John Mayer Got His Start in Music with Help of Zac Brown Band’s Clay Cook

Mayer and Cook attended Berklee College of Music at the same time, and moved shop over to the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, once they graduated to pursue music professional together.

Written by Kelly Brickey
John Mayer Got His Start in Music with Help of Zac Brown Band’s Clay Cook
John Mayer; Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

If it weren’t for the multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook from Zac Brown Band, the world may have never heard the name John Mayer.

The morning before Mayer’s show at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, he stopped by The Bobby Bones Show to hang out with the host and his radio friends for an interview segment. Discussing all things from his dog to his least favorite songs in his catalogue, Mayer admitted that his start in the industry goes back to Cook himself.

Mayer and Cook attended Berklee College of Music at the same time, and moved shop over to the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, once they graduated. Although they ended up following individual endeavors, the two used to jam together as a duo before they both made it big in their own respects.

“We moved down there and we just started doing open mic nights, writing. That’s how I got my start in music was following him down to Atlanta,” Mayer remembered. “We had written five or six songs at that point. We’re still trying to put it all together.”

After a while, they clashed creatively and wanted to move in separate directions. As Mayer defines the motion, he and Cook suffered from a “falling out” but still very much so regarded each other’s talents professionally. As time moved on and they both paved their way in the music industry, the musicians got over the former disagreements and bonded over their passions they formed back in their college days.

“He was, and still is, hyper-musical. Incredible musical mind. And we’re also, by the way, we’re really good friends now. We have pure closeness now,” Mayer confirmed to radio host Bobby Bones.

Throughout the years, Mayer has dipped his toes into the country music waters by sitting in on a few Zac Brown Band sets whenever he gets the opportunity. He even released his song, “In the Blood,” to country radio in 2017 and uses specific influences from the genre to cross over into his own projects.

Zac Brown Band has a number of tour dates lined up all the way into late October. Fans can find more details online about tickets and venue information.