John Mayer

John Mayer
Tên khai sinh	John Clayton Mayer
Sinh	16 tháng 10, 1977 Bridgeport, Connecticut United States
Nghề nghiệp	Ca sĩ, nhạc sĩ, nhà sản xuất, nhà văn, nhiếp ảnh gia, người dẫn chương trình
Thể loại	Pop rock, blues rock, acoustic rock, blue-eyed soul, alternative rock
Nhạc cụ	Hát, Guitar, Piano, Harmonica, Violin
Năm	1998-hiện tại
Hãng đĩa	Arista, Aware, Columbia
Hợp tác	John Mayer Trio, Fall Out Boy, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato
Website	johnmayer.com
Nhạc cụ nổi bật
Fender Stratocaster Martin Guitars Gibson Guitars

John Clayton Mayer (sinh ngày 16 tháng 10 năm 1977) là một ca sĩ, nhạc sĩ, nhà sản xuất âm nhạc thể loại pop rock/ pop/ blues rock người Mỹ. Sinh ra tại Bridgeport, Connecticut và lớn lên tại Fairfield, Connecticut, anh đã theo học tại trường Cao đẳng âm nhạc Berklee (Berklee College of Music) ở Boston. Anh đã chuyển tới Atlanta vào năm 1997 - nơi anh định hình phong cách của mình và hiện tại anh đang sống ở Montana. Hai album phòng thu đầu tiên của anh, Room for Squares và Heavier Things rất thành công về mặt thương mại, đạt được chứng nhận bạch kim nhiều lần. Vào năm 2003, Mayer giành được giải thưởng Grammy đầu tiên của mình ở hạng mục Nam nghệ sĩ có màn trình diễn Pop xuất sắc nhất với ca khúc "Your Body Is a Wonderland".

Mayer bắt đầu sự nghiệp với chủ yếu là thể loại acoustic rock, nhưng dần chuyển sang thể loại blues vào năm 2005 bằng việc hợp tác với những nghệ sĩ blues huyền thoại như B.B.King, Buddy Guy và Eric Clapton và lập nên nhóm nhạc John Mayer Trio. Sự ảnh hưởng của blues có thể được nhận ra rõ nét qua album live năm 2005 Try! của anh cùng nhóm John Mayer Trio và album phòng thu thứ ba Continuum- được ra mắt vào tháng 9 năm 2006. Tại Lễ trao giải Grammy lần thứ 49 vào năm 2007, Mayer giành được giải Album nhạc Pop xuất sắc nhất cho Continuum và Nam nghệ sĩ có màn trình diễn nhạc Pop xuất sắc nhất cho "Waiting on the World to Change". Anh đã cho ra mắt album phòng thu thứ tư, Battle Studies vào tháng 11 năm 2009. Album thứ năm của anh, Born and Raised- album mà chứng kiến một phong cách âm nhạc hoàn toàn khác, đã được tung ra vào tháng 5 năm 2012. Anh đã bán được hơn 10 triệu album ở Mỹ và hơn 20 triệu bản trên toàn thế giới.

Thời thơ ấu

John Clayton Mayer sinh ngảy 16 tháng 10 năm 1977 tại Bridgeport, Connecticut. Anh là con thứ hai trong một gia đình trung lưu có 3 người con, mẹ là Margaret -một giáo viên tiếng Anh và bố là Richard - một hiệu trưởng trường cấp 3. Anh lớn lên tại Fairfield, Connecticut. Cha anh là người Do Thái, và Mayer đã từng nói anh ấy "có liên hệ đến đạo Do Thái". Anh theo học tại trường Trung học Fairfield Warde ở Farfield. Sau khi xem màn trình diễn guitar của Michael J. Fox trong vai Marty McFly trong bộ phim Back to the Future, Mayer trở nên đam mê nhạc cụ, và khi bước sang tuổi 13, anh được bố thuê cho một chiếc guitar. Một người hàng xóm tặng Mayer một chiếc cát-xét của Stevie Ray Vaughan - người mà đã truyền cho Mayer niềm yêu thích nhạc blues. Mayer bắt đầu theo học lớp guitar từ một người chủ cửa hiệu guitar ở khu vực, Al Ferrante. Mayer tập trung vào việc chơi guitar đến nỗi bố mẹ anh đã đưa anh đi khám tâm lí hai lần, nhưng Mayer được chẩn đoán là không có bệnh. Mayer nói rằng những trận cãi vã của bố mẹ đã khiến anh "biến mất và tạo nên thế giới của riêng mình mà tôi có thể tin vào". Sau hai năm tập luyện, anh bắt đầu chơi tại những quán bar phong cách blues trong khu vực khi anh vẫn còn học trung học. Ngoài việc biểu diễn solo, anh còn là thành viên của một nhóm nhạc tên là Villanova Junction (đặt theo tên một bài hát của Jimi Hendrix) cùng với Tim Procaccini, Joe Beleznay và Rich Wolf. Mayer từng cân nhắc việc không học đại học để theo đuổi sự nghiệp âm nhạc, nhưng sự phản đối của bố mẹ khiến anh không thể làm vậy. Khi Mayer 17 tuổi, anh bị chứng rối loạn nhịp tim và phải nhập viện một tuần. Nhớ lại lần bị bệnh, Mayer đã nói: "Đó là thời điểm mà con người nhạc sĩ trong tôi được sinh ra." và anh đã đặt bút viết những lời bài hát đầu tiên vào đêm trở về nhà từ bệnh viện. Không lâu sau đó, anh lại bắt đầu bị hoảng loạn, và sống với nỗi sợ phải vào bệnh viện tâm thần. Anh tiếp tục kiểm soát những thời kỳ như vậy với thuốc Xanax, một loại thuốc chống lo lắng. Sau khi tốt nghiệp, anh đã làm việc trong 15 tháng tại một trạm gas đến khi tiết kiệm được đủ tiền để mua một chiếc guitar năm 1996 của Stevie Ray Vaughan hiệu Strartocaster.

Sự nghiệp

Khởi nghiệp

John Mayer từng theo học trường Cao đẳng Âm nhạc Berklee (Berklee College of Music) ở Boston, Massachusetts vào năm 19 tuổi. Tuy nhiên chỉ sau hai học kì, anh đã chuyển đến Atlanta cùng với Clay Cook, một người bạn học cùng trường. Tại Atlanta họ thành lập một nhóm nhạc hai người có tên là LoFi Masters và bắt đầu biểu diễn tại các quán cafe địa phương và các tụ điểm âm nhạc như Eddie's Attic. Theo lời Cook, họ bắt đầu có sự khác biệt về phong cách vì Mayer muốn nhiều chất Pop hơn trong âm nhạc của mình. Vì lí do đó nên ban nhạc tan rã và đây chính là điểm khởi đầu cho sự nghiệp solo của Mayer. Với sự giúp đỡ của nhà sản xuất âm nhạc và kỹ sư trong vùng - Glenn Matullo, Mayer ghi âm album ngắn (EP) độc lập Inside Wants Out. Cook đồng sáng tác nhiều ca khúc trong album, trong đó có ca khúc thương mại đầu tiên được ra mắt của Mayer - "No Such Thing". Album ngắn chứa 8 bài hát, trong đó Mayer là giọng ca và tay chơi guitar chính. Dù vậy đóng góp duy nhất của Oook là giọng ca hỗ trợ trong bài hát "Comfortable". Trong bài hát mở đầu, "Back To You", một nhóm nhạc đầy đủ được thành lập, bao gồm nhà đồng sản xuất album David "DeLa" LaBruyere với vai trò guitar bass. Mayer và LaBruyere sau đó bắt đầu biểu diễn suốt Georgie và các bang lân cận.

Thành công ban đầu

Danh tiếng của John Mayer bắt đầu lan rộng và Aware Records đã chú ý đến anh qua một buổi biểu diễn vào tháng 3 năm 2000. Sau khi đưa anh vào trình diễn tại Aware Festival, vào đầu năm 2001, Aware phát hành album chủ đề chỉ thông qua internet, Room For Squares. Vào tháng 12 năm 2001, hãng đĩa Columbia đã remix và phát hành lại album này. Bìa của album được cập nhật và bài hát "3x5" được thêm vào. Đây là một phần của màn ra mắt dưới hãng đĩa chính. Album phát hành lại còn bao gồm các bản phòng thu của 4 bài hát đầu tiên từ album độc lập của anh, Inside Wants Out. Đến cuối năm 2002, Room For Squares đã tạo nên một vài bản hit trên sóng radio, trong đó có "No Such Thing," "Your Body Is a Wonderland", và cuối cùng là "Why Georgia". Vào năm 2003, Mayer giành được giải Grammy cho hạng mục Trình diễn nam xuất sắc nhất thể loại nhạc Pop cho bài hát "Your Body Is a Wonderland". Khi nhận giải, anh phát biểu: "This is very, very fast, and I promise to catch up" đồng thời ví bản thân mình như ở tuổi 16 một cách ẩn dụ, khiến nhiều người hiểu nhầm rằng anh mới chỉ 16 tuổi ở thời điểm đó. Năm 2003 John Mayer phát hàng một đĩa CD và DVD live của một concert tại Birmingham, Alabama có tên gọi Any Given Thursday. Điểm nổi bật của buổi concert là những bài hát chưa được thu âm trước đó như "Man on the Side" (đồng sáng tác với Cook) và "Something's Missing" - bài hát mà sau này xuất hiện trong album Heavier Things. Buổi concert còn bao gồm "Covered In Rain". Theo như bộ phim tài liệu kèm theo, bài hát này là "phần hai" của ca khúc "City Love". Album nhanh chóng leo lên vị trí thứ 17 trên Billboard 200. Đĩa CD/DVD nhận được những lời khen ngợi nhất quán với những lời nhận xét đi theo hai ngả giữa hình ảnh thần tượng nhạc pop của Mayer và kỹ năng guitar bắt đầu được bộc lộ (vào thời điểm đó). Erik Crawford của Allmusic đặt câu hỏi: "Anh ấy là anh hùng guitar xuất chúng - được minh chứng khi chơi bản cover ca khúc Lenny của Stevie Ray Vaughan, hay là một thần tượng tuổi teen làm các cô gái dậy thì la hét ầm ĩ sau khi nghe "Your Body Is a Wonderland"?" Album thứ hai của John Mayer, Heavier Things, phát hành năm 2003 đã nhận được những nhận xét rất ưu ái. Rolling Stone, Allmusic và Blender đều dành những lời khen ngợi tích cực mặc dù có phần dè dặt cho album này. PopMatters nói rằng album "không có nhiều điểm yếu như mọi người có thể nghĩ ra". Album rất thành công về mặt thương mại và mặc dù không tiêu thụ được nhiều bằng Room for Squares, nó vẫn đạt vị trí đầu tiên trên bảng xếp hạng Billboard 200. "Daughters" là ca khúc xếp vị trí quán quân đầu tiên của Mayer, đồng thời mang về cho anh giải Grammy năm 2005 hạng mục Bài hát của năm, đánh bại các đối thủ cùng được đề cử là Alicia Keys và Kanye West. Anh dành giải thưởng để tưởng nhớ người bà đã mất vào tháng 4/2004, Annie Hoffman. John Mayer cũng đồng thời thắng hạng mục Trình diễn nam thể loại Pop xuất sắc nhất, đánh bại Elvis Costello, Prince và Seal. Vào một buổi phỏng vấn ngày 9/2/2009 trên Ellen DeGeneres Show, Mayer bày tỏ rằng anh nghĩ đáng lẽ anh không nên thắng hạng mục Bài hát của năm bởi vì anh cho rằng bài hát "If I Ain't Got You" của Alicia Keys xứng đáng hơn. Vì thế John Mayer đã đưa nửa trên của giải Grammy cho Keys còn anh thì giữ nửa dưới. Vào lễ bổ nhiệm nhạc sĩ vào đại lộ danh vọng thường niên lần thứ 37, John Mayer được trao tặng giải thưởng Hal David Starlight.

Chuyển hướng phong cách âm nhạc

Mayer began to collaborate extensively, often working with artists outside of his own genre. He appeared on Common's song "Go!" and on Kanye West's "Bittersweet Poetry".b[›] Following these collaborations, Mayer received praise from rap heavyweights Jay-Z and Nelly.[37] When asked about his presence in the hip hop community, Mayer said, "It's not music out there right now. That's why, to me, hip-hop is where rock used to be."[38]

"Go!" excerpt MENU0:00 From the album Be. In 2004, after the three saw the movie Ray together, Kanye West and Mayer joined Common back in the studio. Mayer came up with the song's concept—fantasies—and his vocals were sampled for the track.[39] Problems listening to this file? See media help. It was around this time that Mayer began hinting a change in his musical interests, announcing that he was "closing up shop on acoustic sensitivity."[38] In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, as well as jazz artist John Scofield. He also went on tour with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. These collaborations led to recordings with several of these artists, namely, Clapton (Back Home, Crossroads Guitar Festival), Guy (Bring 'Em In), Scofield (That's What I Say), and King (80). Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter, he has also gained distinction as an accomplished guitarist, influenced by the likes of the above artists, as well as Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Freddie King.[40

John Mayer Trio

John Mayer Trio performing

In the spring of 2005, Mayer formed the John Mayer Trio with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, both of whom he had met through previous studio sessions. The trio played a combination of blues and rock music. In October 2005, the Trio opened for The Rolling Stones during a sold-out club tour of their own, and that November, released a live album called Try! The band took a break in mid-2006. In September 2006, Mayer announced plans for the Trio to begin work on a future studio album.

Continuum

John Mayer performing on the The Early Show in 2006

Mayer's third studio album, titled Continuum, was released on September 12, 2006, and was produced by Mayer and Steve Jordan. Mayer suggested the album was intended to combine his signature pop music with the feel, sound, groove, and sensibilities of the blues. In that vein, two of the tracks from his Trio release Try!—"Vultures" and "Gravity"—also were included on Continuum.

The first single from Continuum was "Waiting on the World to Change", which debuted on The Ron and Fez Show. The song was the third most downloaded song of the week on the iTunes Store following its release on July 11, 2006, and debuted at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

On August 23, 2006, Mayer debuted the entire album on the Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, giving commentary on each track. A subsequent version was released the next day on the Clear Channel Music website as a streaming sneak preview. On September 21, 2006, Mayer appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing "Waiting on the World to Change" and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room." The song "Gravity" was featured on the television series House, in the episode "Cane & Able", and Numb3rs. He recorded a session for the British program Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios on October 22, 2006.

On December 7, 2006, Mayer was nominated for five 2007 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The John Mayer Trio also received a nomination for their album, Try!. He won two: Best Pop Song with Vocal for "Waiting on the World to Change" and Best Pop Album for Continuum. Mayer remixed an acoustic version of his single "Waiting on the World to Change" with vocal additions from fellow musician Ben Harper. In preparation for recording Continuum, Mayer had booked the Village Recorder in Los Angeles to record five demo acoustic versions of his songs with veteran musician Robbie McIntosh. These recordings became The Village Sessions, an EP released on December 12, 2006. As usual, Mayer oversaw the artwork of the release.

Mayer was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone (#1020) in February 2007, along with John Frusciante and Derek Trucks. He was named as one of the "New Guitar Gods," and the cover nicknamed him "Slowhand, Jr.," a reference to Eric Clapton. Additionally, he was selected by the editors of Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007 and was listed among artists and entertainers.

On November 20, 2007, the re-issue of Continuum became available online and in stores. The release contains a bonus disc of six live songs from his 2007 tour: five from Continuum and a cover of the Ray Charles song "I Don't Need No Doctor". His new single, "Say", also became available through iTunes. On December 6, 2007, "Belief" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. He accompanied Alicia Keys on guitar on her song "No One" at the ceremony.

In February 2008, Mayer hosted a three-day Caribbean cruise event that included performances with various musicians including David Ryan Harris, Brett Dennen, Colbie Caillat and Dave Barnes, among others. The event was called "The Mayercraft Carrier" and was held aboard the cruise ship known as the Carnival Victory. A follow up cruise titled "Mayercraft Carrier 2" set sail from Long Beach, California from March 27–31, 2009 on the Carnival Splendor.

On July 1, 2008, Mayer released Where the Light Is, a live concert film of Mayer's performance at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 8, 2007. The film was directed by Danny Clinch. It features an acoustic set and a set with the John Mayer Trio, followed by a set with John's band from the Continuum album. The DVD and Blu-ray bonus material includes footage of Mayer backstage and playing outside on Mulholland Drive.

Australian artist Guy Sebastian invited Mayer to collaborate on three songs from his 2009 album Like It Like That. Mayer also played guitar on the title track of Crosby Loggins' debut LP, Time to Move, released on July 10, 2009.

Tập tin:Mayer, John at the Michael Jackson funeral July 7, 2009.jpg

John Mayer playing guitar on "Human Nature" at Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009

On July 7, 2009, Mayer performed an instrumental guitar version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" at Jackson's televised memorial service.

Battle Studies

On November 17, 2009, Mayer's fourth studio album, Battle Studies, was released and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The album consists of 11 tracks with a total time of 45 minutes. The first single from the album, "Who Says", was released on September 24, 2009 in advance of album, and was followed on October 19 by the single "Heartbreak Warfare" and the single "Half of My Heart" released on June 21, 2010. Despite the album's commercial success, critics were mixed with their praise; while some reviews were glowing, calling it his "most adventurous", others called the album "safe" and noted that "Mayer the singer-songwriter and Mayer the man about town sometimes seem disconnected, like they don’t even belong in the same body."

Mayer admitted to Rolling Stone that he thought Battle Studies was not his best album.

Following his controversial interviews to Playboy and Rolling Stone about Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, Mayer withdrew from public life. He later explained on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, "I lost my head for a little while and I did a couple of dumb interviews and it kind of woke me up. It was a very strange time and it sort of rocketed me into adulthood. It was a violent crash into being an adult. For a couple of years, it was just figuring it all out, and I'm glad I actually stayed out of the spotlight."

Born and Raised

Early reports indicated that the follow-up to Battle Studies would be called Born and Raised, and would be released in October 2011.

On September 16, 2011, Mayer posted on his blog that his new record, Born and Raised, was being delayed due to granulomas discovered in his throat. The granulomas were found next to the vocal cords and were said to be treatable. Mayer described this as a "temporary setback" and added that recording and mixing of Born and Raised was entirely finished except for a few remaining vocal tracks. He told, "I did a lot of therapy, like anti-acid reflux, and it didn’t work, then I went on vocal rest. No alcohol. No spicy food. No talking. Most of September I wasn’t talking at all. I’d have a Bluetooth keyboard, and someone would have an iPad to read what I type. I had to point to menus at restaurants. People look at me like I’m crazy." On October 20, 2011, Mayer updated his fans about the treatment of his throat granuloma, announcing that he "had surgery this afternoon to remove it and am now on complete vocal rest for a month or more", during which he plans to "travel the country, look, and listen."

The first single from Born and Raised, called "Shadow Days" was released on February 27, 2012. On February 28, 2012, John Mayer released the track listing for the album and announced that Born and Raised would be released on May 22, 2012. He described it as his "most honest" album.

On March 9, 2012, Mayer announced on his blog that due to the return of a serious throat condition, he has been forced to cancel his tour and refrain from all singing indefinitely. Because the surgery he had in October 2011 did not work as expected, Mayer said he would have to undergo the surgery again. He had the surgery in late August 2012 and later posted a message on his Tumblr account explaining that he would not sing for several months. Despite not being able to sing, Mayer played the guitar with other artists. He appeared in September 2012 on Saturday Night Live where he played the guitar while Frank Ocean was singing. He also played with the Rolling Stones during the band's gig in New Jersey in December 2012. In January 2013, Mayer recovered sufficiently and returned to the stage during a benefit concert in Bozeman, Montana after almost two years of absence. He is scheduled to perform in April 2013 at the Crossroads Guitar Festival and at the 28th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where he will induct Albert King. He is also among the lineup of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which will take place later that month.

Other projects

Philanthropy and activism

In 2002, Mayer began the "Back to You" Fund, a nonprofit organization that focuses on fundraising in the areas of health care, education, the arts, and talent development. The foundation raises funds through the auction of exclusive John Mayer items, such as guitar picks, T-shirts, and signed CDs, made available on Mayer's auction site. The auctions have been successful, with some tickets selling for more than seventeen times their face value.

Mayer participated at the East Rutherford, New Jersey location of the Live Earth project, a musical rally to support awareness for global warming held July 7, 2007. He converted his tour bus to bio-diesel fuel.

Mayer has performed at a number of benefits and telethons for charity throughout his career. In response to the Virginia Tech massacre, Mayer (along with Dave Matthews Band, Phil Vassar, and Nas) performed a free concert at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium on September 6, 2007. On December 8, 2007, Mayer hosted the first annual Charity Revue, a tradition he has continued each year. Charities who have benefited from the concerts include Toys for Tots, Inner City Arts, and the Los Angeles Mission. Both CDs and DVDs of the first concert were released under the title Where the Light Is in July 2008. It has not been announced whether the DVD proceeds will go to charity or not. Mayer appeared on Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace, a celebrity initiative to support Tây Tạng and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. In January 2013, Mayer participated with Zac Brown in a benefit concert in Bozeman, Montana where they raised more than $100,000 for firefighters who battled a wildfire in the summer of 2012 in Paradise Valley that destroyed 12,000 acres.

Design

"I'm actually into sneakers on a design level. I've got a big design thing going on in my life right now ... I love designing stuff. I mean, my biggest dream, forget Grammys, I want to be able to design an Air Max."

—John Mayer (AP, 2006)

In a Rolling Stone interview, Mayer recalled that after former Columbia Records head, Don Ienner, panned Continuum, he briefly considered quitting music and studying design full-time. In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer. The guitar was limited to a run of only 404, an Atlanta area code. This model was followed by the release of two Fender signature Stratocaster electric guitars, beginning in 2005. A third Stratocaster, finished in charcoal frost metallic paint with a racing stripe, was also a limited-release, with only 100 guitars made. In January 2006, Martin Guitars released the Martin OMJM John Mayer acoustic guitar. The guitar was intended to have many of the attributes of the Martin OM-28 John Mayer but with a more affordable price tag. In August 2006, Fender started manufacturing SERIES II John Mayer Stratocasters. The new Olympic white with mint green pickguard and cream plastics replaced the shoreline gold model.

In January 2007, Two Rock collaborated with Mayer on custom-designed amps. Only 25 (all signed by Mayer himself) were made available to the public. June 2007 saw the release of the "album art" guitar, with the Continuum motif repeated on the face of the instrument, as well as a 500-run John Mayer signature Fender Stratocaster in Cypress-Mica, including the limited Cypress-Mica model was the INCSvsJM gig bag on which Mayer collaborated with Incase designs. In 2006, Mayer was estimated to have more than 200 guitars in his personal collection. In 2010, Fender announced a production model of Mayer's "The Black One" guitar.

Writing

With the June 1, 2004, issue of Esquire, Mayer began a column called "Music Lessons with John Mayer". Each article featured a lesson and his (often humorous) take on various topics, both of personal and popular interest. In the August 2005 issue, he invited readers to create music for orphaned lyrics he had written. The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the following January's issue.

Mayer has been active online, and has maintained four blogs: a Myspace page, a blog at his official site, another at Honeyee.com, one at tumblr.com, and a photoblog at StunningNikon.com. He also is one of the most-followed persons on the micro-blogging site Twitter, reaching 3 million followers in January 2010. Although his posts often deal with career-related matters, they also contain jokes, videos, photos, his convictions, and his personal activities; they sometimes overlap in content. He is noted for writing the blogs himself, and not through a publicist. On January 23, 2008, he posted a graphic that read, "Done & Dusted & Self Conscious & Back to Work." on his official blog, followed by the quote "There is danger in theoretical speculation of battle, in prejudice, in false reasoning, in pride, in braggadocio. There is one safe resource, the return to nature.."; all the previous blog entries were deleted.

In the mid-2000s he did stand-up comedy sporadically making random appearances at the famed Comedy Cellar in New York and at other venues. He stated that it helped him write better but that increased media attention made him too careful in his technique.

He co-wrote "Worlds of Chance" with Demi Lovato for her second album Here We Go Again.

Television

In 2004, Mayer hosted a one-shot, half-hour comedy special on VH1 titled John Mayer Has a TV Show, with antics including wearing a bear suit while anonymously teasing concertgoers in the parking lot outside one of his concerts. The American network CBS announced on January 14, 2009 that they were in negotiations with Mayer for a variety show; it may air as a special or as a regular series. In an interview with Rolling Stone, posted online on January 22, 2010, Mayer confirmed that the program, also called John Mayer Has a TV Show, was still in development, and that personnel were being hired. He described the concept as "a high quality music performance show, where I could also steer it a little bit. It's about there being a bastion of artists being made to look good and sound good.".

Mayer has made many appearances on talk shows and other television programs, most notably, on a Chappelle's Show comedy skit, the Late Show with David Letterman and on the final episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Mayer made an appearance with Rob Dyrdek in the MTV show Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory.

Mayer has written the theme song to the OWN network show Rollin' with Zach, which features Zach Anner. The show premiered in December 2011 and was cancelled after six episodes.

Touring

Mayer has toured with many musical groups, including Maroon 5, Guster, Howie Day, Mat Kearney, Counting Crows, Ben Folds, The Wallflowers, Teitur, Brett Dennen, Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat, Train, Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic and Paramore. Crow and Mayer, who had just previously appeared on the Cars Soundtrack together, co-headlined a tour that ran from August to October 2006. In 2007, Mayer toured Europe, hoping to reach the popularity abroad that he enjoys in North America. The initial North American Continuum tour ended on February 28, 2007, with a show at Madison Square Garden, a performance which the New York Post described as "career-defining." In 2010, Mayer and Keith Urban performed at a CMT Crossroads concert which saw Mayer and Urban performing a medley of their own songs together and a rendition of George Michael's single, "Faith". This performance was led to Urban and Mayer teaming up again for future performances, including at the 2010 CMT Music Awards.

Mayer allows audio taping at most of his 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, and to encourage fan interaction.

Mayer often shows up at small venues unannounced (or with little advance notice) for surprise concerts—occasionally for free or without accepting the performance fee. He has made appearances throughout the Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York areas, including shows at The Laugh Factory, Eddie's Attic, and the Village Underground. His latest surprise appearance was on January 8, 2011 at Hotel Cafe where he played seven new unreleased songs. In 2004, after being asked for numerous past years, he performed for over 1000 students at the Pennsbury High School Senior Prom. Wonderland, a book written by Micheal Bamberger, describes the world- famous prom and John Mayer's performance.

Touring band members

Current members

• David Ryan Harris – guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
• Sean Hurley – bass, backing vocals (2008–present)
• Chuck Leavell – keyboards (2011–present)
• Aaron Sterling – drums (2011–present)

Former members

• Bob Reynolds – saxophones, flute (2006–2008, 2010)
• Robbie McIntosh – guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (2006–2010)
• Pino Palladino – Bass (2010)
• Keith Carlock – drums, percussion (2010–2011)
• David LaBruyere – bass (1999–2008)
• Nir Z – drums (2001)
• Matt Mangano – guitar (2001)
• Matt Johnson – drums (2002)
• Stephen Chopek – drums, percussion (2001–2002)
• Michael Chaves – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2001–2005)
• Kevin Lovejoy – keyboards (2003–2004)
• Erik Jekabsen – trumpet, flugelhorn (2003–2004)
• Chris Karlic – saxophone, flute (2003–2005)
• J.J. Johnson – drums (2003–2005, 2006–2008)
• Onree Gill – keyboards (2004–2005)
• Chuck McKinnon – trumpet, flugelhorn (2004–2005)
• Ricky Peterson – keyboards, organ, backing vocals (2006–2007)
• Charlie Wilson – keyboards (2009–2011)
• Tim Bradshaw – keyboards, organ, lap steel guitar, backing vocals (2007–2008)
• Kenna Ramsey – backing vocals (2009–2010)
• Melanie Taylor – backing vocals (2009–2010)
• Steve Jordan – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2003, 2005–2006, 2009–2010)
• Brad Mason – trumpet, flugelhorn (2006–2008)

Personal life

Mayer has a number of tattoos. These include: "Home" and "Life" (from the song title) on the back of his left and right arms respectively, "77" (his year of birth) on the left side of his chest, and a koi-like fish on his right shoulder. His entire left arm is covered in a sleeve tattoo that he acquired gradually, ending in April 2008; it includes: "SRV" (for his idol, Stevie Ray Vaughan) on his shoulder, a decorated rectangle on his biceps, a dragon-like figure on his inner arm, and various other floral designs. In 2003, he got a tattoo of three squares on his right forearm, which, he has explained, he will fill in gradually.

Mayer has followed the discipline of Krav Maga. He is an avid collector of watches and owns timepieces worth tens of thousands of dollars. Mayer also has an extensive collection of sneakers, estimated ((in 2006)) at more than 200 pairs.

Mayer's parents concluded an uncontested divorce on May 27, 2009. After the divorce, Mayer moved his (82-year-old) father to an assisted-living facility in Los Angeles.

Mayer sold his home in the Los Angeles suburbs in 2011. He also recently sold his apartment in New York City's SoHo neighborhood and, following his throat surgery, moved to Montana where he has purchased a home.

Romantic relationships

Mayer dated Jennifer Love Hewitt briefly in 2002. In a comedy routine at the Hollywood Laugh Factory in May 2006, he said that they never consummated their relationship; he later said that he immediately apologized to her for the raunchy routine. Mayer dated Jessica Simpson for about nine months, beginning in the middle of 2006. Rumors started in August of that year with a People magazine article, but kicked into high gear when Mayer and Simpson spent New Year's holiday together in New York City, both attending Christina Aguilera's New Year's Eve party. When Ryan Seacrest asked Mayer on the red carpet of the 2007 Grammy Awards, about his relationship with Simpson, Mayer responded in Japanese. Despite some initially conflicting translations, he said, "Jessica is a lovely woman, and I'm glad to be with her." However, the couple split in May 2007. He began dating actress Minka Kelly in September 2007, but they split up before the year's end. Mayer began dating actress Jennifer Aniston in April 2008, but Mayer broke it off the following August. They resumed dating in October 2008 and split up again in March 2009. He was also romantically linked to Taylor Swift from late 2009 until June 2010. They recorded together the song "Half of My Heart". She wrote a song about her relationship with him, "Dear John", which appears on her 2010 Speak Now album. In June 2012, Mayer criticized the song, "I will say as a songwriter that I think it's kind of cheap songwriting."

Mayer's relationship with Jessica Simpson coincided with some personal behavior changes that served to significantly increase his tabloid exposure. Previously, Mayer had expressed his resolve to completely avoid drugs, alcohol, clubbing, "red-carpet" events, dating celebrities and anything else that he felt would detract from his focus on his music. In interviews, however, Mayer has alluded to experiencing an extreme "anxiety bender" episode in his twenties that motivated him to be less reclusive. He later said he realized that, "If I wanted to see Jessica more, I had to grow up," and not be afraid to be without his guitar. He called his relationship with her "sexual napalm" and said she had the power to "change [his] values." He began making appearances at clubs in Los Angeles and New York (where he would stage pranks for the paparazzi), and in a Rolling Stone interview from 2006, he first mentioned that he had begun using marijuana.

In late 2012, it was reported in 3 News NZ that Mayer was romantically involved with pop star Katy Perry. During an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning in February 2013, he commented: "I don't feel like I'm in a celebrity relationship. For the first time in my life I don't feel like I'm in a celebrity relationship. I really don't. I'm not in a high profile -- I know it's high profile. It's hard to explain... I'm saying that for me it feels like something that's very human."

Playboy interview controversy

In April 2010, Mayer gave a controversial interview to Playboy magazine, in which he made sexually explicit comments about former girlfriends Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston. It was alleged that one remark he made in the interview was racist. He later apologized onstage for these statements.

Despite assertions that he would not be doing any more press, an interview with Playboy magazine posted to their website on February 10, 2010^{[cần dẫn nguồn]} set off accusations in the media and on Twitter of his being a misogynist, kiss-and-tell ex-boyfriend, and racist. He apologized via Twitter for his use of the word "nigger," saying, "It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize...a word that is so emotionally charged." He also tearfully apologized to his band and fans at his concert in Nashville later that night. Mayer was dubbed an "accidental racist" by comedian Kumail Nanjiani.

Solo discography

• Room for Squares (2001)
• Heavier Things (2003)
• Continuum (2006)
• Battle Studies (2009)
• Born and Raised (2012)

Giải thưởng

Giải Grammy

Mayer giành được 7 giải Grammy trong tổng số 19 đề cử.

Năm	Tác phẩm được đề cử	Hạng mục	Kết quả
2003	John Mayer	Nghệ sĩ mới xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
	"Your Body Is a Wonderland"	Trình diễn giọng Pop nam xuất sắc nhất	Đoạt giải
2005	"Daughters"	Bài hát của năm	Đoạt giải
		Trình diễn giọng Pop nam xuất sắc nhất	Đoạt giải
2007	Continuum	Album của năm	Đề cử
		Best Pop Vocal Album	Đoạt giải
	Try!	Album nhạc Rock xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
	"Waiting on the World to Change"	Trình diễn giọng Pop nam xuất sắc nhất	Đoạt giải
	"Route 66"	Trình diễn Giọng Nam Rock Xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
2008	"Belief"	Trình diễn giọng Pop nam xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
2009	"Say"	Trình diễn giọng Pop nam xuất sắc nhất	Đoạt giải
		Video Âm nhạc Hình thái Ngắn Xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
	"Gravity"	Trình diễn Giọng Nam Rock Xuất sắc nhất	Đoạt giải
	"Lesson Learned"	Giải Grammy cho Trình diễn Song ca hoặc nhóm nhạc Pop xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
	Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles	Video Âm nhạc Hình thái Dài xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
2011	Battle Studies	Album nhạc Pop xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
	"Half of My Heart"	Trình diễn giọng Pop nam xuất sắc nhất	Đề cử
	"Crossroads"	Trình diễn Rock Xuất sắc nhất, Đơn ca	Đề cử
2013	Channel Orange (featured artist)	Album của năm	Đề cử

Các giải thưởng và đề cử khác

Year	Award	Category
2002	MTV Video Music Awards	Best New Artist in a Video for "No Such Thing" – nominated
	Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards	Les Paul Horizon Award (Most Promising Up and Coming Guitarist)
	VH1 Big in 2002 Awards	Can't Get You Out of My Head Award for "No Such Thing"
	Pollstar Concert Industry Awards	Best New Artist Tour
2003	20th Annual ASCAP Awards	ASCAP Pop Award – "No Such Thing" (shared with Clay Cook) Awarded to songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs in the ASCAP repertory for the award period.
	31st Annual American Music Awards	Favorite Male Artist – Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music
	15th Annual Boston Music Awards	Act of the Year Male Vocalist of the Year Song of the Year for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
	MTV Video Music Awards	Best Male Video
	Radio Music Awards	Modern Adult Contemporary Radio Artist of the Year Best Hook-Up Song for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
	Teen People Awards	Choice Music – Male Artist Choice Music – Album for Any Given Thursday
	Danish Music Awards	Best New Artist
2004	BDS Certified Spin Awards March 2004 recipients	Reached 100,000 spins for "Why Georgia"
2005	33rd annual American Music Awards	Adult Contemporary: Favorite Artist
	World Music Awards	World's Best Selling Rock Act
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Male Artist
2007	35th Annual American Music Awards	Adult Contemporary Music — nominated
	23rd Annual TEC Awards	Tour Sound Production (for the Continuum Tour) Record Production/Single or Track (for production on "Waiting on the World to Change") Record Production/Album (from production on Continuum)

See also

• Annual John Mayer Holiday Charity Revue
• Battle Studies World Tour

Notes

^  a:  Generally, it was believed that Mayer's father, a Bridgeport High School principal, had given him a tape player (confiscated from a student) that happened to contain Stevie Ray Vaughan album. However, in a 2006 interview on the New Zealand show Close Up (and other interviews), Mayer said that this wasn't true.

^  b:  "Bittersweet Poetry" was released in the summer of 2007 (three years after its creation) as an iTunes pre-order bonus track to the album Graduation.

^  c:  The quote is taken from the posthumously-published book Battle Studies by Colonel Ardant Du Picq (d. 1870)

^  d:  His actual words were: "Jessica はとても素敵な女性で、一緒に居られて最高です。" In Romanized script, he said "Jessica wa totemo suteki na josei de, issho ni irarete saikō desu."

References

• Edwards, G. (2006) Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?, New York: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0-307-34603-X

External links

• Trang web chính thức