Musicians - John Mayer

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	Musicians - John Mayer

John Clayton Mayer (born October 16, 1977) is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who plays pop music. In 2005, he made a transition towards the blues genre.

Early life

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayer grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and attended Fairfield Warde High School for his freshman, sophomore, and senior years. He attended Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, Connecticut for his junior year, where he was enrolled in the Center for Global Studies Abroad (Then known as the Center for Japanese Studies Abroad), 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. When his father, a highschool principal gave him a Stevie Ray Vaughan tape taken from a confiscated tape player, 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. While in high school, he was in a band called Villanova Junction with Joe Beleznay, Tim Procaccini, and Rich Wolf.

After playing the guitar for several years, Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 19. He soon realized that instead of studying music, he was more interested in writing and playing it. He chose to cut his studies short in favor of a move to Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career in earnest there, quickly making a name for himself in the local coffeehouse and club circuit.

Mainstream Success

In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the 2002 release of the single "Your Body Is A Wonderland" from the album Room for Squares. In February of 2005, he was awarded the Song of the Year Grammy for his song "Daughters" from the album Heavier Things. For this award, he beat out such contenders as Alicia Keys, and Kanye West. He dedicated this award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who passed away in May of 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince and Seal to the Award.

Mayer has toured with many groups, including Maroon 5, Guster, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, and Teitur. Some of his most popular and well-known songs include "Clarity," "Bigger Than My Body," "Why Georgia," "No Such Thing," and "Your Body Is a Wonderland," "Who Did You Think I Was," and "Daughters."

Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive 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 blues musicians including Eric Clapton (Back Home, Crossroads Guitar Festival), Buddy Guy (Bring 'em in), John Scofield (That's What I Say) and B.B.King (80)

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

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. The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the .

In 2003 Martin Guitars gave John Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer. The guitar was limited to a run of only 404. The release of this acoustic was followed by the release of a signature Stratocaster electric guitar by Fender guitars in 2005; 3 different models in total. Unlike the Martin, 2 of Mayer's Signature Fender Stratocaster's are not a limited edition model, and can be found at many Fender dealers. The third Startocaster, finished in Charcoal Frost metallic paint with racing strip, was limited to only 100 guitars.

John also made a cameo appearance on Chappelle's Show and was mentioned in an episode of Family Guy.

Change in Musical Direction

In 2004, Mayer worked with hip hop artist and producer Kanye West, appearing both on rapper Common's "Go" and Kanye West's "Bittersweet" (for release in 2006). When asked about his ubiquitous presence in the hip hop community, and move away from pop music, he said "It's not music out there right now. That's why, to me, hip-hop is where rock used to be."

It was around this time that he 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 afformentioned collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, BB King, Eric Clapton and jazz artist John Scofield. He toured with the legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

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Musicians - John Mayer

Early life

Mainstream Success

Change in Musical Direction

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