john mayer

John Clayton Mayer (b. October 16, 1977) is an American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist. Originally from Connecticut, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1998 to pursue his career full-time. He soon made a name for himself, and has had success both commercially and critically. After originally performing mainly acoustic pop, in 2005 he made a transition towards the blues genre with the formation of the John Mayer Trio.

Noted guitar historian Robert Lynch often cites Mayer's decision to re-invent the blues as a watershed moment in the ever evolving history of the electric guitar. "When I first heard of Mr. Mayer's decision", states Lynch, "I had the urge to pump my fist into the air and shout 'YES'. The electric guitar had been stagnating for some time and needed this badly."

Mayer's other interests include stand-up comedy and writing; he has written articles for several magazines, most notably Esquire.

Early life

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayer grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, the second of three sons. ^[1] There, he became friends with future tennis star James Blake.^{citation needed]} Mayer attended Fairfield High School (now Fairfield Ward High School) for his freshman, sophomore, and senior years, but attended Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, Connecticut for his junior year, where he was enrolled in the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School. Then known as the Center for Japanese Studies Abroad, it is a magnet program for students in Fairfield County wanting to learn Japanese.

Mayer listened to pop music, but it was not until the age of thirteen that his inspiration for playing the guitar began.^[2] When his father, a high school principal, gave him a confiscated tape player that contained an album by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mayer discovered the blues and learned how to play the guitar. After two years of practice, he started playing at blues bars and other venues in the area.^[2] While in high school, he was in a band called Villanova Junction with Joe Beleznay, Tim Procaccini, and Rich Wolf.

When Mayer was seventeen, he was suddenly stricken with a cardiac arrhythmia that sent him to the hospital for a weekend. The trauma of the incident sparked his songwriting, and he penned his first lyrics the night he got home. Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from crippling panic attacks that only subsided when he was twenty-six, and even now he keeps a Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug) with him, just in case.^[3]

Career

After playing the guitar for several years, Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of nineteen.^[1] He chose to cut his studies short in favor of a move to Atlanta. He began his career in earnest there, quickly making a name for himself in the local coffeehouse and club circuit, in venues like Eddie's Attic.^[2]

Mainstream success

In 2001, two years after releasing the independent EP Inside Wants Out, Mayer released his first major label album, Room for Squares. This "debut" included several of the songs that previously had been released. By 2002, Room for Squares had spawned several radio hits, including "No Such Thing," which mused about high school, "Your Body Is A Wonderland," and, ultimately, "Why Georgia." In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the 2002 release of "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

In 2003, Mayer released the follow-up album, Heavier Things. This album also brought critical and commercial success. Although the album did top the charts for a time, it ultimately did not sell as well as Room for Squares. The first single from this album, "Bigger Than My Body," was thought by some to be Mayer's attempt to demonstrate that he was not just a one-trick pony, i.e., that "Your Body Is A Wonderland" did not define him. Mayer's most successful single to date, "Daughters," yielded Mayer a Grammy for Song of the Year in 2005. For this award, he beat contenders Alicia Keys and Kanye West. He dedicated this award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince, and Seal for the Award.

Change in musical direction

In 2004, Mayer worked with hip hop artist and producer Kanye West, appearing both on rapper Common's Go and West's Late Registration" and received praise from rap heavyweights like Jay-Z and Nelly. When asked about his ubiquitous presence in the hip hop community he said:

It was around this time that Mayer began hinting a change in his musical interests, announcing that he was "closing up shop on acoustic sensitivity." In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, Jamieson Tobey, Eric Clapton, and jazz artist John Scofield. He also toured with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive, meticulous singer-songwriter, he is also an accomplished guitarist influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, and B.B. King. Mayer has worked with many important and provocative blues musicians, including Clapton (Back Home, Crossroads Guitar Festival), Guy (Bring 'Em In), Scofield (That's What I Say) and King (80).

John Mayer Trio

See main article John Mayer Trio.

In the spring of that same year, Mayer formed the John Mayer Trio with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, both of whom he had met through previous studio sessions. The trio plays a combination of blues and rock music. In November 2005, they released a live album called Try! The first single, "Who Did You Think I Was?," references Mayer's decision to move away from acoustic pop music. In October 2005, the Trio opened for The Rolling Stones during a sold-out club tour of their own.

The John Mayer Trio took a break in mid-2006. ^[5] John declared at the end of their performance at the Tempe Music Festival in March of 2006, "This is Steve Jordan, that's Pino Palladino, and I'm John Mayer. And for a few more minutes, we are the John Mayer Trio." On September 12, however, he announced plans for the Trio to begin work on a studio album.^[6]

Continuum

Main article: Continuum (album)

Mayer's latest album, entitled Continuum, was released on September 12, 2006. It was produced by Mayer himself, along with John Mayer Trio drummer and session veteran Steve Jordan. Mayer suggested the album was intended to combine his signature pop music with the feel, sound, groove and sensibilities of the blues. In that vein, two of the tracks from his trio release TRY!—the funky "Vultures" and the sparse ballad "Gravity"—also were included on Continuum. Mayer also played a secret one-off show at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on April 10, 2006, with John Mayer Trio bassist Pino Palladino, where they played the majority of the new songs from Continuum.

The first single from Continuum was "Waiting on the World to Change," which debuted on The Ron and Fez Show and is currently available on his website and MySpace site to listen to for free. (see links below) The song was the third most downloaded song of the week on the iTunes Music Store following its release on July 11, 2006, and debuted at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. On August 23, 2006, Mayer debuted the entire album on the Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, giving commentary on each and every track. A subsequent version was released the next day on the Clear Channel Music website as a streaming sneak preview. On September 22, 2006, Mayer appeared on CSI, playing live (albeit abridged) versions of "Waiting on the World to Change," and another track from Continuum, "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room."

Touring

John allows audio taping at most live performances, and he also allows for the non-commercial trading of those recordings. ^[7] He does this to give fans the opportunity to recreate the live experience, and to encourage fan interaction.^[8] Trading recordings helped John become better known in the early stages of his career.

To date, Mayer has toured with many groups, including Maroon 5,^[9] Guster, Counting Crows,^[10] The Wallflowers, Teitur, and Sheryl Crow.

Other endeavors

In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer.^[11] The guitar was limited to a run of only 404. This acoustic was followed by the release of a signature Stratocaster electric guitar by Fender guitars in 2005—three different models in total. Unlike the Martin, two of Mayer's Signature Fender Stratocasters are not limited edition models, and can be found at many Fender dealers. The third Stratocaster, finished in Charcoal Frost metallic paint with racing stripe, was limited to only 100 guitars. Fender has recently started manufacturing SERIES II John Mayer strats. The new colorway white with mint green pickguard and cream plastics is replacing the shoreline gold model.

Mayer appeared in a one-shot half-hour comedy special on VH1, entitled John Mayer Has a TV Show (2004). He spent most of the program poking fun at his own image, suggesting that Richard Marx had written many of his songs and anonymously visiting the parking lot outside one of his concerts. (Mayer wore a bear suit and mispronounced his last name.) Among his remarks: "True or False: 'Your Body Is a Wonderland' was written for a guy."

In the June 1, 2004, issue of Esquire, Mayer began a column called "Music Lessons with John Mayer." Each article features a lesson (some more scholarly than others) and his take on various topics, both personal and of popular interest. In the August 2005 issue he invited readers to create music for orphaned lyrics he had written.^[12] The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the January issue.^[13]

In January 2004, Mayer joined Steve Jobs as Jobs introduced GarageBand to much fanfare at the San Francisco Macworld Expo. Jobs had his "good friend" John Mayer record some guitar and keyboard licks into the program, and said such things as, "we love music" and "we're very excited."[1]

Personal life

Mayer has a number of tattoos. These include: "Home Life" on the back of his arm (after the song off of the Heavier Things album), "SRV" (for his idol Stevie Ray Vaughan), "77" (his year of birth) on his left pectoralis major, and a Japanese style fish on his right deltoid. In 2003, he got a tattoo of three squares on his right forearm, which sparked a lot of questions.[10] Mayer explains that he likes getting tattoos, but not having too many, so he will fill the three squares in gradually.[9] As of 2006, two are filled.

Mayer also has a extensive collection of sneakers, estimated at over 200 pairs.^[3]

Mayer dated Jennifer Love Hewitt briefly in 2002. ^[14] In a comedy routine in May 2006, he joked they never consummated their relationship; he later apologized to her for the raunchy routine. Mayer has denied dating model Heidi Klum in 2003.

According to the August 29, 2006, issue of People, Mayer was rumored to be in a relationship with singer Jessica Simpson. The article actually followed a US Weekly magazine report claiming a confirmation for Simpson. However, when asked by Rosie O'Donnell in a September 5, 2006, episode of The View, Simpson stated "I am not actually dating John Mayer." ^[15] It has been confirmed by sources for both Mayer and Simpson that there was never a relationship between the two.

John currently resides in a suburb of Los Angeles(as of 2006) with his roommate (and sound technician) Chad Franscoviak. ^[3]

Selected events

The TV comedy Family Guy referenced John Mayer in an episode in the fourth season (#407). The character Chris Griffin spray-paints the phrase "That's enough, John Mayer" on a wall at the request of his sentient pimple. (Mayer allegedly contacted the producers of the show after the episode had aired to tell them he loved the joke.)

Mayer also appeared on the Chappelle's Show in an episode from the second season (#203).

Mayer appeared at the Pennsbury High School prom on May 14, 2004, in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. He played a three-song set including "Clarity," "No Such Thing," and "Your Body Is a Wonderland." It was his only prom appearance ever, since he did not attend his own. A book called Wonderland by writer Michael Bamberger chronicles the high school's senior class president, a huge Mayer fan, and his school's quest for the ultimate prom. Mayer has discussed the event on numerous radio shows, including Opie & Anthony. Rolling Stone magazine covered Mayer's prom performance, as did many national media outlets.

Brad Paisley has covered John Mayer's song "Why Georgia," which he also performed with Mayer on a episode of CMT Crossroads that first aired May 14, 2004.^[16]

Mayer is apparently a fan of XM Satellite Radio's Ron and Fez and Opie and Anthony shows. He has appeared on both shows multiple times over the summer of 2006. Mayer stopped in unannounced to the Ron and Fez Show on June 14 to premiere his latest single, then appeared on Opie and Anthony on July 26 to promote his album and comment about his experiences in standup comedy. On August 18th, Mayer sat in as a third mic with Ron and Fez again, this time with Anthony Cumia also sitting in for a short period. He has also called in to the shows several times to discuss music, sometimes anonymously, especially after an incident where he unintentionally (and hilariously) played the "Do you know who I am?" card on Ron and Fez.^[17]

Mayer was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award (previously the Starlight Award) at the 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.^[18]

Sheryl Crow and Mayer, who both had recently appeared on the Cars Soundtrack together, are currently co-headlining a tour that commenced in August 2006.^[19]

In the Built To Kill, CSI double episode premiere to season 7(aired Sept. 21 and 28, 2006), he appears on stage in a bar where Nick and Katherine are drinking, and plays Waiting on the World to Change and Slow Dancing In A Burning Room. The latter is also playing as the intro to the second episode.

Solo discography

Note: See John Mayer Trio for his discography with that group.

Albums

Singles

Guest contributions

• "83" - from Serendipity Original Movie Soundtrack (2001)
• "Bliss" - from Alice Peacock - Alice Peacock (2002) (Mayer contributes backing vocals and guitar)
• "Not Myself" - from the How to Deal soundtrack (2003)
• "Back to You" - from Win A Date With Tad Hamilton!: Music From The Motion Picture (2004)
• "Machine Gun" and "City Love" from Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival (DVD) (2004)
• "Heart So Heavy" from Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now - various artists (2004) (duet with Aaron Neville)
• "Go" (feat. Kanye West and John Mayer) from Be - Common (2005) (Mayer contributes guitar and background vocals)
• "I've Got Dreams To Remember" from Bring 'Em In - Buddy Guy (2005) (Duet)
• "I Don't Need No Doctor" - from That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles (2005)
• "Streetcorner Symphony" from Something to Be - Rob Thomas (2005) - (Mayer contributes guitar)
• "You Can Make It If You Try" from Different Strokes By Different Folks - Sly & The Family Stone (2005) - (Mayer contributes guitar and vocals)
• "Piece of my heart" from Back Home - Eric Clapton" (2005) - (Mayer contributes lead guitar)
• "Hummingbird" from 80 - B.B. King (2005) (Duet)
• "Stitched Up" from Possibilities - Herbie Hancock (2005)
• "Baby Hold On" and "I Hope" from Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks (2006) (Mayer contributes guitar)
• "Route 66" from the Cars soundtrack (2006)
• "Bittersweet" from Graduation - Kanye West (TBA 2007)

Notes

External links

Official

• Official John Mayer site
• Official John Mayer Trio site
• Mayer's MySpace page

Written by Mayer

• Segment on Jimi Hendrix that Mayer wrote for Rolling Stone
• Segment on Brett Dennen, that Mayer wrote for Rolling Stone
• "Precious Illusions" spoof album, Amazon listing by Renee May
• Database of Mayer's Esquire column, from FindArticles.com

General

• Why Songwriters Should Pay Attention to John Mayer
• John Mayer at WikiMusicGuide
• John Mayer at the Internet Movie Database
• John Mayer at TV.com
• Lifelines: A Chronology of John Mayer's Music
• Comprehensive John Mayer guitar tabs
• Musicians Love John Mayer Music based fansite

Interviews

• "John Mayer: How do you find a real guitarist? Ask a real pianist ...", interview of Mayer conducted by Elton John in April 2002
• Rolling Stone Q&A Podcast: John Mayer, from December 2005

See also

• Atlanta, Georgia
• A Tribute To John Mayer, tribute album by Dark One Light