Austin City Limits has long been the place for musicians to explore their own musical roots. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter John Mayer has been known for his innovative pop/rock, but for Austin City Limits, Mayer also explores the blues. With the help of Stevie Ray Vaughan's backing band Double Trouble and blues guitar innovator Buddy Guy, Mayer pays tribute to the blues artists that influenced him on the way to the top. Austin City Limits presents John Mayer and special guests on November 15, 2003 on PBS (check local listings for time and date in your area).
John Mayer was probably the only kid in his high school back in Fairfield, Connecticut with posters of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Buddy Guy and other blues greats on his walls. A showcase at 2000's South by Southwest in Austin led to a major label deal and the multi-platinum Room for Squares. Earlier this year the 2003 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy winner released Heavier Things, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and was met with rave reviews from music critics across the nation.
"John Mayer is the real deal," said Austin City Limits Producer Terry Lickona. "Unlike many of his contemporaries today, he's a real artist with a deep passion for the roots of the music he loves to play."
Mayer who sites Stevie Ray Vaughan as his musical genesis, is then joined by the two men that helped Stevie Ray to the top - Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton from Double Trouble - for "Empty Arms" and "Leave My Little Girl Alone." Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy also takes the stage for "Leave My Little Girl Alone" and the blues-inspired track from Heavier Things "Come Back to Bed."
"Playing on that stage with Double Trouble and that kind of history silenced so many nervous parts of me. ...," Mayer said. "I mean the first time I ever saw Buddy Guy play on TV it was on Austin City Limits. I think he was playing the same song, "Leave My Little Girl Alone." And suddenly I'm transported onto that stage. ... A part of it is fantasy camp for me but another part of it is just exploring another part of being a guitar player. I haven't done those tunes in years. I gave that up when I started writing songs."
No Such Thing
My Stupid Mouth
Bigger Than My Body
Back to You
Come Back to Bed (with Buddy Guy)
Your Body is a Wonderland
Empty Arms (with Double Trouble)
Leave My Little Girl Alone (with Buddy Guy and Double Trouble)
Why Georgia
Recorded: 09/4/2003
:beer:
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