Battle Studies is the fourth studio album by American rock musician John Mayer, released November 17, 2009 on Columbia Records in the United States. Production for the album took place during February to August 2009 at Battle Studies recording studio in Calabasas, California, Capitol Studios in Hollywood, and The Village in West Los Angeles, California, and was handled by Mayer and Steve Jordan.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. It achieved successful sales in several other countries and produced two singles that attained chart success. Upon its release, Battle Studies received positive reviews from most music critics. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 880,000 copies in the United States.

Background[link]

During a live performance in June 2009 Mayer said, "The album is called Battle Studies and that's because it incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations, and a little bit of advice. Like a handbook, like a heartbreak handbook."^{[citation needed]} On October 1, 2009, Mayer posted via twitter: "Track listing on Battle Studies is complete! Very interesting order... 11 songs. 45 minutes. Hit 'em hard and get out."^[1]

The album was leaked just hours before Mayer was scheduled to perform an official "radio leak" on 103.7 Sophie in San Diego.^[2] However, Mayer gave his listeners permission to download the leak, as long as they "registered" their copies by ordering the album.^[3]

Mayer's 2010 Battle Studies World Tour began on February 4, 2010 in Sunrise, Florida at the BankAtlantic Center, and ended on October 1, 2010 in Manila, Philippines, at SM Mall of Asia.

Singles[link]

According to Mayer's official Twitter profile, "Who Says" was the first single from the album and^[4] was released for preview on September 25, 2009 at www.johnmayer.com. The official release for the single was on October 13, 2009.

The second single was "Heartbreak Warfare", which was previewed on October 19, 2009. The first ever augmented reality video accompanied the second single, which was released on Mayer's website.

The third single was "Half of My Heart", which was released for radio airplay on June 1, 2010.

The fourth single was "Perfectly Lonely", which was released on November 13, 2010.

Reception[link]

Commercial performance[link]

The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold 286,000 copies in its first week.^[5] In its second week, it sold an additional 93,000 copies and fell to number 13 on the Billboard chart.^[6]As of April 2010^[update], the album has sold 880,000 copies in the United States.^[7] On July 29, 2010, Battle Studies was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of one million copies in the US.^[8]

Critical response[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[10]
The Guardian	[11]
Los Angeles Times	[12]
Mojo	[13]
The New York Times	mixed[14]
PopMatters	(6/10)[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
Slant Magazine	[17]
Sputnikmusic	[18]

Battle Studies received generally positive reviews from music critics.^[19] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[19] Billboard magazine called Battle Studies "the best and most adventurous of his four studio albums".^[20] Despite stating that "Mayer dips too heavily toward the texture", Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and commended Mayer for his musicianship.^[9] The Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman wrote favorably of Mayer's intimate expression on the album and wrote that he "continues to strip away the twinkly radio lacquer of his earlier work without sacrificing his pop sensibilities".^[21] Jackie Hayden of Hot Press gave Battle Studies a rating of 3.5/5 and called it a "classy pop opus for grown-ups".^[22] Los Angeles Times writer Randy Lewis gave it 2½ out of 4 stars and praised its production and Mayer's melodies.^[12] However, Lewis viewed its lyrical content as subpar to its music and wrote that "For the most part, he expresses himself more eloquently through his guitar than his lyrics".^[12] The Independent writer Andy Gill gave Battle Studies 3 out of 5 stars and found its lyrical detail "ultimately tiresome".^[23]

Sputnikmusic critic Alex Silveri viewed Mayer's songwriting depth as flawed and called the album "about as scholastically violent as a bunny in a pile of hay".^[18] However, Silveri commended Mayer for his "knack for dealing with universal themes in thoroughly down to earth ways, and without the layering of pop cheese that so many of his contemporaries indulge in".^[18] Despite writing favorably of the album's craftsmanship, Rolling Stone's Jody Rosen gave it 3 out of 5 stars and perceived the subject matter's seriousness as a weakness.^[16] Entertainment Weekly critic Leah Greenblatt gave Battle Studies a B- rating and shared a similar sentiment, writing "Mostly, he noodles amiably toward Studies' conclusion, apparently content to stay within the confines of the Dave Matthews/Jason Mraz (and yes, John Mayer) sensitive-dude rock template. In this Battle, it seems, one side never really stood a chance".^[10] The New York Post's Dan Aquilante called it a "gritless record that’s too smooth for its own good" and gave it 2½ stars.^[24] USA Today's Edna Gundersen gave the album 2½ out of 4 stars and wrote "While his guitar chops are impeccable on this well-crafted blues-pop album, the gravity and cautious noodling cry out for some input from that other Mayer: his cunning, irreverent public persona".^[25]

Both Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe and The Washington Post's Allison Stewart gave the album negative reviews and panned Mayer's stylistic choice for Battle Studies.^[17][26] Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim DeRogatis gave the album ½ out of 4 stars, stating "Laden with laughable romantic-schlock lyrics and trite, sappy melodies, these songs aim for the pathos of classic Carpenters but come closer to maudlin Barry Manilow".^[27] Tom Hughes of The Guardian gave it 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Mayer's talents are obvious, but there's so much more cheese than charm here that he would seem like a hard sell outside the Billboard heartland".^[11] The Village Voice columnist Zach Baron stated that it "somehow avoids including any of the myriad things that actually make John Mayer interesting".^[28] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that "the album highlights the extremely blatant chasm between John Mayer the musician and John Mayer the public character, a divide Mr. Mayer said he was eager to maintain".^[14]

Track listing[link]

All songs written by John Mayer, except where noted.

1. "Heartbreak Warfare" – 4:30
2. "All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye" – 4:35
3. "Half of My Heart" (with Taylor Swift) – 4:10
4. "Who Says" – 2:56
5. "Perfectly Lonely" – 4:28
6. "Assassin" – 5:14
7. "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson) – 2:29
8. "War of My Life" – 4:15
9. "Edge of Desire" – 5:32
10. "Do You Know Me" – 2:30
11. "Friends, Lovers or Nothing" – 5:59

iTunes bonus track version

12. "I'm on Fire" (Bruce Springsteen) – 2:52

Battle Studies (CD/DVD Expanded Edition) Battle Studies Expanded Edition adds video of John's recent VH1 Storytellers broadcast plus two intimate acoustic performances from his personal travels to Japan in May 2010. DVD tracklisting – Approximate run time 50 minutes: VH1 Storytellers Disc: 2 DVD

1. 1. No Such Thing
2. 2. Daughters
3. 3. Heartbreak Warfare
4. 4. Your Body Is a Wonderland
5. 5. Who Says
6. 6. Waiting on the World to Change

A Trip to Japan Alone

1. 7. Half of My Heart
2. 8. Who Says

Personnel[link]

Additional personnel

• Jeri Heiden – art direction; graphic design
• Albert Watson – photography
• Gari Askew – photography
• Carlos Hurtado – tracking

Charts and certifications[link]

Year-end charts[link]

Chart procession and succession[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Battle Studies microsite
• Battle Studies at Discogs
• Battle Studies at Metacritic

Battle Studies is a book by Ardant du Picq, a colonel in the French Army who was killed in 1870 in the Franco-Prussian War. The work was never completed, but Du Picq had written many chapters completely and left sufficient notes behind to complete the book.

Themes of the book[link]

The theme of the book, according to Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch, is that "moral force" is the most powerful element in the strength of armies and the preponderating influence in the outcome of battles. In general form, he states:

The goal of the army[link]

Combat is the object, the cause of being, and the supreme manifestation of an army. Every measure that does not keep combat as the object of the army is fatal. All the resources accumulated in time of peace, all the training, and all the strategic calculations must have the goal of combat.

Man in combat[link]

• The human element is more important than theories. War is still more of an art than a science. One popular quote demonstrating this conclusion drawn from numerous battle studies states, "Nothing can wisely be prescribed in any army... without exact knowledge of the fundamental instrument, man, and his state of mind, his morale, at the instant of combat."^[1]
• Great strategists and leaders of men are marked by inspiration. "Generals of genius draw from the human heart ability to execute a surprising variety of movements which vary the routine; the mediocre ones, who have no eyes to read readily , are doomed to the worst errors.”

Du Picq's work attempts to deal with the principles of warfare as an empirical study, based on case studies of battles.

Battle Studies became a key textbook in the French Army's École de Guerre in the years leading to World War I.

See also[link]

• Battle Studies World Tour

References[link]

External links[link]

• Battle Studies, Ardant du Picq's book about soldiers reaction during battle. Free version on Project Gutenberg, translation by John N. Greely and Robert C. Cotton.

This military-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about a non-fiction book is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

John Mayer
Mayer at the Mile High Music Festival on July 20, 2008
Background information
Birth name	John Clayton Mayer
Born	(1977-10-16) October 16, 1977 (age 34) Bridgeport, Connecticut United States
Genres	Pop rock, blues rock, acoustic rock, blue-eyed soul
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer, columnist, graphic designer, photographer, comedian, television host
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, omnichord, piano, vibraphone, harmonica, percussion, clarinet, violin
Years active	1998 (1998)–present
Labels	Arista, Aware, Columbia
Associated acts	John Mayer Trio, Fall Out Boy
Website	johnmayer.com
Notable instruments
Fender Stratocaster Martin Guitars Gibson Guitars

John Clayton Mayer ( /ˈmeɪ.ər/ MAY-ər;^[1] (born October 16, 1977) is an American pop and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer.^[2] 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.^[3][4] 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."^[5]

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 throughout his 2005 live album Try! with the John Mayer Trio and his third studio 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. His fifth album, Born and Raised, was released on May 22, 2012. He has sold over 10 million albums in the U.S. and 20 million albums worldwide.

Early life[link]

John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Margaret, an English teacher, and Richard, a high school principal.^[6] He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, the second of three children.^[7] His father is Jewish, and Mayer has said that he "relat[es] to Judaism".^[8] He attended Fairfield High School in Fairfield^[9] 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).^[10]

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.^[11][12] A neighbor gave Mayer a Stevie Ray Vaughan cassette, which cultivated Mayer's love of blues music.^[13]a[›] Mayer started taking lessons from a local guitar-shop owner, Al Ferrante, and soon became consumed with playing the instrument.^[3][14] His singular focus concerned his parents, and they took him twice to see a psychiatrist—but Mayer was determined to be fine.^[3][14] Mayer says that the contentious nature of his parents' marriage led him to "disappear and create my own world I could believe in".^[3] After two years of practice, he started playing at blues bars and other venues in the area, while he was still in high school.^[10][12] 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.^[3][15] Mayer considered skipping college to pursue his music, but the disapproval of his parents dissuaded him from doing so.^[3]

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.^[4] Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from panic attacks, and lived with the fear of having to enter a mental institution.^[3] He continues to manage such episodes with Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug.^[4][16] 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.^[17]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, aged 19.^[7] However, at the urging of his college friend an Atlanta, Georgia native, Clay Cook, he left school after two semesters and moved with Cook to Atlanta.^[18] 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.^[12] According to Cook, they began to experience musical differences due to Mayer’s desire to move more towards pop music.^[19] As a result, the two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career.^[18]

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".^[19] 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.^[20] Mayer and LaBruyere then began to perform throughout Georgia and nearby states.

Major label success[link]

	"City Love" excerpt noicon From the album Room for Squares.
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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.^[14][21][22] 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 titled, 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.^[23] 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.^[24]

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."^[25] 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.^[26]

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?'"^[27][28]

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".^[29] 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.^[30]

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.^[31]

January 2005, left to right: David Ryan Harris, 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.^[32] 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.^[33] Mayer has also done endorsements, such as a Volkswagen commercial for the Beetle's guitar outlet and for the BlackBerry Curve.^[34]

Change in musical direction[link]

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".^b[›] Following these collaborations, Mayer received praise from rap heavyweights Jay-Z and Nelly.^[35] 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."^[36]

	"Go!" excerpt noicon From the album Be. In 2004, after the three saw the movie Ray together, Kanye West and Mayer joined Common back in the studio. Mayer came up with the song's concept—fantasies—and his vocals were sampled for the track.[37]
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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."^[36] 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 Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Freddie King.^[38]

John Mayer Trio[link]

	"Who Did You Think I Was?" noicon From the album Try! The first single, "Who Did You Think I Was?," lyrically underscores Mayer's decision to move away from acoustic pop music and towards blues, with lines such as, "Got a brand new blues that I can't explain."[39] This sample features an extended electric guitar solo.
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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,^[40] 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.^[41]

[edit] 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.^[7]

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.^[42] 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.^[43]

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.^[38] 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.^[44]

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".^[45] 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.^[46] 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.^[47]

Australian artist Guy Sebastian invited Mayer to collaborate on three songs from his 2009 album Like It Like That.^[48] Mayer also played guitar on the title track of Crosby Loggins' debut LP, Time to Move, released on July 10, 2009.^[49]

On July 7, 2009, Mayer performed an instrumental guitar version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" at Jackson's televised memorial service.^[50]

[edit] Battle Studies

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.^[51] 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",^[52][53] 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."^{[3][54][55][56]}

Mayer admitted to Rolling Stone that he thought Battle Studies was not his best album.^[57][58]

[edit] Born and Raised

Early reports indicated that the follow-up to Battle Studies would be called Born and Raised, and would be released in October 2011.^[59]

On September 16, 2011 Mayer posted on his blog that his new record, Born and Raised, was being delayed due to granulomas discovered in his throat. The granulomas were found next to the vocal cords and are treatable. Mayer described this as a "temporary setback" and that recording and mixing of "Born and Raised" was entirely finished except for a few remaining vocal tracks. He expects the album to be out in early 2012.^[60]

On October 20, 2011 Mayer updated his fans about the treatment of his throat granuloma, announcing that he "had surgery this afternoon to remove it and am now on complete vocal rest for a month or more", during which he plans to "travel the country, look, and listen."^[60]

The first single from Born and Raised, called "Shadow Days" was released on February 27, 2012

On February 28, 2012 John Mayer released the track listing for the album and announced that Born and Raised would be released on May 22, 2012.^[61]

On March 9, 2012 Mayer announced on his blog that due to the return of a serious throat condition, he has been forced to cancel his tour and refrain from all singing indefinitely.^[62]

Other projects[link]

Philanthropy and activism[link]

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.^[63][64]

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.^[65] He converted his tour bus to bio-diesel fuel.^[66]

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.^[67] 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.^[68] 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.^[69] Mayer appeared on Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace, a celebrity initiative to support Tibet and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.^[70]

Design[link]

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.^[4] In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer.^[72] The guitar was limited to a run of only 404, an Atlanta area code.^[73] 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.^[74] 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.^[75]

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.^[76][77] June 2007 saw the release of the "album art" guitar, with the Continuum motif repeated on the face of the instrument,^[78] 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.^[4] In 2010, Fender announced a production model of Mayer's "The Black One" guitar.^[79]

Writing[link]

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.^[80] The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the following January's issue.^[81]

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,^[82] 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.^[16][44] 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..";^c[›] all the previous blog entries were deleted.^[83]

In the mid-2000s he did stand-up comedy sporadically^[82] 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.^[4]

He co-wrote "Worlds of Chance" with Demi Lovato for her second album Here We Go Again.

Television[link]

In 2004, Mayer hosted a one-shot, half-hour comedy special on VH1 titled 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.^[84][85] 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.".^[86]

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.

Mayer has written the theme song to the upcoming show Rollin' with Zach on the OWN network.

Touring[link]

Mayer has toured with many musical groups, including Maroon 5,^[87] Guster, Howie Day, Mat Kearney, Counting Crows,^[88] Ben Folds, The Wallflowers, Teitur,^[89] 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.^[90] In 2007, Mayer toured Europe, hoping to reach the popularity abroad that he enjoys in North America.^[91] 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."^[92] 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.^[93]

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.^{[94][95][96][97]} He has made appearances throughout the Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York areas, including shows at The Laugh Factory,^[98] Eddie's Attic,^[99] and the Village Underground.^[97] His latest surprise appearance was on January 8, 2011 at Hotel Cafe where he played seven new unreleased songs. In 2004, after being asked for numerous past years, he performed for over 1000 students at the Pennsbury High School Senior Prom. Wonderland, a book written by Micheal Bamberger, describes the world- famous prom and John Mayer's performance.

Touring band members[link]

Current members

• David Ryan Harris – guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
• Sean Hurley – bass, backing vocals (2008–present)
• Chuck Leavell - keyboards (2011–present)
• Aaron Sterling - drums (2011–present)

Former members

• Bob Reynolds – saxophones, flute (2006–2008, 2010)
• Robbie McIntosh – guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (2006–2010)
• 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[link]

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.^[100]

Mayer has followed the discipline of Krav Maga.^{[101][102][103]} He is an avid collector of watches and owns timepieces worth tens of thousands of dollars.^[104][105] Mayer also has an extensive collection of sneakers, estimated (in 2006^[update]) at more than 200 pairs.^[4][106]

Mayer's parents concluded an uncontested divorce on May 27, 2009.^[107] After the divorce, Mayer moved his (82-year-old) father to an assisted-living facility in Los Angeles.^[3]

In September 2011, according to a Rolling Stone magazine article, Mayer has granuloma in his throat which must be treated surgically – this has caused him to cancel various planned shows.^[108]

Mayer sold his home in the Los Angeles suburbs in 2011.^[3][4][109] He also recently sold his apartment in New York City's SoHo neighborhood and moved to Montana following his throat surgery where he has purchased a home.^[110]

[edit] Playboy interview controversy

In April 2010 Mayer gave a controversial interview to Playboy magazine, in which he made sexually explicit comments about former girlfriends Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston. It was alleged that one remark he made in the interview was racist.^[111] He later apologized onstage for these statements.^[112]

Despite assertions that he would not be doing any more press,^[86] 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.^[101][113] 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."^[114] He also tearfully apologized to his band and fans at his concert in Nashville later that night.^[115] Mayer was dubbed an "accidental racist" by comedian, Kumail Nanjiani.^[116]

Solo discography[link]

• Room for Squares (2001)
• Heavier Things (2003)
• Continuum (2006)
• Battle Studies (2009)
• Born and Raised (2012)

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

Mayer has won seven awards from eighteen nominations.

Others awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

• Annual John Mayer Holiday Charity Revue
• Battle Studies World Tour

Notes[link]

Footnotes[link]