Events

284 – Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers.

473 – The future Leo II is named associate emperor by Leo I.

794 – Japanese Emperor Kammu changes his residence from Nara to Kyoto.

1183 – The Battle of Mizushima.

1292 – (O.S.) John Balliol becomes King of Scotland.

1511 – Spain and England ally against France.

1558 – Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of England.

1603 – English explorer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.

1659 – The Peace of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain.

1777 – Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for ratification.

1796 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Arcole – French forces defeat the Austrians in Italy.

1800 – The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, D.C.

1811 – José Miguel Carrera, Chilean founding father, is sworn in as President of the executive Junta of the government of Chile.

1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Krasnoi.

1820 – Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica (the Palmer Peninsula is later named after him).

1827 – The Delta Phi fraternity, America's oldest continuous social fraternity, is founded at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

1831 – Ecuador and Venezuela are separated from Greater Colombia.

1855 – David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now present-day Zambia-Zimbabwe.

1856 – American Old West: On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army establishes Fort Buchanan in order to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.

1858 – Modified Julian Day zero.

1863 – American Civil War: Siege of Knoxville begins – Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee under siege.

1869 – In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated.

1871 – The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the state of New York.

1876 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Slavonic March is given its première performance in Moscow.

1878 – First assassination attempt against Umberto I of Italy.

1903 – The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party splits into two groups; the Bolsheviks (Russian for "majority") and Mensheviks (Russian for "minority").

1911 – The Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the first African-American fraternity at an historically black college or university, is founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

1919 – King George V of the United Kingdom proclaims Armistice Day (later Remembrance Day). The idea is first suggested by Edward George Honey.

1922 – Former Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI goes into exile in Italy.

1933 – United States recognizes Soviet Union.

1939 – Nine Czech students are executed as a response to anti-Nazi demonstrations prompted by the death of Jan Opletal. In addition, all Czech universities are shut down and over 1200 Czech students sent to concentration camps. Since this event, International Students' Day is celebrated in many countries, especially in the Czech Republic.

1947 – The U.S. Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.

1947 – American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th Century.

1953 – The remaining human inhabitants of the Blasket Islands, Kerry, Ireland are evacuated to the mainland.

1957 – Vickers Viscount G-AOHP of British European Airways crashes at Ballerup after the failure of three engines on approach to Copenhagen Airport. The cause is a malfunction of the anti-icing system on the aircraft.

1962 – President John F. Kennedy dedicates Dulles International Airport, serving the Washington, D.C. region.

1967 – Vietnam War: Acting on optimistic reports that he had been given on November 13, US President Lyndon B. Johnson tells the nation that, while much remained to be done, "We are inflicting greater losses than we're taking...We are making progress."

1968 – Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to assassinate Greek dictator George Papadopoulos.

1968 – British European Airways introduces the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service.

1969 – Cold War: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.

1970 – Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai massacre.

1970 – Luna program: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and is released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.

1970 – Douglas Engelbart receives the patent for the first computer mouse.

1973 – Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, US President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook".

1973 – The Athens Polytechnic Uprising against the military regime ends in a bloodshed in the Greek capital.

1979 – Brisbane Suburban Railway Electrification. The first stage from Ferny Grove to Darra is commissioned.

1982 – Duk Koo Kim dies unexpectedly from injuries sustained during a 14-round match against Ray Mancini in Las Vegas, Nevada, prompting reforms in the sport of boxing.

1983 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is founded in Mexico.

1989 – Cold War: Velvet Revolution begins: In Czechoslovakia, a student demonstration in Prague is quelled by riot police. This sparks an uprising aimed at overthrowing the communist government (it succeeds on December 29).

1990 – Fugendake, part of the Mount Unzen volcanic complex, Nagasaki prefecture, Japan becomes active again and erupts.

1997 – In Luxor, Egypt, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut, known as Luxor massacre (The police then kill the assailants).

2000 – A catastrophic landslide in Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophes in Slovenia in the past 100 years.

2000 – Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru.

2004 – Kmart Corp. announces that it is buying Sears, Roebuck and Co. for $11 billion USD and naming the newly merged company Sears Holdings Corporation.

2007 – Brian May of the rock band Queen (band) was appointed Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

Births

9 – Emperor Vespasian, Roman emperor (d. 79)

1503 – Agnolo Bronzino, Italian painter (d. 1572)

1576 – Roque Gonzales, Paraguayan missionary (d. 1628)

1587 – Joost van den Vondel, Dutch poet (d. 1679)

1612 – Dorgon, Manchu prince (d. 1650)

1681 – Pierre François le Courayer, French theologian (d. 1776)

1685 – Pierre Gaultier, French-Canadian trader and explorer (d. 1749)

1729 – Maria Antonietta of Spain, queen of Sardinia (d. 1785)

1749 – Nicolas Appert, French inventor (d. 1841)

1753 – Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, American clergyman and botanist (d. 1815)

1755 – Louis XVIII of France (d. 1824)

1765 – Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald, French marshal (d. 1840)

1790 – August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician (d. 1868)

1793 – Charles Lock Eastlake, British painter (d. 1865)

1799 – Titian Peale, American artist (d. 1885)

1816 – August Wilhelm Ambros, Austrian composer (d. 1876)

1827 – Petko Slavejkov, Bulgarian writer (d. 1895)

1835 – Andrew L. Harris, governor of Ohio (d. 1915)

1854 – Hubert Lyautey, French general (d. 1934)

1857 – Joseph Babiński, Polish-French neurologist (d. 1932)

1866 – Voltairine de Cleyre, American anarchist (d. 1912)

1868 – Korbinian Brodmann, German neurologist (d. 1918)

1877 – Frank Calder, British-born Canadian sports executive (d. 1943)

1878 – Grace Abbott, American social worker (d. 1939)

1878 – Lise Meitner, Austrian physicist (d. 1968)

1887 – Bernard Montgomery, British World War II commander (d. 1976)

1886 – Walter Terence Stace, British philosopher (d. 1967)

1894 – Richard Nikolaus Graf Coudenhove-Kalergi, Austrian politician (d. 1972)

1895 – Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher (d. 1975)

1895 – Gregorio López y Fuentes, Mexican author (d. 1966)

1896 – Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934)

1897 – Frank Fay, American actor (d. 1961)

1899 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian film sound engineer (d. 1971)

1901 – Walter Hallstein, German politician (d. 1982)

1901 – Lee Strasberg, Austrian director (d. 1982)

1902 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)

1904 – Isamu Noguchi, American sculptor (d. 1988)

1905 – Queen Astrid of the Belgians (d. 1935)

1905 – Mischa Auer, American actor (d. 1967)

1906 – Soichiro Honda, Japanese automobile pioneer (d. 1991)

1906 – Rollie Stiles, American baseball player (d. 2007)

1907 – Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley's secretary (d. 1985)

1911 – Christian Fouchet, French diplomat (d. 1974)

1916 – Shelby Foote, American historian (d. 2005)

1920 – Camillo Felgen, Luxembourgish singer (d. 2005)

1921 – Albert Bertelsen, Danish painter

1922 – Stanley Cohen, American biochemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

1923 – Hubertus Brandenburg, Swedish Roman Catholic Bishop (d. 2009)

1923 – Mike Garcia, American baseball player (d. 1986)

1923 – Aristides Pereira, Cape Verdian politician

1923 – Bert Sutcliffe, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2001)

1925 – Jean Faut, American baseball player

1925 – Rock Hudson, American actor (d. 1985)

1925 – Charles Mackerras, Australian-born conductor (d. 2010)

1927 – Robert Brown, American actor

1927 – Robert Drasnin, American musician and composer

1928 – Rance Howard, American actor

1929 – Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (d. 1999)

1930 – Bob Mathias, American decathlete (d. 2006)

1933 – Orlando Peña, Cuban baseball player

1934 – Fenella Fielding, English actress

1934 – Jim Inhofe, American politician

1935 – Bobby Joe Conrad, American football player

1935 – Toni Sailer, Austrian skier (d. 2009)

1936 – Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet (d. 2005)

1937 – Peter Cook, British comedian (d. 1995)

1938 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer

1939 – Auberon Waugh, British author (d. 2001)

1940 – Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player (d. 1984)

1942 – Kang Kek Iew, Cambodian politician and criminal

1942 – Martin Scorsese, American film director

1943 – Lauren Hutton, American actress

1944 – Jim Boeheim, Hall of Fame basketball coach

1944 – Gene Clark, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (d. 1991)

1944 – Danny DeVito, American actor

1944 – Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect

1944 – Lorne Michaels, Canadian producer

1944 – Tom Seaver, American baseball player

1945 – Elvin Hayes, American basketball player

1945 – Roland Joffé, Anglo-French film director

1946 – Martin Barre, English rock musician (Jethro Tull)

1946 – Terry E. Branstad, Governor of Iowa

1947 – Steven E. de Souza, American scriptwriter

1947 – Inky Mark, Canadian politician

1948 – Howard Dean, American politician

1948 – East Bay Ray, American musician

1949 – John Boehner, American politician

1949 – Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, Prime Minister of Vietnam

1950 – Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver and race team owner

1951 – Butch Davis, American football coach

1951 – Dean Paul Martin, American singer and actor (d. 1987)

1951 – Stephen Root, American actor

1952 – Ties Kruize, Dutch field hockey player

1953 – Babis Tennes, Greek football manager

1954 – Mark Brandon Read, Australian criminal

1955 – Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. (d. 2007)

1955 – Dennis Maruk, Canadian hockey player

1956 – Graham Jones, British author and psychologist

1957 – Debbie Thrower, news reader

1958 – Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress

1959 – Terry Fenwick, English footballer

1960 – Michael Hertwig, German footballer

1960 – Jonathan Ross, British TV presenter

1960 – RuPaul, American drag entertainer

1960 – Mandy Yachad, former South African cricketer

1961 – Robert Stethem, U.S. Navy Seabee diver murdered by terrorists on TWA Flight 847 (d. 1985)

1961 – Pat Toomey, American politician, junior senator of Pennsylvania

1962 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer (Les Colocs) (d. 2000)

1963 – Randy Black, Canadian drummer (Annihilator)

1964 – Ralph Garman, American actor and radio personality

1964 – Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations

1964 – Mitch Williams, baseball player

1965 – Amanda Brown, Australian musician (The Go-Betweens) and composer

1966 – Ben Allison, American jazz bassist and composer

1966 – Jeff Buckley, American musician (d. 1997)

1966 – Kate Ceberano, Australian singer

1966 – Richard Fortus, American guitarist (Guns N' Roses)

1966 – Daisy Fuentes, Cuban model and actress

1966 – Sophie Marceau, French actress

1968 – Amber Michaels, German pornographic actress

1968 – Sean Miller, American basketball coach

1969 – Ryotaro Okiayu, Japanese voice actor

1969 – Rebecca Walker, American feminist writer

1969 – Jean-Michel Saive, Belgian table tennis player

1970 – Paul Allender, British guitarist (Cradle of Filth)

1972 – Kimya Dawson, American singer

1972 – Joanne Goode, English badminton player

1972 – Leonard Roberts, American actor

1973 – Andreas "Vintersorg" Hedlund, Swedish singer (Vintersorg)

1973 – Eli Marrero, American baseball player

1973 – Bernd Schneider, German footballer

1973 – Alexei Urmanov, Russian figure skater

1974 – Leslie Bibb, American actress

1974 – Berto Romero, Spanish humorist

1975 – Roland de Marigny, South African-born Italian rugby player

1975 – Jerome James, American basketball player

1975 – Lord Infamous, Rapper

1976 – Brandon Call, American actor

1976 – Diane Neal, American actress

1976 – Jacqueline Aguilera, Venezuelan beauty queen

1977 – Ryk Neethling, South African swimmer

1977 – Paul Shepherd, English footballer

1978 – Glen Air, Former Rugby League player for London Broncos

1978 – Zoë Bell, New Zealand actress-stuntwoman

1978 – Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress

1978 – Reggie Wayne, American football player

1979 – Matthew Spring, English footballer

1980 – Brad Bradley, American professional wrestler

1980 – Isaac Hanson, American musician (Hanson)

1980 – Mercedes Martinez, American professional wrestler

1981 – Sarah Harding, English singer (Girls Aloud)

1982 – Katie Feenstra, American basketball player

1982 – Lucy Durack, Australian Singer/Performer

1982 – Otacílio Neto, Brazilian footballer

1982 – Yusuf Pathan, Indian cricketer

1982 – Hollie Smith, New Zealand singer

1983 – Yiannis Bourousis, Greek basketball player

1983 – Ryan Braun, American baseball player

1983 – Trevor Crowe, American baseball player

1983 – Harry Lloyd, English actor

1983 – Nick Markakis, American baseball player

1983 – Scott Moore, American baseball player

1983 – Christopher Paolini, American novelist

1983 – Ryan Bradley, American figure skater

1984 – Amanda Evora, American figure skater

1984 – Park Han-byul, South Korean actress

1986 – Nani, Portuguese football player

1986 – Fabio Concas, Italian footballer

1987 – Gemma Spofforth, British swimmer

1990 – Shanica Knowles, American actress

1992 – Darian Weiss, American actor

1994 – Raquel Castro, American actress

Deaths

344 – Jin Kangdi, Chinese emperor (b. 322)

375 – Valentinian I, Roman Emperor (b. 321)

594 – Gregory of Tours, bishop and historian (b. c. 530s|539)

641 – Emperor Jomei of Japan (b. 593)

680 – Hilda of Whitby (b. 614)

885 – Queen Liutgard of Saxony (b. c. 845)

1104 – Nikephoros Melissenos, Byzantine general (b. c. 1045)

1231 – Elisabeth of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1207)

1302 – St. Gertrude the Great (b. 1256)

1326 – Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (b. 1285)

1494 – Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (b. 1463)

1558 – Mary I of England (b. 1516)

1558 – Reginald Pole, Cardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1500)

1562 – Antoine de Bourbon, father of Henry IV of France (b. 1518)

1592 – John III of Sweden (b. 1537)

1600 – Kuki Yoshitaka, Japanese naval commander (b. 1542)

1632 – Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (b. 1594)

1643 – Jean-Baptiste Budes, Comte de Guébriant, Marshal of France (b. 1602)

1648 – Thomas Ford, English composer

1665 – John Earle, English bishop

1668 – Joseph Alleine, English preacher (b. 1634)

1690 – Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier, French soldier (b. 1610)

1708 – Ludolf Backhuysen, Dutch painter (b. 1631)

1713 – Abraham van Riebeeck, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1653)

1720 – Calico Jack, English pirate (b. 1682)

1747 – Alain-René Lesage, French writer (b. 1668)

1768 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1693)

1776 – James Ferguson, British astronomer (b. 1710)

1780 – Bernardo Bellotto, Italian painter (b. 1720)

1794 – Jacques François Dugommier, French general (b. 1738)

1796 – Catherine II of Russia, Empress of Russia (b. 1729)

1808 – David Zeisberger, Moravian missionary (b. 1721)

1818 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen consort of King George III (b. 1744)

1835 – Antoine Charles Horace Vernet, French painter (b. 1758)

1849 – Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, German priest and miracle-worker (b. 1794)

1858 – Robert Owen, British father of the cooperative movement (b. 1771)

1865 – James McCune Smith, African-American doctor and abolitionist (b. 1813)

1897 – George Hendric Houghton, American Protestant Episcopal clergyman (b. 1820)

1902 – Hugh Price Hughes, Methodist Social Reformer (b. 1847)

1905 – Adolphe of Luxembourg, (b. 1817)

1910 – Ralph Johnstone, pioneer pilot, 1st 'American' pilot killed in the crash of an airplane, Denver, Colorado (b. 1886)

1917 – Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (b. 1840)

1921 – Pa Chay Vue, Hmong Nationalist

1922 – Robert Comtesse, Swiss Federal Councillor (b. 1847)

1928 – Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author, politician, & freedom fighter (b. 1865)

1929 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician (b. 1860)

1936 – Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Austrian contralto (b. 1861)

1937 – Jack Worrall, Australian cricketer (b. 1860)

1938 – Ante Trumbić, Croatian politician (b. 1864)

1940 – Eric Gill, British sculptor (b. 1882)

1940 – Raymond Pearl, American biologist (b. 1879)

1942 – Ben Reitman, American anarchist, physician (b. 1879)

1947 – Victor Serge, Russian anarchist, novelist, and historian (b. 1890)

1954 – Yitzhak Lamdan, Russian-born Israeli poet and columnist (b. 1899)

1955 – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (b. 1894)

1958 – Mort Cooper, baseball player (b. 1913)

1959 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887)

1968 – Mervyn Peake, British writer (b. 1911)

1973 – Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother", Sri Aurobindo Ashram (b. 1878)

1979 – John Glascock, British bassist (Jethro Tull) (b. 1951)

1982 – Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer (b. 1905)

1982 – Leonid Borisovitch Kogan, Russian violinist (b. 1924)

1982 – Duk Koo Kim, Korean boxer (b. 1959)

1986 – Georges Besse, French automobile executive (b. 1927)

1987 – Paul Derringer, baseball player (b. 1906)

1989 – Gus Farace, American gangster (b. 1960)

1989 – Mary Giatra Lemou, Greek actress (b. 1915)

1990 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)

1992 – Audre Lorde, Caribbean-American writer, poet, and activist (b. 1934)

1993 – Gérard D. Lévesque, Canadian politician (b. 1926)

1995 – Alan Hull, English Rock Musician (Lindisfarne) (b. 1945)

1998 – Esther Rolle, American actress (b. 1920)

2000 – Louis Néel, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)

2001 – Michael Karoli, German guitarist (b. 1948)

2002 – Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat (b. 1915)

2002 – Frank McCarthy, American artist and realist painter (b. 1924)

2003 – Surjit Bindrakhia, Punjabi artist (b. 1962)

2003 – Arthur Conley, American singer (b. 1946)

2003 – Don Gibson, American singer (b. 1928)

2004 – Mikael Ljungberg, Swedish wrestler (b. 1970)

2004 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (b. 1941)

2005 – Marek Perepeczko, Polish actor (b. 1942)

2006 – Ruth Brown, American blues singer (b. 1928)

2006 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer (b. 1927)

2006 – Bo Schembechler, American football coach (b. 1929)

2006 – Flo Sandon's, Italian singer (b. 1924)

2008 – Pete Newell, American basketball coach (b. 1915)

2008 – George Stephen Morrison, American admiral (b. 1919)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

*Acisclus

*Aignan of Orleans

*Elisabeth of Hungary

*Gennadius of Constantinople (Greek Orthodox Church)

*Gregory of Tours (Roman Catholic Church)

*Gregory Thaumaturgus

*Hilda of Whitby

*Hugh of Lincoln

*November 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest day on which National Survivors of Suicide Day can fall, while November 23 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday before Thanksgiving. (United States)

International Students' Day (International)

National Prematurity and Infant Loss Awareness Day (United States)

Polytechneio or Πολυτεχνείο (Greece)

Shogi Day, formerly celebrated on the 17th day of Kannazuki (Japan)

Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

----

Category:Days of the year Category:November

Coordinates	28°36′50″N77°12′32″N
Name	John Mayer
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	John Clayton Mayer
Born	October 16, 1977Bridgeport, ConnecticutUnited States
Origin	Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Instrument	Guitar, vocals, omnichord, piano, vibraphone, harmonica, percussion
Genre	Blues, blues rock, pop rock, blue-eyed soul, acoustic rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, columnist, graphic designer, television host, comedian, photographer
Years active	–present
Label	Arista, Aware, Columbia
Associated acts	John Mayer Trio
Url
Notable instruments	Fender StratocasterMartin GuitarsGibson Guitars

John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born and raised in Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1997, where he refined his skills and gained a following. His first two studio albums, Room for Squares and Heavier Things, did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland".

Mayer began his career performing mainly acoustic rock, but gradually began a transition towards the blues genre in 2005 by collaborating with renowned blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton, and by forming the John Mayer Trio. The blues influence can be heard on his album Continuum, released in September 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007 Mayer won Best Pop Vocal Album for Continuum and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Waiting on the World to Change". He released his fourth studio album, Battle Studies, in November 2009. He is currently in the studio writing material for a fifth album.

Mayer's career pursuits have extended to stand-up comedy, graphic design, television hosting, and writing; he has written pieces for magazines, most notably for Esquire. He is also involved in philanthropic activities through charity work and various environmental causes. Several high-profile romantic relationships and his involvement with the media caused him to become a tabloid staple, beginning in 2006.

Early life

Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Margaret, an English teacher, and Richard, a high school principal. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, the second of three children. Mayer's father is Jewish, and Mayer has said that he "relat[es] to Judaism". Growing up in Fairfield, Mayer became friends with future tennis star James Blake. He attended Fairfeid Prep although he was enrolled in the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk for his junior year. (Then known as the Center for Japanese Studies Abroad, it is a magnet program for students wanting to learn Japanese.) During an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Mayer said that he had played the clarinet for a while in middle school, with minor success. After watching Michael J. Fox's guitar performance as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, Mayer became fascinated with the instrument, and when he turned 13, his father rented one for him.

Soon after, a neighbor, Jeffrey Us, gave him a Stevie Ray Vaughan cassette, which began Mayer’s intense love of the blues. Mayer started taking lessons from a local guitar-shop owner, Al Ferrante, and soon became consumed with playing the instrument. His singular focus concerned his parents, and they took him twice to see a psychiatrist—but Mayer was determined to be fine. Mayer considered skipping college to pursue his music, but the disapproval of his parents dissuaded him from doing so. Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from panic attacks, and lived with the fear of having to enter a mental institution. After graduation, he worked for fifteen months at a gas station until he saved enough money to buy a 1996 Stevie Ray Vaughan signature Stratocaster.

Career

Early career

John Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, at age nineteen. In Atlanta they formed a two-man band called LoFi Masters and began performing in local coffee houses and club venues such as Eddie's Attic. As a result, the two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career. Mayer and LaBruyere then began to perform throughout Georgia and nearby states.

Major label success

Mayer’s reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at South by Southwest brought him to the attention of "launch" label, Aware Records. After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Mayer’s internet-only album entitled, Room for Squares. During that time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September of the same year, Columbia remixed and re-released Room for Squares. As part of the major label "debut", the album's artwork was updated, and the track "3x5" was added. The re-release also included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, Inside Wants Out.

By the end of 2002, Room for Squares had spawned several radio hits, including "No Such Thing," "Your Body Is a Wonderland", and ultimately, "Why Georgia". In 2003, Mayer won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland." In his acceptance speech he remarked, "This is very, very fast, and I promise to catch up." He also figuratively referred to himself as being sixteen, a remark that many mistook to mean that he was only sixteen years old at the time.

In 2003, Mayer released a live CD and DVD of a concert in Birmingham, Alabama entitled, Any Given Thursday. The concert featured songs previously not recorded, such as "Man on the Side" (co-written with Cook) and "Something's Missing", which later appeared on Heavier Things. The concert also included "Covered In Rain". According to the accompanying DVD documentary, this song is "part two" of the song "City Love", which features the line "covered in rain". Commercially, the album quickly peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 chart. The CD/DVD received conservative, although consistent, praise, with critics torn between his pop-idol image, and (at the time) emerging guitar prowess. Erik Crawford (of Allmusic) asked "Is he the consummate guitar hero exemplified when he plays a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Lenny', or is he the teen idol that the pubescent girls shriek for after he plays 'Your Body Is a Wonderland?'"

Heavier Things, Mayer's second album, was released in 2003 to generally favorable reviews. Rolling Stone, Allmusic and Blender all gave positive, although reserved, feedback. PopMatters said that it "doesn't have as many drawbacks as one might assume". The album was commercially successful, and while it did not sell as well as Room for Squares, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Mayer earned his first number one single with the song "Daughters" as well as a 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year, beating out fellow contenders Alicia Keys and Kanye West. He dedicated the award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince, and Seal for the award. In his February 9, 2009 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Mayer said that he thought he should not have won the Grammy for Song of the year because he thought that Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You was the better song. Because of this, he removed the top half of the Grammy and gave it to Keys, and kept the bottom part for himself. At the 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2006, Mayer was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.

Mayer again recorded live concerts across seven nights of his U.S. tour in 2004. These recordings were released to the iTunes Store under the title As/Is, indicating that the errors were included along with the good moments. A few months later, a "best of" CD was compiled from the As/Is nights. The album included a previously unreleased cover of Marvin Gaye's song "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", featuring a solo from Mayer's support act, jazz and blues turntablist DJ Logic. All the album covers of the As/Is releases feature drawings of anthropomorphic bunnies.

, John Mayer and Steve Jobs at Macworld 11, SF Moscone Center.]] With increased exposure, Mayer's talent came into demand in other areas. Steve Jobs invited Mayer to perform during the keynote address of Apple's annual Macworld Conference & Expo, in January 2004, as Jobs introduced the software application GarageBand. The gig led to Mayer becoming a fixture of the event. He rejoined Jobs on stage for a solo performance at Macworld 2007, following the announcement of the iPhone. Mayer has also done endorsements, such as a Volkswagen commercial for the Beetle's guitar outlet and for the BlackBerry Curve.

Change in musical direction

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". Following these collaborations, Mayer received praise from rap heavyweights Jay-Z and Nelly. 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."

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."

John Mayer Trio

This sample features an extended electric guitar solo.}}

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

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 , 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.

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 on March 27–31, 2009 on the Carnival Splendor.

On July 1, 2008, Mayer released , 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.

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

Battle Studies and future

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

Reports indicate that the follow-up to Battle Studies will be called Born and Raised, and will be released in October 2011. However, this rumour has yet to be confirmed. In recent months Mayer has largely kept out of the view of the media, and has made various surprise appearances at venues such as Hotel Café playing previously unreleased material, showing a move to more acoustic based music. Over ten of the songs that could potentially make the album can be found across the internet.

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 has shown interest in being "green." Mayer also participated at the East Rutherford, New Jersey location of the Live Earth project, a musical rally to support awareness for global warming held on July 7, 2007. In the summer of 2007, the environmental advocacy group Reverb set up informational booths and helped his crew conserve energy on his tour dates. He has also 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 also appeared on , a celebrity initiative to support Tibet and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

Design

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. 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. Included with the limited Cypress-Mica model was the INCSvsJM gig bag that Mayer collaborated on with Incase designs. Mayer is a passionate collector of guitars, and in 2006 his collection was estimated at more than 200.

In addition to guitars, Mayer's handiwork ranges from T-shirts, guitar totes, and sneakers. In August 2006, Mayer started JMltd, a minor clothing line of Mayer-themed merchandise that he has designed.

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.

In the mid-2000s decade, stand-up comedy became a sporadic hobby of Mayer's. Reception to his stand-up routines are generally negative.

Television

In 2004, Mayer hosted a one-shot, half-hour comedy special on VH1 entitled 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, Late Night 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.

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, and the Village Underground.

He hosts an annual Interfaith Baking Contest, in which he judges his favorite from pictures of baked goods sent in by his fans during the end-of-year, holiday season.

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. As of 2011, two are filled.

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 () 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. He currently lives in his apartment in the New York City neighborhood of SoHo. 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. His relationships with high-profile celebrities has led to his having a reputation as a "womanizer." Taylor Swift recently wrote two songs about her relationship with Mayer, "Dear John" & "The Story of Us". 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.

Mayer's relationship with the media has drawn controversy. He has been called long-winded and self-aware, culminated in an impromptu press conference outside of his gym in New York, where he explained why he had broken-up with Aniston. The fall-out was unfavorable, and he was branded a "" for "saving face"; and maintains he did it to take responsibility for hurting her. 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.

Solo discography

Room for Squares (2001)

Heavier Things (2003)

Continuum (2006)

Battle Studies (2009)

Born and Raised (2011)

Awards

Grammy Awards

Mayer has won seven awards from eighteen nominations.

Others awards and nominations

See also

Battle Studies World Tour

Notes

Footnotes

References

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

External links

"Music Lessons with John Mayer", database of Mayer's Esquire column at Esquire.com

Comprehensive John Mayer guitar tabs

"Square pegged", Mayer's first feature article in 2001, from Creative Loafing

"John Mayer's Soft-Sell 'World'", NPR Morning Edition interview from March 2007. (listen) (read)

Nikon Podcast #3: "Exclusive Interview with John Mayer" (posted September 9, 2007) (listen)

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