ohn Clayton Mayer (/ˈmeɪ.ər/) (born October 16, 1977) is an American recording artist and producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and raised in Fairfield, 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 Montana. Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to high school principal Richard Mayer and English teacher Margaret Hoffman. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. He has a younger brother named Ben and an older brother named Carl. His father is Jewish, and Mayer has identified himself as "half-Jewish", and has said that he finds himself "relating to Judaism". He attended 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. Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, aged 19. 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. 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. According to Cook, they began to experience musical differences due to Mayer's desire to move more towards pop music. As a result, the two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career. Mayer has won numerous Grammy awards as well as other music awards.