walking upstream…
John Mayer
photo: thatcommonkid · cc by-sa 4.0 ↗John Mayer
sourcesWikipedia
John Mayer emerged from the early-2000s singer-songwriter wave with acoustic-pop hits like 'Your Body Is a Wonderland,' but he steadily reintroduced himself as a serious blues guitarist, drawing on Texas and Chicago traditions to build the warm, slow-burning sound of albums like 'Continuum.' His playing bridges Laurel Canyon songcraft and electric-blues phrasing, and he has toured and recorded alongside many of the blues elders he grew up studying. That mix of radio-ready writing and guitar-hero credibility made him a defining pop-blues figure of the 2000s.
the sound in question
2006
Waiting on the World to ChangeJohn Mayer
walk the tributaries ↓
Stevie Ray Vaughan1980s · Blues / Texas blues / Blues rock
Mayer has described Stevie Ray Vaughan as the artist who first pulled him into the blues — a borrowed cassette that set off a lifelong study — and he wears an 'SRV' tattoo; the debt lives in his thick Stratocaster tone, aggressive string-bending, and Texas-shuffle feel.
listen: upstream & here
1983
Texas FloodStevie Ray Vaughan
2006
GravityJohn Mayer
listen forPlay Vaughan's slow-blues showcase 'Texas Flood' and then Mayer's 'Gravity' — both hang on a patient, vocal-like guitar that stretches and bends single notes for maximum cry.
Jimi Hendrix1960s · Rock / Blues rock / Psychedelic rock
Working back through Vaughan, Mayer arrived at Jimi Hendrix, and Hendrix's blend of rhythm and lead — chords that melt into melodic fills — became a template for his own playing; Mayer has performed Hendrix material live and openly cites him.
listen: upstream & here
1967
Little WingJimi Hendrix
2006
Slow Dancing in a Burning RoomJohn Mayer
listen forCue Hendrix's tender 'Little Wing,' where the chords bloom into lead lines, then Mayer's 'Slow Dancing in a Burning Room' — hear the same trick of letting the accompaniment sing melodic fills between the vocal phrases.
B.B. King1960s–70s · Blues / Electric blues
Mayer counts B.B. King among the blues masters who shaped his lead style, and the two performed together; King's economy — a few sustained, heavily vibratoed notes rather than a flurry — is all over Mayer's slow-blues soloing.
listen: upstream & here
1969
The Thrill Is GoneB.B. King
2006
I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)John Mayer
listen forListen to King's signature 'The Thrill Is Gone' and then Mayer's 'I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)' — both lean on a smooth, stinging lead that says more with sustained, quivering single notes than with speed.