 After a short-lived stint at the
Berklee College of Music, where he had a "great learning
experience, but not because of class,"
John Mayer set down roots in Atlanta, where
his music career hit the ground running. After one year in
Atlanta, he released his debut solo album, Inside Wants Out,
in 1999. At the same time, he became a regular in the
Atlanta club circuit, playing a steady stream of shows at
venues like Eddie's Attic. An appearance in March 2000 at
the South by Southwest Music Festival led to a recording
contract with Aware Records, a subsidiary of Columbia.
John Mayer
began recording his major-label debut, Room for Squares,
that fall with producer John Alagia, who had previously
worked with artists like
Dave Matthews and
the Ben Folds Five.
John Mayer's first album had been a decidedly acoustic
effort; in contrast, Room for Squares featured a full
electric band and showed the work of its producer with its
funky hooks and an emphasis placed on
John Mayer's versatile, smooth voice, which bore more than
just a stylistic resemblance to
Dave Matthews. Columbia re-released Room for Squares in
the summer of 2001, adding one bonus track, and also offered
a very limited-edition two-CD set including a disc with two
previously unreleased covers.
John Mayer's dedicated fan base grew substantially larger
during his first cross-country tour to support the album,
spawning a number of CD-R trading outlets through fan
websites, as well as a successful live album, Any Given
Thursday.
John Mayer's lucrative follow-up, 2004's Heavier Things,
resulted in another Grammy, this time for Song of the Year.
Looking to strip his sound down, he formed
the John Mayer Trio with drummer Steve Jordan and
bassist
Pino Palladino. Their sold-out tour was documented on
the 2005 release Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert. ~
Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide
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