John Mayer reveals his first major guitar influence
John Mayer has perpetually remained a devoted disciple of the guitar. While he may have unintentionally inspired many hopeful acoustic guitar-wielding performers, Mayer has remained deeply connected to his musical roots, consistently treating his guitar as a secondary vocal instrument in the majority of his compositions.
However, the connoisseur regards himself as merely a student of the guitar greats who preceded him. While not all of the artists he cites boast the flashiest guitar styles, their lyrical approach to the instrument has shaped Mayer’s own musical language. Stevie Ray Vaughan, for instance, is one in particular that Mayer says had an impact on him from a young age.
While Mayer occasionally ventures away from the gritty and soulful sounds of artists like Muddy Waters on his more pop-oriented albums, every guitarist invariably begins their musical journey from the same bluesy foundation. The blues, with its raw emotional depth, will endure as long as you can imagine, and Vaughan adeptly channelled the very sentiments that resonated deep within Mayer’s heart.
In fact, Vaughan was Mayer’s first significant guitar influence at the young age of 13: “The moment I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan, I thought, ‘Wow – that’s the thing that’s not just strumming chords!’” he explains. “I heard him on a mixtape that a neighbour had given me. It had SRV on one side and Robert Cray on the other.”
Although he formed an appreciation for Cray later on, Mayer admits that “it was the drama in Stevie’s playing that I was attracted to,” he said, before adding: “People who go for the SRV tone – it’s not distorted, it’s just loud. There’s a difference in something loud hitting a microphone and something distorted hitting an amplifier: two completely different things.”
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan became inspired by his older brother Jimmie and began playing guitar at the age of seven. He dropped out of high school in 1971 and moved to Austin the following year, playing in various bands, including Marc Benno’s Nightcrawlers and later with Denny Freeman in the Cobras, where he worked until late 1977. He then formed his own band, Triple Threat Revue, which he later renamed Double Trouble after recruiting drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon.
Vaughan’s versatility, evident in the aggressive bends of hits ‘Pride and Joy’ and the tender approach of tracks like ‘Texas Flood’, deeply resonated with Mayer. Mayer aspired to transform the guitar into an emotional conduit, orchestrating a gradual and immersive emotional journey within his songs rather than relying solely on a few notes. While Mayer may carve out his distinct niche within the rock genre, he views musical boundaries not as limitations but rather as versatile tools to employ in his craft, much like Vaughan did.
