Gypie Mayo, the former guitarist for Dr. Feelgood and the Yardbirds, died yesterday morning at the age of 62. No cause of death has been announced yet.
Mayo, born John Phillip Cawthra, rose to popularity in the late ʼ70s when he replaced Wilko Johnson as the guitarist in British pub rock band Dr. Feelgood. He played with the band for four years, during which time he earned his name. According to The Telegraph, after Mayo had contracted a number of minor illnesses, frontman Lee Brilleaux said, “You’ve always got the gyp.”
He later joined the Yardbirds from 1996 to 2004, taking the spot that had been previously filled by such star guitarists as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Mayo played on the Yardbirds’ most recent album, 2003’s Birdland.
After he left the Yardbirds, Mayo taught guitar in Bath.
“He had been ill for some time but when I last spoke to him retained his great sense of humor,” Dr. Feelgood drummer Kevin Morris told The Bath Chronicle. “Truly a sad day for us all.”
He is survived by a son.
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