John Mayer grew up in suburban Connecticut listening to pop music. When he was in his teens, he became influenced by blues legend, Steve Ray Vaughan. He decided to learn how to play the guitar. After only two years of playing, he began touring around Connecticut playing at local venues. When he was nineteen he enrolled in the very prestigious Beklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Mayer, however, did not stay very long. He became frustrated. He wanted to play his music rather than learn about music So, he left Berklee and moved to Atlanta.
Mayer’s debut album was entitled, Inside Wants Out. The album, which was released in 1999, featured mostly acoustic. Some tracks, however, had full bands. Mayer soon became a regular at Atlanta’s Eddie’s Attic. In March 2000, Mayer was recognized after playing at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. He soon signed a recording contract with Columbia Record’s subsidiary company, Aware. In the Fall of 2000, he began working with producer John Alagia (Dave Matthews Band, Ben Fold Five) to create his album, Room For Squares. The album, like his previous one, was mostly acoustic focuses on the singer’s smooth bluesy/pop voice. Some tracks, however, did contain full electric bands. Many compared Mayer to the sounds of Dave Matthews Band.
In the summer of 2001, Room For Squares was re-released. The new release contained an original bonus track, two covers songs (Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan), and re-mixes done by producer Jack Joseph Puig (Eric Clapton, Weezer, Black Crowes). Mayer then went on an international tour. In 2002, he received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. He lost to Norah Jones. Later that year, he released his live album entitled Any Given Thursday. In September 2003, Mayer released Heavier Things. The album was frowned upon by many critics due to the fact they believed the singer demonstrated no real growth in his new album. For audiences who enjoyed Room For Squares, however, Heavier Things is exactly what they were looking for.
Bio written by: bandhunt |
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