16.10. – Happy Birthday !!! John Clayton Mayer is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. Famous for his special skills in guitar and his artistic pursuit for classy pop-rock songs, he has earned major chart success in the US and other countries.
Known for both his solo career and his career with the ‘John Mayer Trio’ group, the knowledgeable musician has millions of fans across the globe. He picked up a guitar at the age of 13 and took lessons for two years. Then through his strong perseverance and determination, he started a career in music. His big break came when he performed at the ‘2000 South by Southwest Music Festival’ in Austin following which Aware Records signed him . The winner of seven Grammy Awards, he at times changed his musical styles and became successful across genres, establishing himself in contemporary rock and broadening his scope to incorporate the blues. TIME applauded him for his “vigorous voice texture, and emotional fearlessness”. Most of his albums are commercially successful and have been accredited multi-platinum.
As an old-school blues-influenced guitarist, John Mayer has amassed fans of all kinds, through his both critically and mainstream friendly style that has sold more than 20 million records.
After a brief stint in college, Mayer hit the music scene in the late ‘90s and has become an entertainment icon ever since.
In 2001, Mayer released his first full album, Room for Squares, an acoustic-driven album. With strong success off of lead single “No Such Thing,” and perhaps more so with the follow-up “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” Room for Squares would later be certified four times platinum. Mayer would go on to win a Grammy for “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance” for “Your Body Is a Wonderland.”
Mayer’s second album, Heavier Things, would be released in 2003 and would be another multi-platinum success for Mayer. Less acoustic than the previous album, Heavier Things still showcased some of the best of Mayer, with soft rockers “Clarity” and “Bigger Than My Body.” Its biggest success would be the solely acoustic “Daughters,” which instantly became a huge hit and won a Grammy for “Song of the Year” in 2005.
After Heavier Things, Mayer’s sound would quickly turn to a more bluesy influence. Gone were the acoustic-driven rockers, and in were more riff-based softer ballads. Mayer also dabbled into other genres, such as hip-hop and country, by collaborating with the likes of Common, Kanye West and Taylor Swift.
In 2005, John Mayer created the John Mayer Trio, a blues rock band that released one live album, Try. Bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan would fill out the Trio, which had marginal success both critically and commercials. Mayer’s guitar work would become more prominent in his music, beginning with the Trio.
Mayer would release his third solo album, Continuum, in 2006 to great acclaim and strong sales once again. Lead single “Waiting for the World to Change” would end up being Mayer’s most successful commercially to date, and fifth single “Say” would be a huge pop hit of 2007.
After releasing a live cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling,” Mayer released his fourth album, Battle Studies, in 2009. Battle Studies would be more of the same for Mayer, with several hit such as “Who Says,” “Heartbreak Warfare” and “Half of My Heart.”
From an appearance on the Dave Chappelle show to Apple commercials, Mayer has become a major name outside of his music, as well. CBS is in development of a television show based around Mayer. Mayer has also had much publicized relationships with many stars, such as Jessica Simpson and Taylor Swift.
Mayer is preparing the release of his fifth album, Born and Raised, for an October 2012 release.
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