Gypie Mayo

English guitarist and songwriter

Gypie Mayo

Born|

John Philip Cawthra

(1951-07-24)24 July 1951

Hammersmith, London, England

Died| 23 October 2013(2013-10-23) (aged 62)
Occupations|

* Musician
* songwriter

Relatives|

* Mark Cawthra (brother)

Musical career
Genres|

* Rock

Instrument(s)|

* Guitar

Musical artist

Gypie Mayo (born John Philip Cawthra; 24 July 1951 − 23 October 2013)[1] was an English guitarist and songwriter, playing in Dr. Feelgood from 1977 to 1981, and from 1996 to 2004 in the reborn Yardbirds with Alan Glen.[2]

## Early career[edit]

Mayo was born in Hammersmith, London, on 24 July 1951. At an early age, he listened to the classical music his father played while at home. Later, he heard "Apache" by The Shadows and enjoyed the record. However, it was when Mayo saw the group on television with their Fender Stratocasters that he became passionate.

> I was instantly hooked. I bought all their records etc. aged 10–11. Then the Beatles happened and the whole music thing changed. At about this time I acquired a cheap Russian made acoustic (1964) and taught myself Beatles/Stones etc. songs. I chose the guitar 'cos I'd always been fascinated with its sounds + looks ever since becoming a Shadows freak.

Gypie Mayo, May 1997[3]

After being expelled from school, Cawthra began using the performing name of Mayo and worked in a printing shop before joining the blues band White Mule in 1969. The band stayed together for about a year and played all over the United Kingdom, along with gigs in Switzerland and France. They released a single on MCA Records which was produced by Mike Leander. After White Mule, Mayo played in various rock line-ups during the early to mid-1970s including Halcyon, 747 and Alias. He also was part of an Irish traditional band called Concrete Mick where he played the mandolin before becoming Wilko Johnson's replacement in Dr Feelgood.

## With Dr. Feelgood[edit]

Mayo had been relatively unknown until early 1977 when he replaced Wilko Johnson in Dr. Feelgood, although Henry McCullough had temporarily stood in when Johnson left.[4] He was known as John Mayo until, having suffered several minor ailments, Dr. Feelgood's Lee Brilleaux said "you've always got the gyp" and the nickname stuck.[5]

Mayo played with Dr. Feelgood for four years and on six albums (Be Seeing You, Private Practice, As It Happens, Let It Roll, A Case of the Shakes and On The Job).[4] He co-wrote the Feelgood's only UK Top 10 single "Milk and Alcohol" with Nick Lowe, and played on four of the five other Dr. Feelgood singles to have appeared in the UK Singles Chart ("She's A Wind Up", "Down at the Doctors", "As Long As The Price is Right" and "Put Him Out of Your Mind"); the only Feelgood single to have charted without him was "Sneakin' Suspicion".[6]

## Later career[edit]

Mayo's guitar work was featured on the Yardbirds' 2003 album, Birdland.

He lived in Bath, Somerset, where he played in several bands, taught guitar, and made guest appearances on albums such as Pete Gage's Tough Talk.

On 23 October 2013, it was announced that Mayo had died at the age of 62. News of Mayo's death broke, when former Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson posted a message on his Facebook page stating: "Very sad to hear Gypie Mayo passed away this morning..RIP Gypie."[7]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Q&A session at Dr. Feelgood's official website". Drfeelgood.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
2. ^ Laura Trem. "Dr Feelgood guitarist Gypie Mayo from Bath dies". Bath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
3. ^ "DR FEELGOOD – Gypie Mayo Questionnaire". Drfeelgood.de. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
4. ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 290–292. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
5. ^ Moon, Tony (2002). Down by the Jetty – The Dr Feelgood Story (2nd ed.). Borden, Hants: Northdown Publishing Ltd. p. 60\. ISBN 1-900711-15-X.
6. ^ Moon, Tony (2002). Down by the Jetty – The Dr Feelgood Story (2nd ed.). Borden, Hants: Northdown Publishing Ltd. pp. 124–125. ISBN 1-900711-15-X.
7. ^ "Gypie Mayo dies aged 62". The Guardian. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.

## External links[edit]

* Concert photographs @ Musicpictures.com[permanent dead link]
* Photographs from BBC Radio 2 recording session @ Note-music.co.uk

* v
* t
* e

Dr. Feelgood

* Kevin Morris
* P H Mitchell
* Gordon Russell
* Robert Kane

* Lee Brilleaux
* Wilko Johnson
* John 'Gypie' Mayo
* Dave Bronze
* Pete Gage
* Steve Walwyn

Studio albums|

* Down by the Jetty
* Malpractice
* Sneakin' Suspicion
* Be Seeing You
* Private Practice

Live albums|

* Stupidity

Compilation albums|

* Twenty Five Years of Dr. Feelgood

Singles|

* "Roxette"
* "She Does It Right"
* "Back in the Night"
* "Roxette" (live)
* "Sneakin' Suspicion"
* "She's a Windup"
* "Baby Jane"
* "Down at the Doctors"
* "Milk and Alcohol"
* "As Long as the Price Is Right" (live)
* "Put Him Out of Your Mind"

* v
* t
* e

The Yardbirds

* Original members (1963–1968): Keith Relf
* Paul Samwell-Smith
* Chris Dreja
* Jim McCarty
* Top Topham
* Eric Clapton
* Jeff Beck
* Jimmy Page

* Later members (since 1992): John Idan
* Gypie Mayo
* Alan Glen
* Jerry Donahue
* Ben King
* Johnny A.
* Kenny Aaronson
* Myke Scavone

Studio
recordings|

* For Your Love
* Having a Rave Up
* Roger the Engineer
* Little Games
* Birdland

Live albums|

* Five Live Yardbirds
* Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds
* Live Yardbirds! Featuring Jimmy Page
* Live! Blueswailing July '64

Anthologies|

* The Yardbirds Greatest Hits
* Shapes of Things
* Ultimate!
* Glimpses 1963–1968
* Yardbirds '68

Soundtracks|

* Blow-Up - The Original Sound Track Album

Bootlegs|

* Golden Eggs
* More Golden Eggs

Singles|

* "I Wish You Would"
* "A Certain Girl"
* "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl"
* "For Your Love"
* "Heart Full of Soul"
* "Evil Hearted You"
* "I'm a Man"
* "Shapes of Things"
* "You're a Better Man Than I"
* "Boom Boom"
* "Over Under Sideways Down"
* "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"
* "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
* "Ten Little Indians"

Other songs|

* "Let It Rock"
* "Who Do You Love"
* "You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover"
* "Too Much Monkey Business"
* "Smokestack Lightning"
* "Five Long Years"
* "The Sky Is Crying"
* "My Girl Sloopy"
* "The Train Kept A-Rollin'"
* "Spoonful"
* "The Stumble"
* "Dust My Blues"
* "White Summer"
* "Drinking Muddy Water"
* "Stealing Stealing"
* "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)"
* "Dazed and Confused"
* "Knowing That I'm Losing You"
* "I'm Waiting for the Man"

Related|

* Discography
* Members
* Cream
* Jeff Beck Group
* Led Zeppelin
* Renaissance
* Box of Frogs

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template