John Mayer

John Mayer is a US singer-songwriter from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Born in 1977, he starts playing guitar at 13 after hearing a Stevie Ray Vaughan tape given to him by a neighbour. In 1998 he moves to Atlanta, Georgia, where he develops his playing and builds an early following.

Career

Mayer gains prominence as a singer-songwriter with an acoustic-based style, and later broadens his work into blues and rock. He is associated with the labels Columbia, Milky Boy Music and Specific Harm Music. His genres include acoustic rock, alternative rock, americana, blue-eyed soul, blues and blues rock.

In 2003, he wins the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Your Body Is a Wonderland, taken from Room for Squares. In 2005, he wins Song of the Year for Daughters, from Heavier Things, and also receives Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 2007, he wins two further Grammys: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Waiting On The World To Change and Best Pop Vocal Album for Continuum.

Collaborations and band work

Mayer works with a wide range of artists, including Kanye West, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock and Frank Ocean. He also tours with Maroon 5, Guster, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Teitur, Ben Folds and Sheryl Crow. His association with hip hop includes appearances on Kanye West tracks such as Go and Bittersweet.

He performs and records with the John Mayer Trio, releasing Try! under that name. The trio’s work reflects a blues-rock approach influenced by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Freddie King and B.B. King. Mayer is also a member of Dead & Company.

Albums and stylistic development

Continuum, released in 2006, is written and produced by Mayer with Steve Jordan of the John Mayer Trio and continues his move towards a blues-rock sound. Battle Studies follows in 2009 and reaches number one on the US Billboard 200. Paradise Valley includes the single Paper Doll and the track Who You Love, which features Katy Perry. The album also includes a collaboration with Frank Ocean.

Across his career, Mayer is known for shifting between acoustic sensitivity, blues-based playing and a more rock-oriented style while retaining a singer-songwriter profile.