John Mayer
from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
The sounds of an impeccable guitar fretwork is rare nowadays. Poetic music can only be counted by a few. Let John Mayer lead you to his flawless music, astounding lyrical talent and smooth, suave voice.
Contents |
Biography
John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 at Bridgeport, Connecticut to Margaret and Richard Mayer. The middle child of three siblings, his two brothers are named Ben and Carl. He attended Fairfield Warde High School and Brien McMahon High school in Norwalk, Connecticut. For his junior year, he wanted something more in his life. Thus enrolling in the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High school where he was sent to Japan as an exchange student. There he learned about their culture and language.
As a child, Mayer wasn’t into music. He can play the clarinet but making a career was far from his mind. But watching Michael J. Fox perform “Johnny Be Goode” in the movie “Back to the Future”, he soon began to appreciate music. His next door neighbour lends him various jazz and blues tapes and one from Stevie Ray Vaughn which he began listening over and over. Soon enough, he was able to learn and play the guitar at the tender age of 13. By 16, John Mayer was performing at clubs. In his senior year, he joined a band called Villanova Junction. But he did not stay for long.
Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston after High school but dropped out after a year feeling that his classes no longer challenged him. He’d rather play and write music, not study them. He chose to cut his studies short and move to Atlanta, Georgia where he started playing at local clubs and started making demos and sending out copies. He was starting to build a fan base in Atlanta in clubs such as Eddie’s Attic.
John Mayer released his first EP in 1999 entitled, Inside Wants Out. A year later his breakthrough CD was released. Room For Squares featured smash hits including No Such Thing (which spawned from a conversation he had with his mom!). By 2000, John was signed with Columbia Records, which re-released Room For Squares and made him a multi-platinum artist.
In 2003, he won his first ever Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his ever popular Your Body is a Wonderland. He also released his first concert DVD Any Given Thursday that same year. The concert was recorded at the Oak Amphitheatre in Birmingham, Alabama.
Collaborations / John Mayer Trio
John Mayer has done a number of collaborations. Rubbing elbows with music big hits such as Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, BB King, and John Scofield. He was even lucky enough to tour with Herbie Hancock for a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. To date, John Mayer is on of the most respected guitarists of our time and many musicians look up to him, old and young alike. He even gained respect from hip-hop artists like Kayne West, collaborating with him in Kanye's latest single Bittersweet due out in 2006. Everyone wants a piece of this incredible talent.
For his forthcoming album Continuum, Mayer promises a different approach to his music, and producer Steve Jordan adds it will still be in the lines of their trio style which combines signature pop, with the feel, sound and groove of blues music. Mayer’s album release is set on September 12th. His first single, Waiting on the World to Change debuted on his website on MySpace last July 11th. The song was the most downloadable single on iTunes that week and ranked number 25 in the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, proving that he still has it after a long hiatus from recording this album.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | American Music Awards | Adult Contemporary: Favorite artist |
| World Music Awards | World's best selling rock act | |
| 47th Annual Grammy Awards | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance & Song Of The Year | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Male artist | |
| 2004 | BDS Certified Spin Awards/ March 2004 Recipients | Reached 100, 00 spins for Why Georgia |
| 2003 | 31st Annual American Music Awards | Favorite Male Artist - Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music |
| 15th Annual Boston Music Awards | Act of the Year, Male Vocalist and Song of the Year for Your Body Is A Wonderland | |
| 45th Grammy Awards | New Artist and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Your Body Is A Wonderland | |
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best Male Video | |
| Radio Music Awards | Modern Adult Contemporary Radio, Artist of the Year, Best Hook-Up Song for Your Body Is A Wonderland | |
| Teen People Awards | Choice Music - Male Artist, Choice Music - Album for Any Given Thursday | |
| Danish Music Awards | Best New Artist | |
| 2003 | MTV Music Video Awards | Nominated For: Best New Artist In A Video for No Such Thing |
| Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards | Les Paul Horizon Award (Most Promising Up and Coming Guitarist) | |
| VH1 Big in 2002 Awards | Can't Get You Out of My Head Award for No Such Thing | |
| Pollstar Concert Industry Awards | Best New artist tour | |
| 2007 | 49th Grammy Awards | Won: Best Pop Vocal Album for Continuum |
| 49th Grammy Awards | Won: Best Pop Male Vocal Performance | |
| 49th Grammy Awards | Nominated: Album of the Year for Continuum | |
| 49th Grammy Awards | Nominated: Best Solo Rock Performance for Route 66 | |
| 49th Grammy Awards | Nominated: Best Rock Album for TRY! by John Mayer Trio |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | Adult Contemporary | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | No Such Thing | 13 | 28 | Room For Squares |
| Your Body Is a Wonderland | 18 | 17 | Room For Squares | |
| 2003 | Why Georgia | - | - | Room For Squares |
| Bigger Than My Body | 33 | 27 | Heavier Things | |
| 2004 | Clarity | - | - | Heavier Things |
| Daughters | 19 | 2 | Heavier Things | |
| 2006 | Waiting On the World to Change | 21 | 8 | Continuum |
| 2007 | Gravity | 63 | - | Continuum |
News
Tours & Concerts
Summer Tour Dates for 2007
June 1 - Ridgefield, WA - The Amphitheatre at Clark County
June 2 - George, WA - The Gorge
June 5 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
June 6 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
June 8 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Event Center
June 9 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
June 12 - Chula Vista, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
June 13 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
June 15 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 16 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 19 - Bonner Springs, KS - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
June 20 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
June 22 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
June 23 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June 24 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
June 26 -ﾠCincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena
June 28 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion
June 30 -ﾠIndianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 1 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
July 5 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
July 14 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
July 15 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)
July 17 - Boston, MA TD - Banknorth Garden
July 20 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Waterfront
July 21 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Pavilion
July 24 - Holmdel, NJ - P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
July 25 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
July 26 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
July 30 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
July 31 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
August 1 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 3 - Nashville, TN - Gaylord Entertainment Center
August 4 - Pelham, AL - Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 5 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
August 7 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
August 8 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
More on: John Mayer Tour Dates
Announcements
JOHN MAYER LINED UP FOR MTV UNPLUGGED: The blues crooner is set to hang his electric guitar for an acoustic one on the legendary show. Bon Jovi is one of several big-name acts scheduled to perform as part of the latest batch of MTV Unplugged performances, joining the reunited Police, Mary J. Blige, Kenny Chesney and lots more. See mor info onMp3.com (6/1/07; 19:36)
JOHN MAYER TO PERFORM AT THE 2007 LIVE EARTH CONCERT - As announced on the Local-83 website:
It has been recently announced that John Mayer, in collaboration with 100 + other artists, is teaming up with Live Earth - The Concert for a Climate in Crisis.
Detailing a historic effort to engage billions of people across the globe, Kevin Wall, Al Gore, Pharrell Williams, Cameron Diaz, and the MSN Network today launched Save Our Selves (SOS) – The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis. The announcement was made at the California Science Center.
SOS is designed to trigger a global movement to combat our climate crisis. It will reach people in every corner of the planet through television, film, radio, the Internet and Live Earth, a 24-hour concert on 7/7/07 across all 7 continents that will bring together more than 100 of the world’s top musical acts. Live Earth alone will engage an audience of more than 2 billion people through concert attendance and broadcasts. See Live Earth. (2/28/07; 20:57)
Other artists recently announced:
| Pharrell | Red Hot Chili Peppers | ||
| Foo Fighters | Snoop Dogg | ||
| Lenny Kravitz | Bon Jovi | ||
| Paolo Nutini | Sheryl Crow |
| AFI | Melissa Etheridge | |||
| Damien Rice | Corrine Bailey Rae | |||
| Duran Duran | Snow Patrol | |||
| John Legend | Black Eyed Peas |
| Akon | Enrique Iglesias | ||
| Fall Out Boy | Mana | ||
| Keane | Kelly Clarkson | ||
| Korn | Faith Hill w/ Tim McGraw | ||
| Bloc Party |
GRAVITY CD SINGLE JUST RELEASED - Gravity has officially been released (as of the 22nd) to the radio and sits at #71 on the Hot 100' and #63 on the Digital Downloads list. (Source: Billboard) (2/25/07; 21:02)
CONGRATULATIONS JOHN MAYER! - for winning 2 Grammys! (Best Po Vocal Album and Best Pop Vocal Performance). Keep up the good work! (2/12/07; 10:51)
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with ROLLING STONE - here all about his music, being a great guitarist and a singer/songwriter and lots more in the latest issue of Rolling Stone (02/08/07; 21:50)
Discography
Listening Room
Albums
| Album | Information |
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Compilations, Singles & Live Releases
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 As Is: Volume Five
Released: August 31, 2004 Recorded at PHILADELPHIA, PA/HARTFORD, CT 8/14/04 - 8/15/04 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
CONTINUUM
"With any trilogy," says John Mayer, "the third in the series blows it open."
John Mayer's newest album "Continuum" shows a different side of him. He has finally ventured down his roots again and discovered the joy of recording an album up to his standards. After releasing his multi-platinum albums Room for Squares (2001) and Heavier Things (2003), this third album will be his first time stepping in as a producer, and all of his desparate influences, efforts, and potential has come together.
Mayer credits Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino (collectively known as John Mayer Trio) for their undying efforts in making their album TRY!. According to John "As a songwriter, the Trio helped me focus on being more raw," he says. "As a guitar player, it helped me get a lot out of my system. If it wasn't for the Trio, CONTINUUM would have been less accessible. It let me settle up with my needs as a musician, and get to a point somewhere between the Trio record and ROOM FOR SQUARES - and that's a really good place to be."
John Mayer knew Continumm would tackle larger ideas than those that defined his previous albums. Mayer is not a big fan of writing songs just sitting down with a piece of paper. He get most of his inspirations from 'reality'.
Having just announced a co-headlining tour with Sheryl Crow to help launch CONTINUUM, Mayer is raring to start playing his new material for an audience. "This record is infinitely playable," he says. "I built so many corners into these songs I cannot wait to play them live."
To sum it up, Continuum is the epitome of maturiy, both musically and thematically, a concept John Mayer wasn't comfortable until now. He realized everyone around him is growing older and wiser. Hence, the birth of his brilliant idea to attempt such a feat to create this album.
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
(source: J-mayer.org)
Food and Hobbies
Dish: Sushi, Kobe beef, and other Japanese meals
Drink: Chocolate milk
Sauce: A1 sauce
Fast food burger: Whopper
Candy: Reese's Pieces
Music: Jeff Buckly, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Hendrix, The Police
Video game type: XBox
Movie: Good Will Hunting
Operating system: Mac
Mp3 player: iPod
Made him dance: Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You", Lionel Richie's "All Night Long,"
Best lyric: Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over."
Career
First blues club performance: at 15
Lyrical inspiration: Dave Matthews Band, Ben Folds
First played guitar at: 13
Started singing: "Singing had always been there. I used to do middle school and high school theatre before I hit puberty."
Fan base: Everyone from frat boys to soccer moms
Shows: Has done 188 in only one year
Song muses: Victoria (college friend), "Lydia" (Involved with a friend of his)
Physical
Height: 6'4
Hair color: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Tattoos: 7 (that we know of!) Japanese-styled tattoos. ("77" on the left breast, "Home" on the left tricep, "Life" on the right tricep, the "box" of three on the inner right forearm, "Koi fish" on the right outer shoulder, "SRV" tattoo on left arm).
Favorite Color: City morning blue
Personal
Fear: Going clinically insane, or suicide.
Good night's sleep: Japan
Hottest female rocker: Gwen Stefani
Car: steel-blue BMW
Back in the days
College: Berklee College of music
First job: In a supermarket in Fairfield, CT, later worked in a gas station.
First salary: 7 bucks an hour
Past domiciles: Japan, Atlanta Georgia
Principal's pet: He use to tapes from the confiscated walkmans that his dad kept in his office at the school! Random
No alcohol here: John once drank so much when he was younger, that he never touched alcohol again, because of how hung over he was afterwards.
Parental age: John's parent's ages are 19 years apart
Glasses fetish: He use to go to the "lost and found" at his school and get glasses. but they would never fit
him because his head was too big!
Not-so-sensitive: Vanessa Carlton called him a "bad breaker-upper" in that relationship.
HT air-borne: "Heavier Thing"'s name came from John being on a plane and getting directions. He said
jokingly he'll call his next album the "Initial Descent".
Reviews
John Mayer's style exudes a strong background of pop, rock, ballads and the blues.His lyrical talent is also not to be missed. With hits like Your Body Is A Wonderland and Daughters it only shows that this man is destined for superstardom.
Others might think Mayer is ust writing cheeky-pop themed music with his romantic, over-the-top, can-get-you-a-date lyrics. No , there is more to it than the sugar-coated pop familiarity.
John Mayer is deeply devoted to his music. Going to great lengths as to developing a new method of sounds, called the Phase Resistant Technique, which he is the founder of the institute. Also with his prized possessions of stratocasters and guitar pedals, you know that he's not going anywhere.
John Mayer is also about to be a music legend. Being dubbed as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, even earning a spot in the likes of Eric Clapton and BB King. This kind of caliber only comes once in a blue moon.
Artists look up to John Mayer as their inspiration to pursue music. Musicians like Ryan Cabrera and Teddy Geiger had Mayer to thank for their successes.
With the upcoming release of Mayer's third album Continuum, he focuses more on his raw side. His back to his roots by reintroducing more of the blues and old-school rock which influenced him at a young age. Much anticipation is to be met with this album, and John Mayer is proud that this third one blows everything out in the open. --Angelic biatch 05:10, 17 August 2006 (PDT)
External Links
- John Mayer's MySpace Profile Updated Regularly by John Mayer
Categories: Artist | Pop | Blues | Rock
