John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and the name was in use until the band again dissolved in 2008, to be resurrected again in 2009. The name has become generic, without a clear distinction which recordings are to be credited just to the leader, or to leader and his band. The Bluesbreakers have included musicians such as:

• Eric Clapton (April–August 1965, November 1965–July 1966) and Jack Bruce, both later reuniting in Cream,
• Peter Green (July 1966-July 1967) departed with Mick Fleetwood (April–July 1967) and then also enticed original bassist John McVie a few weeks later to form Fleetwood Mac,
• Mick Taylor (August 1967–July 1969) who later joined The Rolling Stones, and reunion tours in 1982–83 and 2004,
• Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Larry Taylor (Mandel, Trout and Taylor left Canned Heat to join Mayall),
• Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Randy Resnick, Aynsley Dunbar,
• Dick Heckstall-Smith, Tony Reeves and Jon Hiseman (later of Colosseum),
• Andy Fraser (Free), Chris Mercer (Juicy Lucy), Henry Lowther, Johnny Almond and Jon Mark (later of Mark-Almond).