{{infobox musical artist | name

Fall Out Boy | image Fall Out Boy 2006 1.jpg | caption Fall Out Boy live in 2006. | image_size 250px | landscape yes | background group_or_band | origin Wilmette, Illinois, United States | genre Pop punk, pop rock, | years_active 2001–2009 (hiatus) | label Island | associated_acts Patrick Stump, Black Cards, The Damned Things, Panic! At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes, Arma Angelus, Project Rocket, Racetraitor, Birthright, Earth Crisis, Burning Empires, Anthrax, Every Time I Die | website | current_members Patrick StumpPete WentzAndy HurleyJoe Trohman | past_members Brandon HammT.J. "Raccine" KunaschMike Pareskuwicz }}

Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The Grammy-nominated band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008. They announced an indefinite hiatus in late 2009. They have not broken up, rather they are taking a rest and the members are engaging in various side projects. Fall Out Boy was ranked the 93rd Best Artist of the 2000–10 decade by ''Billboard''.

With Pete Wentz as the band's primary lyricist and Patrick Stump as the primary composer, Fall Out Boy reached mainstream success with its major label debut, ''From Under the Cork Tree''. Released in 2005, the album won several awards and achieved double platinum status after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States alone. It spawned the lead single "Sugar, We're Goin Down" which reached #8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and went on to sell two million copies in the US. To support the album, the band headlined tours around the world in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, the band released the followup ''Infinity on High'' to major chart success, reaching #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and selling 260,000 copies its first week. The lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' Pop 100 and #2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On February 2, 2010, the band reportedly broke up although no official press statement was released. Since then, Patrick Stump, in a recent interview, explained that Fall Out Boy never broke up and are simply "on a break" while the members work on other projects. In an interview with Chicago Sun-Times, he said "Fall Out Boy is just not planning anything right now. I would be very, very surprised if we don’t do another record again”, hinting that Fall Out Boy may make more music in the future.

The band's highest charting single is "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", from the platinum album ''Infinity on High''. Their mainstream breakthrough song is "Sugar, We're Goin Down", earning the band their first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 song at #8, and has since been certified double platinum by RIAA. More of Fall Out Boy's notable singles are "Dance, Dance" (certified Platinum), "Thnks fr th Mmrs" (certified Gold with over two-million sales) and "I Don't Care" (certified Platinum).

With the release of their 2009 compilation ''Believers Never Die - Greatest Hits'', and in regard to the legacy of the band, Allmusic senior-editor Stephen T. Erlewine wrote that Fall Out Boy "seems like one of the quintessential mainstream rock singles bands of the 2000s."

The members of Fall Out Boy have engaged in various side-projects during the band's rest. Singer and guitarist Patrick Stump has released his debut EP ''Truant Wave'', and has set the release date for his debut full-length solo album titled ''Soul Punk'' as October 18, 2011 with a remix of a ''Soul Punk'' song "This City" available on iTunes. He is currently on tour in support of his solo project. Guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley formed The Damned Things, a heavy metal supergroup with members from Anthrax and Every Time I Die; and have released their debut album, ''Ironiclast''. Pete Wentz started an experimental band, called Black Cards with their debut album due 2011.

History

Early years (2001–2002)

Fall Out Boy was formed in early 2001 by friends Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman, who had played in various hardcore punk bands in the Chicago area. Inspired by bands they grew up listening to, such as Green Day, Descendents, and The Smiths, the pair decided to start their own band. Trohman met high schooler Patrick Stump in a Borders Bookstore. Stump introduced himself to Trohman when he overheard him talking about the band Neurosis, in which they shared a mutual interest. Stump auditioned as a drummer, but his impressive vocal range led to his placement as the lead vocalist. Ben Rose was the drummer for the band's first line-up although he shortly left. Several line-up changes in the rhythm guitar and drumming positions would follow before drummer Andy Hurley joined, with three of the four founding members the current members.

The band was nameless for their first two shows. They decided that the audience should decide, and at the end of their second show they asked the audience to yell out their ideas for a name. One audience member suggested "Fallout Boy", a reference to the sidekick of the Radioactive Man from ''The Simpsons'' (which the band performed the closing theme song for in the 2009 episode "Lisa the Drama Queen").

The following year, the band debuted with a self-released demo and followed it up with the May 28, 2002 release of ''Project Rocket / Fall Out Boy'' split EP with Project Rocket, on the small independent label Uprising Records. The group released a mini-LP, ''Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend'', on Uprising Records in 2003. During this period the band played small shows as part of the indie rock underground Chicago music scene, before any mainstream success.

Independent success (2003–2004)

Following the release of their mini-album, the band saw a lineup change with the addition of Andy Hurley (formerly of Racetraitor) on drums and Stump switching to guitar, forming the current four-piece band. During this time, the band often played local shows at The Knights of Columbus Hall in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the site of their "Dead on Arrival" video. The same year, after signing to Fueled by Ramen, they released their first full-length album, ''Take This to Your Grave'', on May 6, 2003. To record a proper debut, the band received an advance from major label Island Records which came with a right of first refusal for Island on Fall Out Boy's next album. With major financing in place, the band recorded ''Take This to Your Grave'' at the Butch Vig-owned Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with Sean O'Keefe as producer. It has been credited with earning the band's first significant fan base, as well as some minor commercial success.

With singles "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" and "Saturday" receiving video airplay on FUSE, mtvU and Target's in-store video stream and radio airplay on mainstream stations across the country, the album sold very well and eventually achieved Gold status in the US for domestic shipments of 500,000 units, but only after the success of the band's next album, ''From Under the Cork Tree''.

In mid-2003, the band signed with Island Records which is a part of the mainstream label Island Def Jam Music Group, along with Def Jam Records. This was after it picked up the option for its next album. In the meantime of recording its mainstream debut, the band released the acoustic EP ''My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue'' on Fueled by Ramen, May 18, 2004. It debuted at #153 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the band's first such entry on the chart. The two-disc set included more acoustic performances and a fan photo gallery.

''From Under the Cork Tree'' and mainstream success (2005–2006)

With bassist Pete Wentz as the band's primary lyricist, and vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump the primary composer, Fall Out Boy from the underground music scene reached mainstream success with its Island major label album on May 3, 2005, ''From Under the Cork Tree'', which debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at #9, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week. It marked a lengthy stay of 77 weeks on the charts, logging 19 weeks in the top 20. The album achieved great commercial success and was certified double platinum after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States alone, and it has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, making it the band's best-selling album.

''From Under the Cork Tree'' was bolstered by the lead single "Sugar, We're Goin Down" which peaked at #8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at #6 on the defunct ''Billboard'' Pop 100. The song spent five weeks in the top 10 and logged twenty weeks in the top 20. Receiving heavy airplay rotation at both Pop and Alternative stations, it charted at #3 on the Modern Rock Charts and exposed the band to a new, mainstream audience via the radio and internet. It was a mainstay on the Hot 100, spending 42 weeks on the chart before it was retired. The music video reached #1 on MTV's ''TRL'', where it was retired on August 26, 2005. The video won the MTV2 Award at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, prompting a huge new interest and surge in sales. The song has sold over 2 million copies and is certified double platinum. The band was nominated for "Best New Artist" at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

The second single released from the album, "Dance, Dance", became Fall Out Boy's second top 10 single when it peaked at #9 on the Hot 100 and stayed in the top 20 for 14 weeks. It reached #6 on the Pop 100, becoming the band's highest charting single in terms of airplay when it reached #2 on the Modern Rock Charts. "Dance, Dance" is one of Fall Out Boy's best selling singles, hence it is also one of the best known. It contributed to Fall Out Boy's breakthrough mainstream success through heavy radio play. The music video for the song premiered on ''TRL'' on October 11, 2005; it soon also reached #1 and was later retired on January 17, 2006. The third and last single off the album, "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"", was much less popular than both prior singles, but still managed to peak at #65 on the Hot 100 and hit #1 twice on ''TRL'', retiring on June 6, 2006.

In support of ''From Under the Cork Tree'', Fall Out Boy relentlessly headlined tours around the world and performed at music festivals in 2005 and 2006, including the third Nintendo Fusion Tour in the fall of 2005, joining The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Boys Night Out, and Panic! at the Disco on a 31 city tour. Due to its increased success from their MTV Video Music Award, the group headlined the ''Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour'', a pop/punk event that featured The All-American Rejects, Well-Known Secret, Hawthorne Heights, and From First to Last. The tour also featured The Hush Sound for half of the tour and October Fall for half. They played to 53 dates in the US, Canada, and the UK.

''Infinity on High'', ''Live in Phoenix'' and continued success (2007)

In early 2007, Fall Out Boy released its fourth studio album, ''Infinity on High'', the its second release on a major label, Island. The album enjoyed successful first week and was the band's biggest selling week, shifting 260,000 copies. This was nearly 200,000 more than their prior album, ''From Under the Cork Tree'' sold in its first and biggest week. With this amount the album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, the band's first #1 charting on the ''Billboard'' 200 and second top 10. The album spent its first 6 weeks in the top 10 out of a total of 52 weeks, being the band's highest charting, although ''From Under the Cork Tree'' charted for 77 weeks, 26 weeks longer and sold better. The album also charted at #1 on other ''Billboard'' charts, including Rock Albums, Digital Albums and Tastemaker Albums. Internationally, it also reached #1 in New Zealand, #2 in Canadian, #4 in Australia and #8 on ''Billboard'' European Albums. This charting was spurred by the lead single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which reached #2 in both the US and UK. "Thnks fr th Mmrs", the second single peaked just outside the top 10 at #11 on the strength of sales and popular radio play, and went on to sell over two million copies in the US. It found its greatest success in Australia where it charted at #3. This album, along with its follow-up, is pop rock orientated in sound and incorporates more diverse musical styles, evolving the band's sound from their 2003 pop punk ''Take This to Your Grave'' album.

The group won many awards and received various nominations as a band and for their singles. Among many awards, Fall Out Boy won the 2007 MTV award for "Best Group" and a Teen Choice Award in the same category. The second single "Thnks fr th Mmrs" won a Teen Choice Award and a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in the "Single" category. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" earned a Kerrang! Award for "Best Video". Although the third single ""The Take Over, the Breaks Over"" failed to chart in the US, it won a MuchMusic Video Award for "People's Choice: Favorite International Video".

Fall Out Boy then headlined the 2007 Honda Civic Tour to promote the album. Though the tour was initially postponed due to personal issues, it would take place with +44, Cobra Starship, The Academy Is... and Paul Wall as supporting acts.

A CD and DVD of live material recorded during a June 22, 2007, concert at Phoenix's Cricket Wireless Pavilion, a date of the Honda Civic Tour, was released on April 1, 2008. Of note, the album, simply called ''Live in Phoenix'', contains a new studio recording covering Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with John Mayer as a guest guitarist. The song premiered for the first time on Wentz's site Friends or Enemies, and was released as a single on March 25, 2008. Following its release, it debuted at #22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at #19.

On March 18, Fall Out Boy revealed plans to play a show in Antarctica so they would in the Guinness Book of World Records be the only band to play a concert on all seven continents in less than nine months. However, weather conditions prevented them from flying to Antarctica.

Fall Out Boy collaborated with rapper T.I. for the album ''Paper Trail'' on a track entitled "Out in the Cold", but the song was left out of the final cut. T.I. told ''MTV'' that he may add some of the cut tracks to his next album.

''Folie à Deux'' (2008–2009)

On December 16, 2008, the band released its fifth studio album, ''Folie à Deux'', as a follow-up to their 2007 album ''Infinity on High''. Fall Out Boy further evolved their sound and new musical direction on the album. It debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first week sales of 150,000 units. The album was certified gold for shipping 500,000 units, but commercially performed less than stellar in comparison to ''Infinity on High''. The band collaborated with an extensive list of guest artists including Elvis Costello, Lil Wayne, Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, Alex DeLeon of The Cab, William Beckett of The Academy Is..., Debbie Harry of Blondie, and Pharrell Williams.

The lead single preceding the album, "I Don't Care", was released on September 3, 2008 to iTunes, and was number 68 on ''Rolling Stone'''s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. Receiving much less radio play and interest than the band's prior hit single releases ("Sugar, We're Goin Down", "Dance, Dance", "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race") from previous albums, "I Don't Care" peaked at #21 on the Hot 100. The second single to receive radio play was "America's Suitehearts", released on December 8, 2008.

In January 2009 the band announced they would embark on the Believers Never Die Tour Part Deux Tour with All Time Low, Hey Monday, Cobra Starship, Metro Station and 50 Cent and to support the ''Folie à Deux'' release. Its name is based on their 2004 "Believers Never Die Tour". The group also performed alongside Kanye West and Kid Rock at the Youth Ball for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. They also played for TV performances, including the 2009 Toyota Concert Series on the Today Show on May 22.

On April 27, 2009 an EP was released on iTunes, titled ''America's Suitehearts: Remixed, Retouched, Rehabbed and Retoxed''. It contains a remix from Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus. Fall Out Boy, along with Weezer, were the opening acts for Blink-182's summer reunion tour in 2009 and it is the band's last tour before hiatus.

''Believers Never Die – Greatest Hits'' and indefinite hiatus (2009-present)

Fall Out Boy released a greatest hits compilation album titled ''Believers Never Die – Greatest Hits'' on November 17, 2009 soon after their tour as the opening act for Blink-182's summer reunion ended. It includes all the band's songs previously released as singles as well as two new songs and two rarities. One of the new songs is the full version of "Alpha Dog", which was released as the first and only single. It was a track that was previously released as a demo on the ''Welcome to the New Administration'' mixtape, and the other ""From Now On We're Enemies"". The album artwork, created by Daniel Danger, features two skeletons hugging; a reference to the skeletons found outside of Mantua, Italy who were found buried together while locked in an embrace. There are also numerous references to the band's career and previous works.

On November 20, 2009, the four band members announced they will be taking an indefinite hiatus, saying they were unsure of the future of the band. Bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz has said that his personal reason for taking a break is that he feels that his name and marriage to pop singer Ashlee Simpson had become a hindrance for the band. He added: "I think the world needs a little less Pete Wentz". The band has not broken up, but are instead on an indefinite break, "decompressing" as Wentz stated it.

Patrick Stump cleared up rumours of Fall Out Boy breaking up. “I was doing an interview, and I said, ‘For the purposes of this interview, I’m not in Fall Out Boy.’ What I meant was: Right now, let’s not talk about Fall Out Boy,” Stump told Chicago Sun-Times in March 2011. “I underestimated the power of the pull quote. It was not said in a negative way. The guy was just starting to ask in-depth questions about the band, and I just said I’m not promoting them right now. It turned into ‘I quit.’” “The Internet has no barometer for sarcasm,” Stump said. “People flipped out. It was blown way out of proportion. There is absolutely no acrimony between us. I personally still talk to all three of them twice to three times a week. Fall Out Boy is just not planning anything right now. I would be very, very surprised if we don’t do another record again.” On his Tumblr he wrote, "I am confident that we’ll have a record out sooner than later but there are currently no plans, no “2 years,” no “6 years,” no parameters. It might happen later than any of that, it might happen sooner. It is literally, as it’s always been, an indefinite hiatus. We never did breakup, we’re still friends, and we still would like to make music together [...] I’ll see all of you if/when the band works on a new record or tour. Until then though, I’m just gonna shut up about it and focus on ''Soul Punk'' and hopefully ongoing tour."

Side projects

After the announcement of the band's break, Fall Out Boy members moved on to new musical endeavors. Joseph Trohman and Andy Hurley teamed up with Keith Buckley from Every Time I Die, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano from Anthrax and David Karon to form the heavy metal band The Damned Things. The supergroup released their debut album ''Ironiclast'' in December 2010. Hurley also plays in the hardcore band Burning Empires, featuring Matt Mixon of 7 Angels 7 Plagues, and Stuart Ross, Ryan Morgan, and Kyle Johnson of Misery Signals. Hurley will also temporarily act as a live fill in for Dennis Merrick during Earth Crisis' 2010 "The Wrath of Sanity" tours, and continue working on his record label, Fuck City.

In 2010, Patrick Stump began producing his debut solo album, officially confirmed to be called ''Soul Punk''. On July 25 he announced ''Soul Punk'''s release date of October 18, 2011 and the on July 26 he released a remix of a ''Soul Punk'' song titled "This City" to iTunes. During his production of ''Soul Punk'', Stump released his debut 6-song EP titled ''Truant Wave'' as a digital download to iTunes on 22 February 2011 and has toured in the US and Europe in support of it and his upcoming album. ''Soul Punk'' features no guest musicians as Stump is doing absolutely everything on it by himself, including playing all of the instruments himself, penning all the lyrics, composing all the music and producing the album by himself. He considers the album a "big, convoluted way to get me to play drums again, because I really just miss playing drums." Stump is currently playing his second US tour which began on August 3, has played at music festivals in Chicago, Lollapalooza, and in Japan. His solo work is a major musical departure from the pop punk sound of Fall Out Boy. His influences by artists including Michael Jackson and Prince are evident through his soulful electronic sound, which he has described as "smart pop."

In July 2010, Pete Wentz, with singer Bebe Rexha, formed the ska/electropop band Black Cards, a project inspired by a discussion Wentz had with producer Sam Hollander about mashing up ska, dance and reggae with 80s British rock and pop to create a new experimental sound. The band plan to release their debut in summer 2011. He also continues to manage his clothing label, Clandestine Industries, record label, Decaydance Records, film production company and two bars in Chicago and Barcelona. Wentz also acts as spokesperson of UNICEF's Tap Project, a fundraising project that helps bring clean drinking water to people worldwide. Wentz has also expressed his interest in working on new music projects, though he hopes to move outside the limitations of the common 4/4 time signature of pop music. Commenting on this, Wentz stated, "I have ideas that extend beyond [a 4/4 time signature] and I guess I scratched a lottery ticket enough that, because of my band, people let me do these (other) ideas, and some of them are good, some of them are not so good." Many demos have been released on YouTube. On February 8, 2011, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz filed for divorce from Wentz, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Musical style

While widely considered to be a pop punk band, Fall Out Boy has also been described as pop rock and emo and cites emo group The Get Up Kids as an influence. When interviewed for a retrospective article in ''Alternative Press'' at the time The Get Up Kids disbanded in 2005, Pete Wentz stated that "Fall Out Boy would not be a band if it were not for The Get Up Kids." Early in the band's career, when Jared Logan was producing their debut album, he asked bassist Pete Wentz what sound the band desired for recording. Wentz responded by "handing over the first two New Found Glory records".

A central part of Fall Out Boy's sound is rooted in the band's lyrics, mainly penned by bassist Pete Wentz, who commonly uses irony and other literary devices to narrate personal experience and stories. Their albums ''Take This To Your Grave'' and ''From Under The Cork Tree'' are both said to have pop punk as well as punk rock sounds and influences, and ''Infinity on High'' features a wide range of styles and instrumentation, including orchestral and choral arrangements ("Thnks fr th Mmrs" and "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave") and a slower piano ballad ("Golden"). R&B; influences on ''Infinity on High'' are on songs such as "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", produced by R&B; producer Babyface. On ''Folie à Deux'', Fall Out Boy continues to evolve their sound, with less of a pop punk sound and increasing the use of piano ("What a Catch, Donnie", "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet", and "20 Dollar Nose Bleed"), synthesizers, and guest artists. The band also shows a number of influences, with the opening track borrowing a chord sequence from The Who song "Baba O'Riley" and "What a Catch, Donnie" referencing Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway in both sound and lyrics.

The band has worked with many producers and artists, including The Neptunes, Timbaland, Lil' Wayne and Kanye West, who Patrick Stump described as "the Prince of his generation."

Band members

;Current members

Patrick Stump – lead vocals (2001–2009), rhythm guitar, lead guitar (2003–2009)

Pete Wentz – bass guitar, backing vocals (2001–2009)

Joe Trohman – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–2009)

Andy Hurley – drums, percussion (2003–2009)

;Former members Brandon Hamm – guitar (2001)

T.J. "Raccine" Kunasch – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–2003)

Mike Pareskuwicz – drums, percussion (2001–2003)

Discography

;Studio albums

''Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend'' (2003)

''Take This to Your Grave'' (2003)

''From Under the Cork Tree'' (2005)

''Infinity on High'' (2007)

''Folie à Deux'' (2008)

Awards

|- || 2005 || "Sugar, We're Goin Down" || MTV Video Music Award - MTV2 Award || |- |rowspan="7"| 2006 || "Dance, Dance" || MuchMusic Video Award - People's Choice: Favorite International Group || |- || "Sugar, We're Goin Down" || Kerrang! Award - Best Video || |- || "Dance, Dance" || Teen Choice Award - Rock Track || |- || "Dance, Dance" || Teen Choice Award - Single || |- || Fall Out Boy || Teen Choice Award - Rock Group || |- || Fall Out Boy || MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's Choice || |- || Fall Out Boy || Grammy Award - Best New Artist || |- |rowspan="5"| 2007 || "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" || Kerrang! Award - Best Video || |- || "Thnks fr th Mmrs" || Teen Choice Award - Single || |- || Fall Out Boy || Teen Choice Award - Best Group || |- || Fall Out Boy || MTV Video Music Award - Best Group || |- || "Thnks fr th Mmrs" || Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award - Single || |- |rowspan="7"| 2008 || ""The Take Over, the Breaks Over"" || MuchMusic Video Award - People's Choice: Favorite International Video || |- || Fall Out Boy || TMF Award - Best Live International || |- || Fall Out Boy || TMF Award - Best Rock International || |- || Fall Out Boy || TMF Award - Best Alternative International || |- || "Beat It" || MTV Video Music Award - Best Rock Video || |- || Fall Out Boy || Teen Choice Award - Choice Rock Group || |- || Pete Wentz || Teen Choice Award - Choice Hotties || |- || 2009 || "I Don't Care" || NRJ Music Award - Best International Band ||

References

External links

Official Website

Patrick Stump Offical Website

Category:Fall Out Boy Category:Musical groups from Chicago, Illinois Category:American pop punk musical groups Category:American pop rock music groups Category:Musical quartets Category:Wilmette, Illinois Category:Decaydance Records artists Category:Fueled by Ramen artists Category:Musical groups established in 2001 Category:Crush Management artists Category:Kerrang! Awards winners

af:Fall Out Boy bg:Фол Аут Бой ca:Fall Out Boy cs:Fall Out Boy da:Fall Out Boy de:Fall Out Boy et:Fall Out Boy es:Fall Out Boy eo:Fall Out Boy fa:فال اوت بوی fr:Fall Out Boy gl:Fall Out Boy ko:폴 아웃 보이 id:Fall Out Boy is:Fall Out Boy it:Fall Out Boy he:פול אאוט בוי ka:Fall Out Boy lt:Fall Out Boy hu:Fall Out Boy nl:Fall Out Boy ja:フォール・アウト・ボーイ no:Fall Out Boy nn:Fall Out Boy uz:Fall Out Boy pl:Fall Out Boy pt:Fall Out Boy ru:Fall Out Boy simple:Fall Out Boy sk:Fall Out Boy sr:Fall Out Boy fi:Fall Out Boy sv:Fall Out Boy th:ฟอลล์ เอาท์ บอย tr:Fall Out Boy uk:Fall Out Boy vi:Fall Out Boy zh:打倒男孩

name	John Mayer
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	John Clayton Mayer
birth date	October 16, 1977
birth place	Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
origin	Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
instrument	Guitar, vocals, omnichord, piano, vibraphone, harmonica, percussion, flute, clarinet, violin
genre	Blues rock, pop rock, acoustic rock, blue-eyed soul
occupation	Musician, songwriter, record producer, columnist, graphic designer, photographer, comedian, television host
years active	–present
label	Arista, Aware, Columbia
associated acts	John Mayer Trio
website
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 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his skills and gained a following, and he now lives in New York City. 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 has sold over 10 million albums in the U.S. and 20 million albums worldwide.

Early life

John Clayton 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.His father is Jewish, and Mayer has said that he "relat[es] to Judaism". He attended Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield 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.

A neighbor gave Mayer a Stevie Ray Vaughan cassette, which cultivated Mayer's love of blues music. 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 says that the contentious nature of his parents' marriage led him to "disappear and create my own world I could believe in". After two years of practice, he started playing at blues bars and other venues in the area, while he was still in high school. In addition to performing solo, he was a member of a band called Villanova Junction (named for a Jimi Hendrix song) with Tim Procaccini, Joe Beleznay, and Rich Wolf. Mayer considered skipping college to pursue his music, but the disapproval of his parents dissuaded him from doing so.

When Mayer was seventeen, he was stricken with cardiac dysrhythmia and was hospitalized for a weekend. Reflecting on the incident, Mayer said, “That was the moment the songwriter in me was born,” and he penned his first lyrics the night he got home from the hospital. Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from panic attacks, and lived with the fear of having to enter a mental institution. He continues to manage such episodes with Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. 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

Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, aged 19. However, at the urging of his college friend and Atlanta, Georgia native, Clay Cook, he left school after two semesters and moved with Cook to Atlanta. 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. According to Cook, they began to experience musical differences due to Mayer’s desire to move more towards pop music. As a result, the two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career.

With the help of local producer and engineer Glenn Matullo, Mayer recorded the independent EP ''Inside Wants Out''. Cook co-wrote many of the songs from the EP including Mayer's first commercial single release, "No Such Thing". The EP includes eight songs with Mayer on lead vocals and guitars. However, Cook's only contribution was backing vocals on the song “Comfortable”. For the opening track, “Back To You”, a full band was enlisted, including the EP’s co-producer David "DeLa" LaBruyere on bass guitars. 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 this 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 titled ''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 a 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.

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." In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, as well as jazz artist John Scofield. He also went on tour with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. These collaborations led to recordings with several of these artists, namely, Clapton (''Back Home'', Crossroads Guitar Festival), Guy (''Bring 'Em In)'', Scofield (''That's What I Say''), and King (''80''). Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter, he has also gained distinction as an accomplished guitarist, influenced by the likes of the above artists, as well as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Tommy Herman, Robert Cray, and Freddie King.

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 ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', 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. Additionally, he was selected by the editors of ''Time'' magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007 and was listed among artists and entertainers.

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

On July 1, 2008, Mayer released ''Where the Light Is'', 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 ''Born and Raised''

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 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.

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 participated at the East Rutherford, New Jersey location of the Live Earth project, a musical rally to support awareness for global warming held 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 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 appeared on ''Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace'', 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. In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer. 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, including the limited Cypress-Mica model was the INCSvsJM gig bag on which Mayer collaborated with Incase designs. In 2006, Mayer was estimated to have more than 200 guitars in his personal collection. In 2010, Fender announced a production model of Mayer's "The Black One" guitar.

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. On January 23, 2008, he posted a graphic that read, "Done & Dusted & Self Conscious & Back to Work." on his official blog, followed by the quote "There is danger in theoretical speculation of battle, in prejudice, in false reasoning, in pride, in braggadocio. There is one safe resource, the return to nature.."; all the previous blog entries were deleted.

In the mid-2000s he did stand-up comedy sporadically making random appearances at the famed Comedy Cellar in New York and at other venues. He stated that it helped him write better but that increased media attention made him too careful in his technique.

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

{{externalvideo | align = right | width = 320px | video1 = Where the Light Is''">Official video Mayer performing an acoustic set from his DVD ''Where the Light Is'' | }} 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, Eddie's Attic, and the Village Underground. His latest surprise appearace was on January 8, 2011 at Hotel Cafe where he played seven new unreleased songs.

Touring band members

;Current members

David Ryan Harris – guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)

Robbie McIntosh – guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (2006–present)

Sean Hurley – bass, backing vocals (2008–present)

Bob Reynolds – saxophones, flute (2006–2008, 2010–present)

Bryan Lipps - trumpet (2010–present)

Charlie Wilson – keyboards (2009–present)

Aaron Sterling - drums (2011–present)

;Former members

Pino Palladino - Bass (2010)

Keith Carlock - drums, percussion (2010)

David LaBruyere – bass (1999–2008)

Nir Z - drums (2001)

Matt Mangano - guitar (2001)

Matt Johnson - drums (2002)

Stephen Chopek – drums, percussion (2001–2002)

Michael Chaves – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2001–2005)

Kevin Lovejoy – keyboards (2003–2004)

Erik Jekabsen – trumpet, flugelhorn (2003–2004)

Chris Karlic – saxophone, flute (2003–2005)

J.J. Johnson – drums (2003–2005, 2006–2008)

Onree Gill – keyboards (2004–2005)

Chuck McKinnon – trumpet, flugelhorn (2004–2005)

Keith Carlock - drums, percussion (2010–2011)

Ricky Peterson – keyboards, organ, backing vocals (2006–2007)

Charlie Wilson – keyboards (2009–2011)

Tim Bradshaw – keyboards, organ, lap steel guitar, backing vocals (2007–2008)

Kenna Ramsey - backing vocals (2009–2010)

Melanie Taylor - backing vocals (2009–2010)

Steve Jordan – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2003, 2005–2006, 2009–2010)

Brad Mason - trumpet, flugelhorn (2006–2008)

Personal life

Mayer has followed the discipline of Krav Maga.

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.

Mayer sold his home in the Los Angeles suburbs in 2011. He currently lives in his apartment in the New York City neighborhood of SoHo.

Dating and relationship with the media

Mayer dated Jennifer Love Hewitt briefly in 2002. In a comedy routine at the Hollywood Laugh Factory in May 2006, he said that they never consummated their relationship; he later said that he immediately apologized to her for the raunchy routine. 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 a few songs about her relationship with Mayer, "Dear John". 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. He later said he realized that, "If I wanted to see Jessica more, I had to grow up," and not be afraid to be without his guitar. He called his relationship with her "sexual napalm" and said she had the power to "change [his] values." He began making appearances at clubs in Los Angeles and New York (where he would stage pranks for the paparazzi), and in a ''Rolling Stone'' interview from 2006, he first mentioned that he had begun using marijuana. Mayer joined Aniston at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009, where she was a presenter.

Mayer's relationship with the media has drawn controversy. He has been called long-winded and self-aware, stemming from his style as an interviewee. Mayer's discourse with the tabloid media (including hosting a TMZ segment and getting in Twitter battles with Perez Hilton) 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 "douchebag" for "saving face"; Mayer later said, "It was one of the worst times of my life," and maintains he did it to take responsibility for hurting her.

Controversies and allegations of racism

Despite assertions that he would not be doing any more press, an interview with ''Playboy'' magazine (posted to their website on February 10, 2010) set off accusations in the media and on Twitter of his being a misogynist, kiss-and-tell ex-boyfriend, and racist. 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 & Raised'' (2011)

Awards

Grammy Awards

Mayer has won seven awards from eighteen nominations.

Year	! Awardee	! Category	! Result
		style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
		style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"	style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
	2008
style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"	style="text-align:center;"

Others awards and nominations

Year	! Award	! Category
	MTV Video Music Awards		* Best New Artist in a Video for "No Such Thing" – nominated
Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards		* Les Paul Horizon Award (Most Promising Up and Coming Guitarist)
VH1 Big in 2002 Awards		* Can't Get You Out of My Head Award for "No Such Thing"
Pollstar Concert Industry Awards		* Best New Artist Tour
	20th Annual ASCAP Awards		* ASCAP Pop Award – "No Such Thing" (shared with Clay Cook)Awarded to songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs in the ASCAP repertory for the award period.
31st Annual American Music Awards		* Favorite Male Artist – Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music
15th Annual Boston Music Awards		* Act of the Year	* Male Vocalist of the Year	* Song of the Year for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
MTV Video Music Awards		* Best Male Video
Radio Music Awards		* Modern Adult Contemporary Radio Artist of the Year	* Best Hook-Up Song for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
Teen People Awards		* Choice Music – Male Artist	* Choice Music – Album for ''Any Given Thursday''
Danish Music Awards		* Best New Artist
	BDS Certified Spin AwardsMarch 2004 recipients		* Reached 100,000 spins for "Why Georgia"
	33rd annual American Music Awards		* Adult Contemporary: Favorite Artist
World Music Awards		* World's Best Selling Rock Act
People's Choice Awards		* Favorite Male Artist
	35th Annual American Music Awards		* Adult Contemporary Music — nominated
23rd Annual TEC Awards		* Tour Sound Production (for the Continuum Tour)	* Record Production/Single or Track (for production on "Waiting on the World to Change")	* Record Production/Album (from production on ''Continuum'')

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''

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

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

Category:1977 births Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American bloggers Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Krav Maga practitioners Category:Live Music Archive artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Connecticut Category:People from Bridgeport, Connecticut Category:People with synesthesia

af:John Mayer bg:Джон Мейър ca:John Mayer cs:John Mayer da:John Mayer de:John Mayer es:John Mayer fa:جان میر fr:John Mayer (guitariste) ko:존 메이어 hi:जॉन मेयर id:John Mayer is:John Mayer it:John Mayer he:ג'ון מאייר (גיטריסט) kn:ಜಾನ್ ಮೇಯರ್ lv:Džons Maiers hu:John Mayer nl:John Mayer ja:ジョン・メイヤー no:John Mayer pl:John Mayer pt:John Mayer ro:John Mayer ru:Мэйер, Джон simple:John Mayer fi:John Mayer sv:John Mayer ta:ஜான் மேயர் te:జాన్ మేయర్ th:จอห์น เมเยอร์ tr:John Mayer zh:約翰·梅爾