Description

John Mayer emerged in 2001 as the fresh young face for a new generation of earnest singer-songwriters. While Mayer's work is as confessional, intimate, and acoustic-guitar-based as that of old-schoolers like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, his approach is considerably updated. His rhythmic, often jazzy guitar and vocal style borrow more from Dave Matthews than from any baby-boomer types, and his geek-next-door image made him instantly appealing to teenagers the world over.

Biography

b. 16 October 1977, Connecticut, USA. Mayer grew up in Connecticut, learning to play guitar at the age of 13 and graduating to performing at local blues bars. He briefly attended Berklee College Of Music before choosing to strike out in a folk duo. After the rapid demise of this act, Mayer relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he soon became a regular at songwriters' hangouts such as Eddie's Attic. In 1999, he self-released his debut album Inside Wants Out, a predominantly acoustic collection of his own material. Many of these songs were rerecorded for Room For Squares, including "Back To You", "No Such Thing", the brilliantly ironic "My Stupid Mouth" and "Neon". (Note: This album was reissued in 2002 and charted at 22 on Billboard). Mayer's melodic folk rock drew comparisons to the highly popular Dave Matthews Band, and as a result he was approached by several major labels. He signed a recording contract with the Columbia Records offshoot Aware and began work on his second album with producer John Alagía. Mayer was joined on this full-band recording by David LaBruyere (bass) and Nir Zidkiyahu (drums). Room For Squares proved to be a sleeper hit, and was re-released on the back of Mayer's national tour and the radio success of the single "No Such Thing". The assured quality of this album, both lyrically and musically indicated an artist of considerable talent and promise. A live CD and DVD, Any Given Thursday, consolidated Mayer's growing popularity, and the artist enjoyed further commercial success when the follow-up studio album, Heavier Things, debuted at the top of the US charts in September 2003. It confirmed that Mayer was no passing fancy and was now a major force in the new age of the singer-songwriter genre.
DISCOGRAPHY: Inside Wants Out (John Mayer 1999)***, Room For Squares (Aware/Columbia 2001)****, Any Given Thursday (Aware/Columbia 2003)***, Heavier Things (Aware/Columbia 2003)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Any Given Thursday (Aware/Columbia 2003).

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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