The King Lion

This album is John's tribute to one of his blues heroes, the late, great Freddie King. King was a blues guitar pioneer from the mid-50's through to his tragically early death in the mid-70's and he influenced everyone from Peter Green to Dave Edmunds to Stevie Ray Vaughan and probably most of all Eric Clapton, who produced and played on King's final album. In The Palace Of The King features John Mayall's take on his personal selection of Freddie King favorites and is a fabulous combination of two true blues legends.

The illegal killing of Cecil – a famous and magnificent black-maned Zimbabwean lion – by an American big-game hunter in 2015 sparked international outrage. More significantly, it drew the world's attention to the devastating plight of Africa's lions.

In South Africa a unique wildlife reserve was established around Lionsrock with the aim of returning lions to the land of their ancestors. Most are from Europe, from rundown zoos or circuses, removed to dubious holding pens like the dilapidated Pantera big cats' asylum in the Netherlands. From here a rescued lion family are sedated and air-freighted to a perfect savanna landscape, where for the first time they can be released, free, into their natural environment.

Featuring songs from Disney's most iconic animated films from every decade, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937 through the hits of 2020.

Influenced by the Specials, Public Enemy, and the Clash, London collective the King Blues combine folk-punk, Two-Tone, and dub reggae with overtly political lyrical themes on a sound self-described as "conscious rude boy ska." The band originally formed as a duo in 2004 before vocalist/ukulele player Jonny "Itch" Fox, and guitarist Jamie Jazz decided to expand their sound, recording with a number of various musicians before settling on the permanent lineup of guitarist Dean Ashton, bassist Kat Marsh, keyboardist Josie Dobson, and drummer Jack "Percusher" Usher. In 2005, they released their debut EP, All Fall Down, which was later followed by their 2006 full-length album, Under the Fog.