John Clayton Mayer is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Known for his guitar playing and artistic pursuit of pop-rock songs. It achieved great chart success in the US and other countries.
The famous musician, known for both his solo career and his career in the John Mayer Trio, has millions of fans around the world. He picked up the guitar at 13 and took lessons for two years.
Then, thanks to his perseverance and determination, he began to study on his own and achieved his goal. His huge "breakthrough" came when he performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival 2000 in Austin, after which Aware Records signed him to a contract.
The winner of seven Grammy Awards, he has changed his musical style from time to time and has achieved success in various genres, establishing himself in modern rock and expanding his horizons with the release of several blues songs.
Gazer Times applauded him for his energetic voice and emotional fearlessness. Most of his albums have been commercially successful and have gone multi-platinum.
Childhood and youth of John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Grew up in Fairfield. His father, Richard, was a high school principal and his mother, Margaret Mayer, was an English teacher. He has two brothers.
When John was a student at the Center for Global Studies at Brian McMahon High School in Norfolk, he began to get interested in the guitar. And after watching a performance by Michael J. Fox, he "fell in love" with blues music. He was especially inspired by the recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
When John was 13, his father rented a guitar for him. He began taking lessons and became so engrossed in it that his worried parents took him to a psychiatrist. But the doctor said that everything is fine with the guy, he just really got into the music.
He later revealed in an interview that his parents' troubled marriage often caused him to "disappear into his own world".
As a teenager, he started playing guitar in bars and other places. He also joined the band Villanova Junction and played with Tim Procaccini, Rich Wolfe and Joe Belezney.
When he was 17 years old, he was diagnosed with cardiac dysrhythmia and John was hospitalized. The singer said that it was during that period that he realized that he also had a gift for writing songs. It was later revealed that he also suffered from panic attacks and was still on anxiety medication.
He wanted to drop out of college to pursue a career in music, but his parents convinced him to attend Berklee College of Music in 1997 at age 19.
However, he still insisted on his own, two semesters later he moved to Atlanta with his college friend Glyn Cook. They formed the two-member group Lo-Fi Masters Demo and began performing at local clubs and other venues. They soon parted ways and Meyer began his solo career.
Career and albums of John Mayer
John Mayer released his debut EP Inside Wants Out on September 24, 1999. The album was re-released by Columbia Records in 2002. Some songs such as: Back to You, My Stupid Mouth and No Such Thing were recorded again for his debut album Room for Squares.
His debut studio album Room For Squares was released on June 5, 2001. The album peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard 200. It is his best-selling album to date, selling 4 copies in the US.
His second studio album Heavier Things was released on September 9, 2003. Although his songwriting was negatively criticized, this album still generated positive reviews.
In 2005, he formed the rock band John Mayer Trio with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan. The band released the live album Try!.
In 2005, his third studio album Continuum was released on September 12, 2006. The album included blues musical elements, marking a change in Mayer's musical style. The album was highly acclaimed by music critics and Meyer won several awards.
His fourth studio album Battle Studies was released on November 17, 2009. It was a commercial success not only in the US, but also in several other countries.
The album also received critical acclaim and was certified platinum by the RIAA. His fifth studio album Born and Raised was released on May 22, 2012.
His first single Shadow Days was streamed on the singer's page before the release of the album itself. The second single Queen of California was released to Hot AC radio on August 13, 2012 and its official video was released on July 30, 2012.
Something Like Olivia is the third single from the album Born and Raised, it included some musical elements of folk and Americana, it is in this song that Mayer's change in musical style is heard. Critics praised his technical skills.
Mayer's sixth studio album Paradise Valley was released on August 20, 2013. It features musical breaks and a lot of instrumental music.
Almost the entire album consists of electric guitar sounds. His first single, Paper Doll, was released on June 18, 2013, followed by Wildfire on July 16, 2013. The third single Who You Love was on Hot AC radio on September 3rd. The next single, Paradise Valley, was made available for streaming on 13 August.
On April 15, 2014, Mayer performed XO at a concert in Australia. This album's version includes an acoustic stripped-down version with guitar, piano and harmonica. MTV praised it for its simplicity and clarity. It debuted at No. 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and sold 46 copies.
John Mayer also performed with Dead & Company, a group consisting of Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzman, Otheil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. The band began the tour on May 27, 2017, which ended on July 1.
Main works and achievements
John Mayer's debut album Room For Squares received positive reviews from music critics. His second studio album, Heavier Things, debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 317 copies in its first week.
His album Continuum debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 300 copies in its first week. As a result, more than 186 million copies have been sold worldwide. The Battle Studies album debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 1 and sold over 200 million copies in the US.
Throughout his musical career, John Mayer has won seven Grammy Awards out of 19 nominations. He received a Grammy Award for Best Male Variety Vocal Performance for the single Your Body Is the Wonderland from Room for Squares in 2003.
Continuum also earned him a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. He received two Grammy Awards for Daughters for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2005.
Other awards he has received include the MTV Video Music Awards, the ASCAP Award, the American Music Award, and more.
Personal life
John Mayer dated actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, singer Jessica Simpson, singer Taylor Swift and actress Minka Kelly.
In 2002, he created the Back To You Foundation, an NGO that raised funds for health care, education, the arts, and talent development.
He has supported campaigns aimed at raising awareness of climate change and has been involved in philanthropy on several occasions. He also supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Although he chose to avoid drugs early in his career, he admitted in 2006 that he used marijuana. He was also involved in a major scandal over racist comments in an interview, for which he later apologized. He also has a hobby - John is an avid watch collector.
In March 2014, he sued watch dealer Robert Maron for $656, alleging that seven of the watches he bought from Maron contained counterfeit parts. However, the following year Mayer released a statement saying that the dealer had never sold him fake watches, he was wrong.
