John Clayton Mayer (; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He was born in
Bridgeport, Connecticut, and raised in nearby
Fairfield. He attended
Berklee College of Music in
Boston, Massachusetts, but disenrolled and moved to
Atlanta, Georgia, in 1997 with
Clay Cook. Together, they formed a short-lived, two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters. After their split, Mayer continued to play local clubs—refining his skills and gaining a following. After his appearance at the 2001
South by Southwest Festival, he was signed to
Aware Records, and then
Columbia Records, which released his first
EP,
Inside Wants Out. His following two full-length albums—
Room for Squares (2001) and
Heavier Things (2003)—did well commercially, achieving
multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won the
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single "
Your Body Is a Wonderland".