Coordinates: 45°0′0″N 0°0′0″E / 45°N 0°E / 45; 0

Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow

Northern hemisphere from above the North Pole

The Northern Hemisphere^[1] is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator. Earth's northern hemisphere contains most of the planet's land, and roughly 90% of its human population. See also Arctic, Temperate zone, Tropics, Seasons and Climate

Due to the Earth's axial tilt, winter lasts from the winter solstice (typically December 22) to the vernal equinox (typically March 20), while summer lasts from the summer solstice (typically June 21) through to the autumnal equinox (typically September 21).

The Arctic is the region north of the Arctic Circle. Its climate is characterized by cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation mostly comes in the form of snow. The Arctic experiences some days in summer when the Sun never sets, and some days during the winter when it never rises. The duration of these phases varies from one day for locations right on the Arctic Circle to several months near the North Pole.

Between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer lies the Northern Temperate Zone. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold. However, a temperate climate can have very unpredictable weather.

Tropical regions (between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator) are generally hot all year round and tend to experience a rainy season during the summer months, and a dry season during the winter months.

In the Northern Hemisphere, objects moving across or above the surface of the Earth tend to turn to the right because of the coriolis effect. As a result, large-scale horizontal flows of air or water tend to form clockwise-turning gyres north of the equator. These are best seen in ocean circulation patterns in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. South of the equator, the directions are reversed.

For the same reason, flows of air down toward the northern surface of the Earth tend to spread across the surface in a clockwise pattern. Thus, clockwise air circulation is characteristic of high pressure weather cells in the northern hemisphere. Conversely, air rising from the northern surface of the Earth (creating a region of low pressure) tends to draw air toward it in a counterclockwise pattern. Hurricanes and tropical storms (massive low-pressure systems) spin anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (by contrast, they spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere).

The shadow of a sundial moves clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (opposite of the Southern Hemisphere). During the day, the Sun tends to raise to its maximum at a southerly position, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere it raises to a maximum that is northerly in position (as it tends towards the direction of the equator). In both hemispheres, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Also, the Moon appears "upside down" compared to a view from the Southern Hemisphere and the view of the stars is very different. The North Pole faces away from the galactic centre of the Milky Way; this results in there being far fewer and less bright visible stars in the northern hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere, making the Northern Hemisphere more suitable for deep-space observation, as it is not "blinded" by the Milky Way.

List of continents and countries[link]

Continents of the Northern Hemisphere[link]

• all of Europe
• all of North America, Central America and Caribbean
• the vast majority of Asia, except East Timor and Indonesia (mainly in Southern Hemisphere)
• about 2/3 of Africa, just below the "horn"
• 1/10 of South America, north of the mouth of the Amazon River.

See also[link]

• Seasons
• South Pole
• North–South divide

References[link]

v t e Hemispheres of the Earth Northern Hemisphere • Southern Hemisphere • Eastern Hemisphere • Western Hemisphere • Land hemisphere • Water hemisphere Book:Hemispheres of the Earth · Portal:Geography · Commons:Maps of Earth's hemispheres

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2009)

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Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in Philadelphia, Isakov later moved to Colorado. ^[1] Isakov's voice and guitar style leave a humble presence that has spawned a burgeoning fan base. He has shared the stage with numerous touring artists such as Ani Difranco, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Alexi Murdoch, Brandi Carlile and Fiona Apple. Isakov has performed throughout North America and Europe; and has appeared at music festivals such as South by Southwest, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, and Telluride Bluegrass Festival.^[2]In 2011, Isakov's songs were featured in film and television productions, including his track "If I Go, I'm Goin'", which was heard in the fourth season of television show Californication on Showtime; and "Big Black Car", which was featured in McDonald's Christmas commercial in Canada.

Discography[link]

• Rust Colored Stones (2003)
• Songs for October (2005)
• That Sea, The Gambler (2007)
• This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009)

Awards[link]

• 2007: Best Singer/Songwriter 2007, Westword
• 2007: winner, Telluride Troubador Competition

Notes[link]

1. ^ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/08/best-of-whats-next-2009-gregory-alan-isakov-musician.html
2. ^ http://www.flaglive.com/flagstafflive_story.cfm?storyID=208132&sid=122

External links[link]

• Official website
• Gregory Alan Isakov on Myspace
• Folk Radio UK Session

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

Carpathian Forest is a Norwegian black metal band formed by Nattefrost and Nordavind in 1990.

Biography[link]

Carpathian Forest (previously known as "The Childmolesters", then "Enthrone") emerged with the demo tape "Bloodlust and Perversion" in 1992. In 1993 the band released a second demo: Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern. The following year, Forest signed to Avantgarde Music and recorded their first EP, Through Chasm, Caves and Titan Woods in 1995, followed by the debut album Black Shining Leather in 1998.

Carpathian Forest played their first concert in 1998 at the Quart Festival, Kristiansand Norway supporting Immortal and Satyricon. This saw the introduction of Vrangsinn. A short studio session followed, with Tchort and Kobro being made permanent members. The following EP was called He's Turning Blue, followed by the albums Strange Old Brew and Morbid Fascination of Death - these were both recorded at the same time and were produced by Terje Refsnes at Sound Suite studio in Sandnes. Nordavind left the band after this studio session due to personal issues with Tchort being promoted to guitarist. Vrangsinn was promoted to bass, and Blood Pervertor to keyboard duties for following sessions and tours.^[1]

With this lineup, the band recorded their fourth album, Defending the Throne of Evil, released by Season of Mist. This album was the first to feature symphonic sounds, as witnessed with "It's Darker than You Think". The album was generally well-received.

The following year, Carpathian Forest made two releases - We're Going to Hollywood for This, a live DVD, the title of which was a play on their compilation album We're Going to Hell for This, and another compilation entitled Skjend Hans Lik, which featured many new tracks, as well as some remastered ones from Bloodlust and Perversion.

The band's most recent release was in 2006, with Fuck You All!!!!, an album which has similar structures to Black Shining Leather.

The band last played live at the Inferno Festival in 2009, and confirmed rumors that a new album was in the works.^[2]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums & E.P's[link]

• Through Chasm, Caves and Titan Woods (1995)
• Black Shining Leather (1998)
• Strange Old Brew (2000)
• He's Turning Blue EP (2000)
• Morbid Fascination of Death (2001)
• Defending the Throne of Evil (2003)
• Fuck You All!!!! Caput tuum in ano est (2006)
• Universal Evil (2012)

Compilation albums[link]

• Bloodlust and Perversion (1997)
• We're Going to Hell for This (2002)
• We're Going to Hollywood for This - Live Perversions (2004, video release)
• Skjend Hans Lik (2004)

Demos[link]

• Bloodlust & Perversion (1992)
• Journey through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern (1993)
• In These Trees Are My Gallows (1993)
• Rehearsal Tape (1993)

Bootlegs[link]

• Live In Darkness
• Eternal Darkness

Band members[link]

Timeline[link]

<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:300 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/2012 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =

 id:vocals    value:red        legend:Vocals/Guitar
 id:bass      value:purple     legend:Bass
 id:drums     value:brightblue legend:Drums
 id:guitarvocals   value:green      legend:Guitar/Vocals
 id:guitar   value:yellow      legend:Guitar

Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom

BarData =

 bar:Nattefrost text:"Nattefrost"
 bar:Nordavind    text:"Nordavind"
 bar:Vrangsinn   text:"Vrangsinn"
 bar:Pervertor    text:"Blood Pervertor"
 bar:Kobro    text:"A. Kobro"
 bar:Lazare text:"Lazare"
 bar:Kleppe text:"Svein H. Kleppe"
 bar:Grimm    text:"Grimm"
 bar:Blackmangler    text:"Lord Blackmangler"
 bar:Damnatus    text:"Damnatus"

PlotData=

 width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Nattefrost from:01/01/1992 till:end        color:vocals
 bar:Nordavind    from:01/01/1992 till:31/12/2000        color:guitarvocals
 bar:Pervertor    from:01/01/2003 till:end        color:guitar
 bar:Vrangsinn    from:01/01/1999 till:end color:guitar
 bar:Kobro   from:01/01/1999 till:end        color:drums
 bar:Blackmangler    from:01/01/1992 till:31/12/1992 color:drums
 bar:Grimm    from:01/01/1993 till:31/12/1994 color:drums
 bar:Lazare from:01/01/1996 till:31/12/1997 color:drums
 bar:Kleppe from:01/01/1995 till:31/12/1995 color:drums
 bar:Damnatus    from:01/01/1992 till:31/12/1993 color:bass
 

LineData =

 at:01/01/1992 color:black layer:back
 at:01/04/1993 color:black layer:back
 at:01/03/1994 color:black layer:back
 at:01/04/1998 color:black layer:back
 at:01/04/1999 color:black layer:back
 at:01/08/1999 color:black layer:back
 at:01/01/2000 color:black layer:back
 at:01/08/2002 color:black layer:back
 at:01/12/2005 color:black layer:back

</timeline>

Current members[link]

Nattefrost, live in 2009.

• "Hellcommander" Nattefrost (Roger Rasmussen) - vocals, guitar, arrangements, production, bass guitar (1990–Present)
• Vrangsinn - Backing vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, arrangements, production and engineering (1999–Present)
• Anders Kobro - drums (1999–Present)
• Blood Pervertor (Goran Boman) - guitar (2003–Present)

Former members[link]

• Tchort (Terje Vik Schei) - guitar, bass guitar (1999–2009)
• John Nordavind - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, arrangements (1990–2000)
• Lazare (Lars Nedland) - session drums (1997)
• Mothörsen (Arvid Thorsen) - Session saxophone (2000–2004)
• Kulde (Eivind Kulde) - live session on keyboards (2002)
• Nina Hex - Backing vocals (2000–2001)
• I.K. Hellslut - Backing vocals (2004)
• Lord Blackmangler - Drums (1992)
• Damnatus - Bass (1992-1993)
• Grimm (Erik_Brødreskift) - Drums (1993)
• John M.Haar - Bass (1995)
• Svein H. Kleppe - Drums (1995)

See also[link]

• Season of Mist
• Nattefrost
• Vrangsinn

References[link]

1. ^ "Carpathian Forest". Encyclopaedia Metallum. http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Carpathian_Forest/147#band_tab_members. Retrieved 10 July 2011. 
2. ^ "CARPATHIAN FOREST Working On New Album, DVD - Jan. 2, 2009". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=111746. Retrieved 10 July 2011. 

External links[link]

• Official myspace page
• Official homepage
• Carpathian Forest at MusicMight

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

Helen Caldicott
Dr. Helen Caldicott, October 2007
Born	(1938-08-07) 7 August 1938 (age 73) Melbourne, Australia
Occupation	Physician, activist
Website
Dr. Caldicott's official website

Helen Mary Caldicott (born 7 August 1938) is an Australian physician, author, and anti-nuclear advocate who has founded several associations dedicated to opposing the use of nuclear power, depleted uranium munitions, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons proliferation, war and military action in general. She hosts a weekly radio program, If You Love This Planet. In 2009 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.^[1]

Life[link]

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Caldicott attended the Fintona Girls' School, and received her medical degree in 1961 from the University of Adelaide Medical School. In 1977 she joined the staff of the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston, and taught pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School from 1977 to 1978.

In 1980, following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, she left her medical career in order to concentrate on calling the world's attention to what she refers to as the "insanity" of the nuclear arms race and the growing reliance on nuclear power.

In 1982, she was the subject of the controversial Oscar-winning National Film Board of Canada documentary on the dangers of nuclear weapons, entitled If You Love This Planet.^[2]

Citing confidential memos, Caldicott says that the Hershey Foods Corporation was concerned about radiation levels in milk used in their products because of the proximity of the Three Mile Island accident to Hershey's Pennsylvania factory. According to Caldicott, citing a 30 March 1979 study by the Pennsylvania State University, College of Engineering, radiation contaminants that fell on the Pennsylvania grass found their way into the milk of the local dairy cows.^[3] Caldicott noted this was contrary to the findings in the government official report^[4] released shortly after the Three Mile Island disaster. Caldicott disputes this report in her book, Nuclear Power is Not the Answer.

Also in 1980, she founded the Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND) in the United States, which was later renamed Women's Action for New Directions. It is a group dedicated to reducing or redirecting government spending away from nuclear energy use towards what the group perceives as unmet social issues.

During her time in the United States from 1977 to 1986, Caldicott was the founding president from 1978 to 1983 of Physicians for Social Responsibility (founded originally in 1961 and dormant from 1970 to 1978), and she helped to recruit 23,000 doctors committed to educating the public and their colleagues on the dangers of nuclear energy. She also worked abroad to establish similar national groups that focused on education about the medical dangers of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons and nuclear war. The umbrella organisation [International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War]]) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. She herself received the Humanist of the Year award from the American Humanist Association in 1982.

In 1995 Caldicott returned to the US where she lectured for the New School of Social Research on the Media, Global Politics, and the Environment. She also hosted a weekly radio show on WBAI (Pacifica) and became the Founding President of the STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation) Foundation.

Her sixth book, The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush’s Military Industrial Complex, was published in 2001. While touring with that book, she founded the Nuclear Policy Research Institute, headquartered in Washington, DC. NPRI facilitated an ongoing public education campaign in the mainstream media about the dangers of nuclear energy, including weapons and power programs and policies. It was led by both Caldicott and Executive Director Julie R. Enszer. NPRI attempted to create a consensus to end all uses of nuclear energy by means of public education campaigns, establishing a presence in the mainstream media, and sponsoring high-profile symposia. NPRI has now morphed into Beyond Nuclear. In 2008 Caldicott founded the Helen Caldicott Foundation for a Nuclear Free Future. The foundation hosts a weekly radio show called If You Love This Planet which originated on Huston station KPFT, and now airs on dozens of U.S., Australian and Canadian stations, and on its podcast feed website www.ifyoulovethisplanet.org. The foundation also operates a website called NuclearFreePlanet.org with information and data on nuclear power, Fukushima and nuclear weapons.^[5]

In May 2003, Caldicott gave a lecture entitled "The New Nuclear Threat" at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Distinguished Lecture Series.

A 2004 documentary film, 'Helen's War: portrait of a dissident',^[6] provides a look into Dr. Caldicott's life through the eyes of her niece, filmmaker Anna Broinowski.

Caldicott currently splits her time between the United States and Australia and continues to lecture widely to promote her views on nuclear energy use, including weapons and power. She has been awarded 21 honorary doctoral degrees and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling. She was awarded the Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom in 2003, and in 2006, the Peace Organisation of Australia presented her with the inaugural Australian Peace Prize "for her longstanding commitment to raising awareness about the medical and environmental hazards of the nuclear age". The Smithsonian Institution has named Caldicott as one of the most influential women of the 20th century. She is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS, a progressive think tank in Spain.

A fully revised and updated edition of her 1992 book "If You Love This Planet" was published by W.W. Norton in September 2009.

Helen Caldicott is featured along with foreign affairs experts, space security activists and military officials in interviews in Denis Delestrac's 2010 feature documentary "Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space".

Dr. Caldicott spoke to a standing room only crowd at the Faulkner Gallery in Santa Barbara on Friday March 23, 2012 on "The Medical Implications of Fukushima, Nuclear Power and Nuclear Proliferation".^{[citation needed]}

Australian politics[link]

Caldicott contested the New South Wales seat of Division of Richmond in the House of Representatives at the 1990 federal election, a seat held by conservatives since the inaugural 1901 election, and by the Country Party (now National Party) since it first contested elections at the 1922 election. Caldicott polled very well for a federal independent candidate, receiving 23.3 percent of the primary vote. On the sixth count, Caldicott had 27.4 percent of the vote, with Nationals incumbent (and then leader of the Nationals) Charles Blunt at 43.2 percent and Labor candidate Neville Newell at 29.4 percent. Caldicott was eliminated, and her preferences flowed heavily to Newell. This enabled Labor to take the seat for the first time in its history, on 50.5 percent of the two party preferred vote, a swing of 7.1 percent.^[7] This saw only one of three times a major party leader was defeated in his own seat at an election, the others being Stanley Bruce at the 1929 election and John Howard at the 2007 election.

Caldicott wished to enter the Australian Senate in 1991 and attempted to win Australian Democrats' support to replace New South Wales Senator Paul McLean, who had recently resigned. However, the party chose the highest unelected person on their New South Wales Senate ticket from the previous election and Karin Sowada took the position.

See also[link]

• Anti-nuclear movement in Australia
• Anti-nuclear movement in the United States
• Nuclear weapons and the United States
• Nuclear-free zone
• Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
• Treaty of Rarotonga

Bibliography[link]

• Nuclear Madness (1979)
• Missile Envy (1984)
• If You Love This Planet: A Plan to Heal the Earth (1992 and 2009)
• A Desperate Passion: An Autobiography (1996)
• Metal of Dishonor: How Depleted Uranium Penetrates Steel, Radiates People and Contaminates the Environment, Publisher: International Action Center, (1997) ISBN 0-9656916-0-8
• The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush’s Military Industrial Complex (2001 and 2004).
• Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer to Global Warming or Anything Else (2006)
• War in Heaven: The Arms Race in Outer Space (with Craig Eisendrath) (2006)

References[link]

External links[link]

• www.helencaldicott.com - Dr. Caldicott's official website
• www.ifyoulovethisplanet.org - Dr. Caldicott's weekly radio program, "If You Love This Planet"
• Watch a video clip of Helen Caldicott at Big Picture TV
• Video of Speech on Depleted Uranium from Freespeech.org
• Anti Nuclear Oxford debate by former New Zealand PM David Lange
• Heyoka Magazine Interview
• [2] KGNU Denver interview with Claudia Cragg in July 2007 about Japan's Nuclear Industry and Earthquakes]
• In Depth interview with Caldicott, 6 March 2005

v t e Anti-nuclear movement in the United States General issues Anti-nuclear movement in California · Anti-nuclear groups in the United States · Anti-nuclear protests in the United States · Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament · List of cancelled nuclear plants in the United States · Nuclear power in the United States · Nuclear weapons and the United States Organizations and groups Abalone Alliance · Clamshell Alliance  · Committee for Nuclear Responsibility · Corporate Accountability International · Critical Mass · Friends of the Earth · Greenpeace USA · Institute for Energy and Environmental Research · Mothers for Peace · Musicians United for Safe Energy · Nevada Desert Experience · Nuclear Control Institute · Nuclear Information and Resource Service · Physicians for Social Responsibility · Plowshares Movement · Public Citizen · Shad Alliance · Sierra Club · Three Mile Island Alert · Women Strike for Peace People Daniel Berrigan · Larry Bogart · Helen Caldicott · Glenn Carroll · Barry Commoner · Frances Crowe · Carrie Barefoot Dickerson · Jane Fonda · John Gofman · Paul Gunter · John Hall · Amory Lovins · Arjun Makhijani · Gregory Minor · Ralph Nader · Linus Pauling · Eugene Rabinowitch · Bonnie Raitt · Martin Sheen · Karen Silkwood · Thomas · Louie Vitale · Harvey Wasserman Main protest sites Black Fox · Bodega Bay · Diablo Canyon · Indian Point · LLNL · Montague · Naval Base Kitsap · Nevada Test Site · Rancho Seco · Rocky Flats · San Onofre · Seabrook · Shoreham · Three Mile Island · Trojan · Vermont Yankee · White House Peace Vigil · Y-12 Weapons Plant · Yankee Rowe Books Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free · Conservation Fallout  · Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power · Critical Masses · Fallout: An American Nuclear Tragedy · Killing Our Own · Licensed to Kill?  · Making a Real Killing · Nuclear Implosions · Nuclear Politics in America · The Cult of the Atom · TMI 25 Years Later  · We Almost Lost Detroit

v t e Anti-nuclear movement in Australia Organisations and groups Australian Conservation Foundation Campaign Against Nuclear Energy Friends of the Earth Australia Greenpeace Australia Pacific Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta Mineral Policy Institute Peace Organisation of Australia The Australia Institute The Wilderness Society People Dorothy Auchterlonie David Bradbury (filmmaker) Eileen Kampakuta Brown Bob Brown Kevin Buzzacott Helen Caldicott Ian Cohen Mark Diesendorf Jim Falk Peter Garrett Jim Green (activist) Margaret Holmes Jacqui Katona Sandra Kanck Ian Lowe Scott Ludlam Yvonne Margarula Dee Margetts Jillian Marsh Brian Martin (professor) Kerry Nettle Nancy Shelley Jo Vallentine Patrick White Stuart White Eileen Wani Wingfield Books Britain, Australia and the Bomb Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy Maralinga: Australia’s Nuclear Waste Cover-up Reaction Time: Climate Change and the Nuclear Option See also Australian Uranium Association Clean Energy Future Group List of Australian inquiries into uranium mining Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents Nuclear power in Australia Nuclear weapons tests in Australia Renewable energy commercialization Renewable energy in Australia Say Yes demonstrations Uranium mining in Australia Uranium mining in Kakadu National Park

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]