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A look into the life of a modern-day musician

JohnMayer

Music 1010 Presentation By Jessica Williams

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Artist Biography

+The Early Years

John Mayer was born October 16, 1977.

He was raised by highly educated parents and although the same was expected of him, he soon ventured into the world of music.

He bought his first guitar with money he raised working at a gas station 1996 Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stratocaster

+The Early Years (cont.)

Left the Berklee School of Music to pursue performing

Moved to Georgia with a close friend to begin playing at local venues Attracted young students

and appealed to the “artsy” crowd

Throughout this occupational transformation, his musical style grew from bluesy jazz to mainstream pop

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Media Exposure• Mayer releases his first album called

Inside Wants Out in 1999

• Performs at the South by Southwest music festival where he signs a record deal with Aware Record Label

• Released a second album called Room For Squares which received a great deal of media attention.

+Scaling the Charts

Begins dating Jennifer Love Hewitt Influences his music, as he

claims she is his “muse”

John wins Grammy in 2003 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance “Your Body is a

Wonderland”

2 additional Grammy Awards Song of the Year for

“Daughters”

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John Mayer Trio• Although many viewed “Daughters” as one of his biggest hits,

Mayer was not convinced

• John Mayer Trio formed in 2005, joining pals Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan • Seemed Mayer again returned to the bluesy side of music

• Collaborated with many fellow musicians

• Released album, Try! in 2005

+ Continuum

• After the Trio was disbanded, John followed his solo career to produce Continuum, including songs such as “Waiting on the World to Change”

• Scaled Billboard charts and won two additional Grammy Awards• Gained mainstream fame and became a pop idol

+Dating Life

John drops off the musical radar to pursue romantic relationships

Publicly dates many celebrities Jessica Simpson Cameron Diaz Minka Kelly Jennifer Anniston

By 2009 he was working on his music again and won two more Grammys for “Say” and “Gravity”

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Recent Musical Works• Releases Battle Studies in

November of 2009• Contains hits “Heartbreak

Warfare” and “Half of My Heart,” recorded with singer Taylor Swift

• Receives mixed reviews

• Current album is underway, although official date has yet to be announced.

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Composition History

+Daughters

Released as a part of Heavier Things in 2003

First number one single

Grammy – Song of the Year Won over Alicia Keys Won Best Male Pop Vocal

Performance

According to Mayer, it was originally a supposed “career death” Much more sappy than

most of his music up to this point

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Half of My Heart• Released as part of Battle Studies in

2009

• Recorded with country artist Taylor Swift

• Song debuted at #29 on the US Billboard charts

• Also appeared on multiple international music charts

• Released music video in 2010• Depicts Mayer as a “runaway groom”

+Stop This Train

Released in 2006 as part of Continuum

Composed with friend and former Trio member Pino Palladino

Written during a time of “solitary refinement” Makes it a very personal song while Mayer was in a period

of self-realization

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Listening Guides

+ Daughters

This song is very soft and sentimental. It evokes a care for “Daughters” everywhere and a general respect for women. The tone is warm and inviting throughout the entire song. It is familiar, which I believe creates a home-like feel to this piece.

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Half of My HeartThis song is steady and upbeat, although the overall meaning of the song can be interpreted differently. It begins cautious and mellow and builds up with use of crescendos and decrescendos. As it is also a duet, the dual voices accounts for much of the melodic feel to this piece. As it is depicting that he is unable to give his whole heart to her, it is significant where Mayer sings alone, as that represents the pieces of himself that are his own.

+Stop This Train

Mayer succeeds in making it clear to the listener that the song is as a train – steady, constant, and unchangeable.

Although the timbre changes momentarily, it always returns to it’s constancy This represents life’s

challenges, but also shows that the “train” of life does not stop after a bit of darkness

The composer uses the tempo to express urgency, as exhibited at 2:31

+“I hope that what it comes down to at the end of the day is that people believe that I believe what I’m singing. [Music] comes down to being believable. “

- John Mayer