John Mayer and Reinvention
I remember 2001, a pivotal year in my childhood. I was moving through that point in life when you first start to feel too big for your own britches. I didn’t feel like a kid anymore (though I most certainly was). My mom had moved us down to Arizona. We’d already traded Tacoma city living for a crack at a smaller town of about 15,000, and we were getting ready to trade that for a town with not even a stoplight and a population of 1,500, which would blow up to 3,000 during the winter thanks to the snowbirds. I’d just turned 12 and had been upended twice in one year. I was angry—I mean, who isn’t at that age? I paint this picture to show that in 2001, I was not John Mayer’s target demographic. It’d take a few more years and going through heartbreak for me to give him a shot. Like I said, it’s 2001, and like a large swath of my contemporaries, I was watching MTV daily. I remember catching the video for “No Such Thing,” a fun romp of a song that scratched my “so over high school” attitude, even though I was only in 7th grade. Then a few months later, “Your Body Is a Wonderland” hit. I was very much interested in girls, but the interest hadn’t reached the point of reciprocation, so I had no need for such a song. While Room for Squares is a fine record, it never really hit me, not the way his later work would. Makes sense—the acoustic pop-rock thing was cool, but everyone from Gavin DeGraw to Jason Mraz was doing it. His follow-up, Heavier Things, started to take more musical risks but was still a safe, poppy album. But this was the first time I noticed, “Oh, this guy’s a little funky!”
Reinvention #1: The Blues Shift
Reinvention… the shift from pop-rock heartthrob to who he started to become with the forming of the John Mayer Trio. He teamed up with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino, and together they dropped TRY!, one of the best live albums I’ve ever heard. I’m not a live album guy—I skip most artists’ live stuff—but John Mayer’s the exception. Between the Trio’s TRY! and Where the Light Is, where he flexes his versatility with Trio, full band, and solo acoustic performances, he blew me away. TRY! jumps headfirst into that funky bag I mentioned with Heavier Things. It opens with “Who Did You Think I Was,” a perfect opener because Mayer was one artist before this album and a completely different one after. He didn’t forget his pop-rock roots but dove deep into blues guitar. During this time in the 2000s, Mayer was secretly working to become one of the greatest guitar players of our generation. To get the shift, look at his influences: legendary blues guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and Jimi Hendrix. Once you see that, it makes sense. Heavier Things was his first step into more mature music—you can hear blues and jazz sprinkled all over that album. For a pop record, he snuck in what he could, showing there was more to this singer/songwriter than met the eye. With the John Mayer Trio, critics, like Guitar World in 2005, praised his “blues chops” as a revelation. TRY! was a live album, so no singles were ripped from it, but it was the first glimpse of caterpillar John, the pop-rock singer/songwriter, turning into John, the blues master. That’s reinvention number one.
Enter Continuum in 2006. I gotta be upfront—I can’t speak objectively about this album. I think it’s one of the best ever, a fusion of soul, blues, and pop. It’s its own symphony of polished, jam-infused songs—a perfect album. He honed the raw blues of TRY! into something tight and soulful. Continuum pleased the record label and the masses (pleasing the label seems to be a recurring theme with Mayer—he plays ball as best he can, but it works best when there’s no label interference, as we’ll see). I wrote out the hits from this album and realized I’d basically listed the whole track list. If you were like me, a young buck thinking you’re way too cool for the heartthrob, do yourself a favor: put Continuum on front to back, maybe inhale a little of nature’s finest, and go on the adventure. The soulful vocals and jazz guitar will have you closing your eyes, just feeling it. Don’t take my word for it—it won two Grammys. Awards aren’t the end-all be-all, but it shows I’m not overhyping this album.
Two years later, he dropped Where the Light Is, a live album with one of my favorite covers of all time—John’s rendition of “Free Fallin’.” It does what a cover should: elevates the original with his masterful guitar playing and a voice that, no matter how hard you try, you’re gonna end up swooning. He switched it up on those tours—solo acoustic, full band, and bringing out Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan for bluesy jams. There’s a 9+ minute version of “Gravity,” double its Continuum length, with epic jams. I don’t think Mayer knew where his jam-band renditions would lead—hell, I wouldn’t have guessed what was coming seven years down the road, but we’ll get there.
The Unexpected Intro
My first real intro to John Mayer the guitarist—not the pretty boy heartthrob—wasn’t through his albums. It was a song he was featured on for a guitar solo: Fall Out Boy’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” I listened to that cover so many damn times I broke the skip-back button on my iPod (wow, blast from the past). It took me a month to check the song title and realize the madman shredding that solo was John Mayer. How does a multi-Grammy winner get pulled into this? Go back to 1982—Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones wanted to broaden Michael’s pop-heavy music to crack the rock market, so they got Eddie freakin’ Van Halen for the iconic “Beat It” riff and solo. By ’82, Van Halen was a rock icon, known for revolutionary guitar techniques like two-handed tapping in “Eruption.” His technical brilliance and melodic vibe made him perfect for a pop-rock crossover. When Fall Out Boy did their version, they wanted to make the same kind of blend. Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy's bassist, said, “We were trying to think about who is a contemporary guitar guy who’s going to go down as a legend.” Spoiler: they nailed it. Mayer will go down as a legend. After hearing that solo, I dropped my image of John as the pretty-boy singer/songwriter, the guy showing up to the kegger with his acoustic guitar, and saw John Mayer, the insanely talented guitarist and musician. At this point, I’d forgotten pre-2006 John—the obnoxiously good-looking guy playing cheesy songs to drop girls’ panties. He was an artist, one who got this punk-pop, emo-obsessed young adult to slow down and vibe with the music. It was shortly after learning this that I decided to give the albums I had passed on another try. Turns out it was a good call because TRY! and Where the Light Is are my favorite live albums, and Continuum is easily in my personal favorite albums of all time.
The Pop Dip
Enter Battle Studies in 2009. After Continuum’s smashing success, Columbia thought they knew the key to success and pushed for a super poppy album. Don’t get me wrong—there are good songs. “Who Says” is a great jam, and “Half of My Heart,” though bubblegum poppy, is a bop that gets your head dancing. But the album doesn’t sound like John Mayer the artist. It sounds like someone was whispering in his ear, keeping this insanely talented man reined in. If that wasn’t bad enough, 2010 brought controversy with a candid Playboy interview that reinforced his playboy image. He definitely didn’t do himself any favors there. Then in 2011, Mayer developed a vocal cord granuloma, a non-cancerous, inflammatory growth typically caused by irritation or trauma. Given that the man had pipes, this could’ve been the end for an artist who didn’t understand the importance of reinvention.
Reinvention #2: Folk/Americana
Instead, it sparked reinvention number two—probably the biggest one. Mayer decided to recede from the public eye, a good call. After two surgeries and Botox injections directly into his vocal cords to help them heal with no inflammation, he had to teach himself to sing again from scratch. On May 22, 2012, Born and Raised dropped—the reinvention of John Mayer from a fame-obsessed artist to an honest, stripped-down, folky-Americana vibe. I hadn’t listened to this album until last week, and I can see I missed out on so much great music. It feels like a heartfelt apology, but not one waiting for validation or acceptance. In “Shadow Days,” he sings, “I’m a good man, with a good heart / Had a tough time, got a rough start / But I finally learned from my mistakes.” It’s widely seen as a mea culpa for his Playboy comments and reckless behavior, showing he’s reformed and reflective. The title track, “Born and Raised,” reflects on personal growth: “I’ve been down, but I’m coming back.” The album ditches Battle Studies’ pop for acoustic guitars, harmonicas, and pedal steel, inspired by Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Working with producer Don Was, Mayer crafted a raw, unadorned sound that contrasted with the slick production of Battle Studies. This choice was an apology for chasing pop stardom, aligning with his post-controversy goal to be taken seriously as a musician.
Then there was Paradise Valley, inspired by his new home in Montana after he fled from being in the public eye. With this one, Columbia pushed for pop collaborations to maintain chart relevance, but Mayer retained significant control, focusing on a relaxed, pastoral sound. Paradise Valley built on Born and Raised’s folk sound but incorporated more country influences and pop elements, creating a softer, less focused record.
The John Mayer Discography (and one stock image…)
John Mayer understands the importance of reinvention, with out evolving he would have been forgotten like so many singer/songwriters from the early 2000’s. I is through evolution that Mayer has become known as one of the best guitarist of our generation.
Reinvention #3: The Deadhead Era
Reinvention number three was wild. The Grateful Dead, formed in 1965, hadn’t toured as a full band since Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. In January 2015, the “Core Four” surviving members—Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh—announced the “Fare Thee Well” shows to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, initially billed as their final performances together. Held in Chicago and Santa Clara with Trey Anastasio of Phish on lead guitar, those shows were epic. But Weir, Hart, and Kreutzmann were open to continuing the Grateful Dead’s music in a new format. They needed a lead guitarist since Anastasio was fully committed to Phish. Enter John Mayer. During his downtime in 2011 dealing with his medical issues, he discovered the Grateful Dead and became obsessed with songs like “Althea” and “Fire on the Mountain,” appreciating their improvisational structure and emotional depth. This discovery came at a time when Mayer was seeking authenticity after the Playboy fallout and his health challenges, aligning with the introspective tone of Born and Raised. In early 2015, Don Was facilitated a meeting between Mayer and Bob Weir, as detailed in a Reddit clip shared by fans (How Dead & Co Was Formed). Was believed Mayer’s blues and improvisational skills, honed through the John Mayer Trio and his study of guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, made him a natural fit to interpret Jerry Garcia’s role. Mayer and Weir met and jammed together, finding an immediate musical chemistry. Weir called him a “quick study” in a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, and Mayer said he felt “at home.” By mid-2015, Mayer was approached formally, with Hart and Kreutzmann joining the discussions, as reported in Billboard (August 2015). The trio appreciated Mayer’s technical prowess and his willingness to honor Garcia’s legacy without mimicking him. I had no idea about any of this when it was happening—I thought it was a one-time thing when I saw Mayer was a member of Dead & Company. Now, listening, it’s a no-brainer. He fits so naturally. Don’t take my word for it—take the word of the Deadheads who make their way to Folsom Field or Red Rocks every July to hear the band jam, three nights for a weekend, every show different from the last. John’s role in Dead & Company almost feels like divine intervention, continuing the Grateful Dead’s legacy.
Reinvention #4: Yacht Rock and Beyond
As if bringing the Grateful Dead back to life wasn’t enough, there’s one more reinvention. In 2017, The Search for Everything, his seventh studio album, felt like a culmination of all his work, stepping one foot out of the strict folk/Americana feel of his last two solo albums. There’s a light pop influence, funky tunes, blues, and still a folksy soul. It shows versatility. Then in 2021, Sob Rock dropped, a straight-up 1980s pop-rock vibe inspired by Toto, Phil Collins, Michael McDonald, and Kenny Loggins. Tracks like “Last Train Home” and “New Light” have slick production, synths, and polished guitar riffs, but Mayer’s bluesy solos keep it grounded. Working with Don Was and session pros like Greg Phillinganes and Lenny Castro, he nailed the yacht rock vibe with vintage gear like Roland synths and Fender Strats, as Guitar Player noted in 2021.
Why This Whole Thing
When I started this, I thought Mayer reinvented himself once. Turns out, it’s at least four times, each a bold leap. That’s what this site is for me—reinvention. The moment we sold the house, the moment I bought the camera, the day I started working on the website—it was all reinventing who I am. I’m not a guy living in the burbs at a job he hates. I’m the guy who sells everything at a chance of creating something and leaving the world a better place than I found it.
Now the real question… why did I just write 5 pages on John Mayer? Well, the answer to that is actually quite simple. I threw on some Continuum while I was doing dishes the other day, and I went down a John Mayer rabbit hole. I was just listening to The Heart of Life and out of nowhere I was struck by inspiration, a series, Sight and Sound will be my love letter to music. Every week I will pick one artist and select 5 songs, each song will be paired with a specially selected images that I have taken, or will take in the future. The goal is to encapsulate the theme or subject of a song in one or more of my pictures. Now this won't start overnight, but I think I should have my first week ready in July, so be sure to follow on instagram now so you don't miss em when they start rolling out.
I have loved music my whole life and have never been talented enough, or stuck with an instrument long enough to become talented enough to give music to the world, but over the last two years, I have actually gotten pretty good at this photography thing. I mean I am in no way saying I am the John Mayer of photography, but hey, maybe one day. I guess I will have to keep reinventing myself.
I hope at least one person has as much fun reading this as I had writing it.
-J
P.S. If someone reads this and knows John, do me a favor and pass it along to him.
Oh yeah Go here to buy some pictures.
Running Up That Hill - Buy this print now
