly loved and appreciated the world 'round." Cray, who is credited with helping revive the blues in the '80s, said, "I loved John Lee, and I'll never forget him. In my mind right now, all I can see is John Lee surrounded by people who love him." "A few years back, we lost a lot of great players, like my dad, Johnny Copeland, and Luther Allison," said Shemekia Copeland, who released her acclaimed second album, Wicked, last year. "They were younger, but you just kind of expected John Lee Hooker to live forever." Even with the passing of one of its greatest stars, the blues flame burns bright, with artists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd carrying the torch.

"I was only fortunate enough to meet John Lee Hooker once, but I've listened to his music my whole life," the 24-year-old Shepherd said Friday in a statement. "He lived the hard life when he was young, and it made his music as real as it gets. His impact on blues and rock and roll will always be huge, and everyone who plays and sings should thank him every day for what he gave us." Memorial services for Hooker were still being finalized at press time. A private funeral will likely be held on Wednesday, with a possible public service to follow a few days later, according to Hooker's management office.

• John Lee Hooker
• B.B. King
• George Thorogood
• Santana
• John Mayall

John Mayall
Photo: Neil Zlozower

Almost 40 years into his career, you might think blues legend John Mayall wouldn't find much to be surprised about anymore.

After all, his seminal 1960s Bluesbreakers lineups launched the careers of several acclaimed artists — Eric Clapton, former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, and Fleetwood Mac founders John McVie, Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood — and since then he's played with just about every blues great under the sun.

But even Mayall is surprised by how happy he is with his latest album, Along for the Ride, which came out May 8. In addition to appearances by Taylor and the first recorded McVie-Green-Fleetwood collaboration since 1969, the album features ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Steve Miller, Otis Rush and two of the blues' rising stars, Shannon Curfman and Jonny Lang.

"It's a dream list, really," Mayall said. "I was hoping to round up people old and new, and that 'let's go for it' attitude carried over into the vibe on the album." That's why the album is credited to "John Mayall & Friends." And it's also why the album's got such an effortless feel, Mayall said, from the hard-rocking "If I Don't Get Home" to the shuffling "Early in the Morning" to the bouncy "Yo Yo Man," which brought McVie, Green and Fleetwood back together, at least on record.

The three played together in Mayall's Bluesbreakers from 1966 to 1967 before forming Fleetwood Mac. When the British-born Mayall asked bassist McVie and drummer Fleetwood to play on the project, they signed on immediately, he said. "They only live 5 miles away, so it was easy. Peter was another story." Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1970, and mental illness and his disdain for the music business kept him out of the limelight until the mid-1990s, when he started recording again. After Mayall, McVie, Fleetwood and Miller recorded "Yo Yo Man" in Los Angeles, Green added his sprightly acoustic slide guitar fills and solos in London.

"It was hard hooking up with him, but once we got him, he nailed it after hearing the song once," Mayall said.

In addition to letting him reunite with old friends, Mayall said the album turned into a mutual admiration society of sorts. Miller showed up at a Bluesbreakers gig and asked to be on the track, while working with the young Lang and Curfman offered Mayall a chance to play with two of his favorite new artists.

"There's a bond and a loyalty and great admiration between everyone who's on the album, both for each other and for the blues itself," Mayall said, adding that the age gamut on the album runs from 15-year-old Curfman to 73-year-old saxophonist Red Holloway, who blows on "California." "The thing about the blues is that it doesn't have anything to do with chronological age," Mayall said. "When you hear Jonny Lang, and particularly Shannon, you'd swear that they all had as much experience as Red." Mayall and his current Bluesbreakers still play 120 shows a year and are now wrapping up a string of U.S. dates. After six weeks in Europe they'll return to the States for more shows starting in late August.

• John Mayall
• Jonny Lang
• Steve Miller