But perhaps history has placed too much focus on Mayall’s featured soloists and not enough on Mayall himself. Regardless of the immense musical talents he both sought out and nurtured, Mayall has always been a formidable bandleader in his own right, as well as a musical director who uses his talents as multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter to create bands that reflect his own changing tastes. As he once told Goldmine magazine, "I maintain such a strong identity in my music and playing that, when musicians join, their sole responsibility is to be creative within that context. The mood of the music has already been set. So much importance seems to be attached to these [lineup] changes, [but at the time they] didn't seem important." What cannot be disputed is Mayall’s unfailingly accurate ear for rare talent, from Davy Graham in early-1960s Bluesbreakers right through to the awesome blues-guitar master Buddy Whittington in the band's current (2001) formation.

Although Mayall has received some mixed reviews over the years, the fact that most listeners can readily identify a Bluesbreakers' tune today leaves their leader both grinning and satisfied. "Critics might put down my style from time to time," Mayall told The Los Angeles Times in May 1999, "but I'm very happy with it . . . it certainly has endured. It's very gratifying to me that people recognize a Bluesbreakers song when they hear one."

Richard Vernon, co-publisher of the now defunct British R&B Monthly magazine, summed up Mayall’s importance when he told Melody Maker, "Whatever John Mayall does, he will always be the leader of the blues in this country. People will want to know what he is doing and will follow."

– Blues-Rock Explosion, Martin Celmins & Jeff Watt