Music

Young Photos of John Mayer

On the singer’s birthday, L’OFFICIEL looks back at moments from his early career days.

A man wearing a black suit with a white shirt.

Singer and songwriter John Mayer had a genuine love for music from a young age that ultimately laid the foundation to build his career as a world-renowned musician. At 13 years old, he became fascinated with guitars and eventually started taking lessons at a local music shop. It was only a couple of years later that he started to perform around at local venues. In 1997 he was briefly enrolled at the Berklee College of Music but ultimately dropped out to pursue a career in music full-time. From there, Mayer went all in with musical pursuits.

In 2002, Mayer won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his hit song “Your Body Is A Wonderland.” His momentum only continued after dropping another successful album in 2003 called Heavier Things which charted number one on Billboard and won him a 2005 Grammy award for the song “Daughters.” Even though the song was a great success, Mayer had later revealed that he thought Alicia Keys should have won and broke the award in two to give her the top half of it.

With his established fame and secure platform, Mayer soon began to expand his sound by collaborating with other musicians. Such artists included Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Common, and Kanye West to name a few. In 2005, Mayer also formed the John Mayer Trio with drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino which specialized in the blending of rock and blues. Mayer had taken all that he learned and poured it into his 2006 album Continuum which won him two more Grammys to add to his list.   

After a brief hiatus, he returned with his 2012 album Born And Raised. A decade later, Mayer still remains in the spotlight having done numerous performances throughout the years and releasing hit singles. In 2015, Mayer joined the band Dead & Company alongside Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti. The band has announced their upcoming summer tour will be their final one. 

In honor of Mayer’s 45th birthday, L’OFFICIEL is remembering some of his early career moments.

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January 2003: John Mayer at the nomination announcements for the Grammy Awards.
October 2004: John Mayer at the Giorgio Armani Spring/Summer 2005 runway show.
February 2005: John Mayer at the Grammy Awards.
September 2005: John Mayer at a benefit concert signing a guitar.
November 2006: John Mayer at the American Music Awards.
February 2007: John Mayer at the Grammy Awards.
May 2007: John Mayer and Roberta Armani at the Met Gala.
August 2007: John Mayer performing at a live concert.
December 2007: John Mayer at a benefit gala.
December 2007: John Mayer at the premiere of 'Walk Hard: The Dewy Cox Story.'
May 2008: John Mayer at the Met Gala.

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