ROCKLAND — Just drop John Mayall’s name in a conversation and a reverently hushed “wow” will follow.

Mayall is the founder and leader of The Bluesbreakers, the beginning of the British invasion and blues renaissance that spawned Eric Clapton, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Taylor and Coco Montoya.

This is the same John Mayall who will perform at this year’s North Atlantic Blues Festival on Sunday, July 15.

“All the people I’ve met in my life have been wonderful experiences,” Mayall said. “It’s a musical family that’s irreplaceable. Of course, it’s sad when we lose someone over the years, but the music lives on.”

Born in England in 1933, Mayall played an instrumental role in music history by introducing American blues to a completely new audience and generation of musicians.

“I grew up with that music really,” Mayall said from his California home during a recent telephone interview. “I listened to jazz and blues in my father’s 78 record collection. It just seems that it was the only music I knew.”

Mayall’s father was a guitarist, and Mayall taught himself to play guitar, piano and harmonica as he gravitated toward the Delta blues pioneers such as Lead Belly and the boogie-woogie pianists such as Pinetop Smith.

“I think what makes blues so universal is the reality of it,” Mayall said. “People recognize themselves in the stories that are common to every person. The music brings it out. There’s an emotional connection.”

At age 78, Mayall said he still performs about 100 shows a year. He has released countless albums, from his first one, “John Mayall Plays John Mayall,” on Decca Records in 1968, to his most recent one, “Tough,” on Eagle in 2009. Just last year, he put together a double album, “Live in London,” from his private collection that is only available on his website.

“That’s what I do,” Mayall said. “That’s how I express myself. It’s very stimulating. The more experience you have, the more comfortable you are expressing yourself — especially with such a wonderful band.”

Mayall said that he and his band will perform a mix of familiar songs and new material at the NABF. “It’s hard to forecast exactly, but we’ll try to do as much as we can.”

While at times over the past four decades Mayall has dabbled in psychedelic rock and different jazz styles, he seems to return faithfully to the blues. “That Good Old Rockin’ Blues” on his “Tough” album proclaims his unapologetic loyalty to the music he started with.