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John Mayer

John Clayton Mayer singer-songwriter won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the 2002 release of the single 'Your Body Is a Wonderland.' In February of 2005, he also won a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for his song 'Daughters' of the album 'Heavier Things'. He beat out, Elvis Costello, Josh Groban, Prince and Seal. He also took home the Grammy Award for Song Of The Year which is awarded to song writers, for the song 'Daughters'. He dedicated that award to his Grandma, Annie Hoffman, who passed away in May of 2004.

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayer grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and attended Fairfield High School. Mayer listened to pop music, but it was not until the age of thirteen that his inspiration for playing the guitar began. When a neighbor gave him a Stevie Ray Vaughan tape, 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 Massachusetts at the age of 19. He soon realized that instead of studying music, he was more interested in writing and playing it, and chose to cut his studies short in favor of moving to Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career in earnest there, quickly making a name for himself in the local coffeehouse and club circuit.

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', 'No Such Thing' and 'Your Body Is a Wonderland'.

Although John has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-song writer, his real talent lies in his excellent guitar playing. Influenced by Jimi Hendrix and SRV, it has been argued that John's electric guitar playing is truly what makes him a musical genius and what makes him gain respect from his peers.

John allows audio taping at most live performances, and he also allows for the non-commercial trading of those recordings. He does this to give fans the opportunity to recreate the live experience. He also does this to encourage fan interaction.

John Mayer: Battle Studies

by David Miller
November 29, 2009

John Mayer Battle Studies Columbia Records 2009 Twenty-somethings all over are humming along and nodding their heads. It's almost impossible not to. Guitarist John Mayer's Battle Studies has come out and they've found someone who understands their generation's thought process. This new generation thinks differently than those past. With globalization has come a greater range of options, as well as a greater sense of freedom to pursue ...

139

Trends

John Mayer: Twitter Killed My Ability to Write a Song...

Source: Digital Music News
July 14, 2011

There's a reason why some artists quit Twitter—or, never start an account at all. “I realized about a year ago that I couldn't have a complete thought anymore," John Mayer told a group of students at Berklee College of Music. “And I was a tweetaholic." Sounds funny at first, except when Mayer reflected onthe impact on his songwriting. “I had four million Twitter followers, and I was always writing on it. And I stopped using Twitter as an outlet and ...
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194

Video / DVD

Saxophone Powerhouse Bob Reynolds on Mastery, John Mayer, and More

Source: Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.
June 8, 2011

In a very special video piece for Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever., NYC saxophonist and music entrepreneur Marc Plotkin interviews saxophonist, composer, educator and sideman to John Mayer, Bob Reynolds. For those of you who only know him as John Mayer's sax man, you're only getting a small slice of Bob Reynolds' musical world. Michael Bublé, Nellie McKay, Guy Sebastian, Richard Bona, Tom Harrell, and Brian Blade are just a few of the talents he's shared the stage and studio with. ...
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299

Performance / Tour

Review Brad Mehldau and John Mayer at the Hollywood Bowl

Source: AAJ Staff
August 24, 2010

from contactmusic.com Mayer And Mehldau Make Sweet Music Onstage Rocker JOHN MAYER thrilled fans at a sold-out concert on Sunday (22Aug10) after inviting jazz star BRAD MEHLDAU onstage for a duet set. The singer took to his Twitter.com page last week and hinted that his concert at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl would be extra special, teasing, “Planning something so beautiful for the Hollywood Bowl show... Stay tuned..." And Mayer kept his promise—he and pianist Mehldau wowed the crowd with a ...
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Performance / Tour

Brad Mehldau to Perform with John Mayer

Source: AAJ Staff
August 21, 2010

Brad Mehldau will be performing with John Mayer this Sunday, August 22, at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mayer Tweeted about the show: This Sunday night's show at the Hollywood Bowl will feature a mini-set of music with pianist Brad Mehldau. It'll take place between Owl City's and my normal set. The Bowl is such an historic venue that I had to make sure something special went down there. Just a piano, guitar and some classic covers... maybe one of my ...
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115

Performance / Tour

John Mayer Lets the Music Do the Talking

Source: Michael Ricci
March 22, 2010

After a public flap over statements in a Playboy interview, the singer-songwriter forgoes interviews and does his communicating from the stage.

The backlash to his Playboy interview may have caused him to recoil from the spotlight, but John Mayer's concerts and albums have remained sturdy and popular.

For a few hours Thursday night, John Mayer will perform before a nearly sold-out Staples Center crowd, then disappear once more into the depths of his self-inflicted celebrity jail. This has been the ...
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191

Performance / Tour

John Mayer | 03.01 | Milwaukee

Source: JamBase
March 10, 2010

Word by: Cal Roach | Images by: Derek Dysart

John Mayer :: 03.01.10 :: Bradley Center :: Milwaukee, WI

John Mayer :: 03.01 :: Milwaukee, WI You have to keep your appreciation for music separate from your opinions about the musicians, even when those musicians are doing everything possible to frustrate your efforts. It's a slippery slope, and if you're not careful, you'll wind up having to throw out all your Beatles and Led Zeppelin records. Still, ...
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173

Event

Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and John Mayer Top ASCAP's 5th Expo

Source: HypeBot
January 28, 2010

Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and John Mayer will lead the list of speakers at the 5th annual ASCAP “I Create Music" Expo. The three-day event will take place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, April 22-24, 2010 in Los Angeles.

Also confirmed to participate in the EXPO are Louis Biancaniello, Kenny Burrell, Desmond Child, Dre & Vidal, Steve Diamond, John Fort, Ashley Gorley, Lukasz “Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Ron Jones, Just Blaze, Bear McCreary, Bob Mintzer, Robert Ellis Orrall, Don Schlitz, Brian ...
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505

Performance / Tour

John Mayer Performs Michael Jackson Memorial with Human Nature

Source: All About Jazz
July 7, 2009

John Mayer quietly takes the stage at the Michael Jackson Memorial and owns it, with his griping rendition of Jackson's “Human Nature".

We knew that John Mayer was going to perform at the Michael Jackson memorial, but we did not know what. We know that he performed on Panic at the Discos cover of Beat It, but that would not be a fitting song. Instead, he offered us a rendition of Human Nature.

The performance had no vocals for the ...
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