Mayer Hawthorne

Mayer Hawthorne
Background information
Birth name	Andrew Mayer Cohen[1][2]
Also known as	Haircut[3]
Born	(1979-02-02) February 2, 1979
Origin	Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States[1]
Genres	Soul,[1][3] neo soul[4]
Occupation(s)	Singer, producer, songwriter, arranger, audio engineer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist[1][3][5]
Years active	2008–present[6]
Labels	Stones Throw Records,[1][3] Universal Republic, Vagrant
Website	www.mayerhawthorne.com

Andrew Mayer Cohen (born February 2, 1979), better known by the stage name Mayer Hawthorne, is a Grammy-nominated American singer, producer, songwriter, arranger, audio engineer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist^[1][3][5] based in Los Angeles, California.^[1] Cohen also performs and records in the groups Tuxedo and Jaded Incorporated.

Early life

Cohen was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan.^[1][5] The stage name "Mayer Hawthorne" is a combination of Cohen's real middle name (Mayer) and Hawthorne Road, the street he grew up on.^[2]

Career

Mayer Hawthorne performing on April 18, 2012 at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia.

Hawthorne moved to Los Angeles in 2005. He was signed to Stones Throw Records by label head Peanut Butter Wolf.^[1][5] Originally the Mayer Hawthorne tracks were created for sampling purposes and for pleasure, but upon hearing them Peanut Butter Wolf insisted they be made into an album. Hawthorne has had no previous vocal training.^[1][5]

His debut single, "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"/"When I Said Goodbye", was released on a red heart-shaped 7" record on Stones Throw Records on November 4, 2008.^[6] His second single "Maybe So, Maybe No"/"I Wish It Would Rain" was released on a 12" record on Stones Throw Records on April 19, 2009.^[7] His debut album, A Strange Arrangement was released on CD and LP on Stones Throw Records on September 8, 2009.^[8]

The song "When I Said Goodbye", was featured in the Kanye West/Spike Jonze short film We Were Once a Fairytale. In 2011, Hawthorne performed guest vocals for the Sebastian song "Love in Motion" featured on Sebastian's 2011 album Total. On July 15, 2011, Mayer Hawthorne was a guest, along with famed Memphis/Stax Records keyboardist Booker T. Jones, on Episode 43 of Daryl Hall's Live From Daryl's House webcast. Hawthorne, Hall, and Jones combined with Hall's house band on "Strange Arrangement", "Green Onions", "No Strings", "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out", and "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'" and Hall's "You Make My Dreams" and "Private Eyes". During Hall's dinner for the group, Hawthorne stated that, when working as a hip hop DJ, he began recording his own Motown-style tracks to avoid paying fees for sampling other artists' work. He also played all the instruments on each of those tracks, in addition to recording all his own vocals.^[9]

Mayer Hawthorne was a musical guest on the Conan TV show on October 17, 2011, and the Late Show with David Letterman on October 25, 2011. On both shows, the group performed "The Walk", his first single from How Do You Do. In 2012 Hawthorne released the six-track live EP KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, as a part of Record Store Day's Black Friday.^[10]

In late May 2013, Hawthorne released his single "Her Favorite Song" from his album Where Does This Door Go. It is noted that the album is a departure from his throwback style in his past three albums.^[11] Later that year, he received a Grammy nomination for "Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package" for his album How Do You Do.^[12]

Musical influences

Mayer Hawthorne is influenced by the music of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson, Mike Terry, Barry White, Smokey Robinson and the legendary songwriting and production trio of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Edward Holland, Jr. (known collectively as Holland–Dozier–Holland).^[1][5] Taking umbrage at the notion that his is a purely "throwback" soul sound, however, Hawthorne also cites more contemporary artists, such as J Dilla, Hanne Hukkelberg, and Santigold, as significant influences.^[13]

Discussing How Do You Do, Hawthorne says, "I found my own unique sound on this album, which I'm excited about." The album has a vintage sound, which involves twelve '70s inspired tracks, filled with orchestral pop and funky bass lines—"I've taken what I can from the classic heroes of soul and updated it with the music I grew up listening to and loving like Public Enemy and Juan Atkins and Cybotron." He first found his musical voice in hip-hop and rap from his father, who plays in a band in Detroit, Michigan.^[14]

In popular culture

In July 2009, Hawthorne was featured on the cover of the third anniversary issue of Beyond Race magazine (BRM).^[15]

Hawthorne's song, "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'" was featured in the fourth season of Ugly Betty in its finale episode, "Hello Goodbye". The song begins in the scene at Betty's goodbye party when Marc asks Troy if he would like to dance.

Hawthorne's track "Do It", released under the alias 'Tuxedo' with Jake One was sampled on Pitbull's track of the same name from his 2013 studio album Global Warming.

The title track from Hawthorne's album, "Where Does This Door Go" was featured over the closing credits of the season one Masters of Sex episode "Thank You For Coming" in October 2013.

"Love Like That" was featured in the video game Forza Horizon 3.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

• Direct to Disc (2011)

KCRW FM - Morning Becomes Eclectic 2012-06-14 (Released: 2012-11-23 Label: Republic Limited release on Vinyl)

Singles

• "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"/"When I Said Goodbye" 7" single (November 4, 2008, Stones Throw Records, STH7028)^[6][24]
• "The Ills"/"The Ills (instrumental)" 7" single (2009, Stones Throw Records, STH7035)
• "Maybe So, Maybe No"/"I Wish It Would Rain" 12" single (April 19, 2009, Stones Throw Records, STH2212)^[7]
• "No Strings" 10" single (April, 2011, Stones Throw Records, STH2265)
• "A Long Time" digital single (May, 2011, Universal Republic)
• "The Walk" (August, 2011, Universal Republic) #45 US Rock Songs
• "Thin Moon" (2011, Stones Throw Records)
• "Dreaming" (2011, Universal Republic Records)
• "The Walk" featuring Rizzle Kicks (spring, 2012, Universal Republic)
• "Get Ready" (2012, Universal Republic Records)
• "Her Favorite Song" (2013, Universal Republic Records)
• "Reach Out Richard" (2013, Universal Republic Records)
• "Cosmic Love" (2016, Vagrant Records)
• "Love Like That" (2016, Vagrant Records)
• "Lingerie & Candlewax" (2016, Vagrant Records)

Other

• A Few Tracks CD (promo)
• Impressions – The Covers EP (available for free download)
• Tuxedo EP - Tuxedo (Link to EP)
• Party of One EP ()

Guest appearances

• "All Your Goodies Are Gone" (Dennis Coffey single)
• "Swimsuits" (The Cool Kids single from When Fish Ride Bicycles)
• "Love In Motion" (SebastiAn single from Total)
• "Active Balanced" (Othello + DJ Vajra single from The Required Taste)
• "I Still Love You" (Nottz song from the album You Need This Music)
• "Sound The Alarm" (Booker T. Jones title track from the 2013 album Sound The Alarm)
• "Do It" (Pitbull song from the album Global Warming, rapping over the Tuxedo song of the same name.)
• "Never Take It Away" (The Aston Shuffle song from the album Photographs)^[25]
• "Deep End" (Coucheron single)
• "64 Ways" (Detroit Swindle song from the album Boxed Out)
• "The Buzz" (MED, Blu and Madlib song from the album Bad Neighbor)
• "Game Over" (Bobby Caldwell song from the 2015 album Cool Uncle)
• "Paris Groove" (Boston Bun single)
• "I Don't Know Why" (Kraak & Smaak song from the 2016 album Juicy Fruit)^[26]
• "Paper Proclamation" (Suff Daddy song from the Album Birdsongs)^[27]
• "I can't Go For That" (D. Hall & J. Oates) song on Darryl's House Episode 44.

References

External links

• Mayer Hawthorne on Stones Throw Records
• Mayer Hawthorne at the Internet Movie Database
• Davy Rothbart Interviews Mayer Hawthorne for Grantland