John Mayer says that if he’d “never played a guitar before”, this artist would make him “race out and buy one the next day”
“Watching her perform inspired me every night. She is a monster guitar player who’s found new ground on the instrument.”
Credit: Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive
John Mayer has just wrapped up his solo tour, and there’s a certain guitarist he brought along with him on the road who he has deep admiration for.
Madison Cunningham, a 27-year-old folk artist, accompanied Mayer on the solo stint as a support act, and Mayer says that if he were to see her show and had never played guitar before, he would “race out and buy one the next day” – a huge compliment to say the least.
Mayer’s solo tour came to a close with two dates across Glasgow, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland. He heads out to the Las Vegas Sphere with Dead & Company for a residency this May. But it’s no surprise that Cunningham has wooed audiences along the tour, her 2022 album Revealer won Best Folk Album at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, and she has received an impressive five nominations in total since the 62nd awards.
Writing on Instagram following the last two dates, Mayer says: “This is a standalone appreciation post of Madison Cunningham. Watching her perform inspired me every night. She is a monster guitar player who’s found new ground on the instrument.
“When she plays, I feel like if I’d never played a guitar before, I would race out and buy one the next day. And that’s an awesome headspace to take the stage with. Playing solo was a challenge to myself, and I’m very touched that Madison (as well as the other guest artists on this last year of touring) took that challenge along with me, and just absolutely mesmerised everyone in the crowd. Brilliant artist, brilliant human, and someone I greatly admire.”
Cunningham spoke to Guitar.com back in 2022, where she revealed that when it comes to gear, she’s “not precious about it”, despite her long-standing relationship with the Fender Jazzmaster.
“You know, I really don’t care – if I like the way it sounds, I’ll play it,” she said. “Although, the Jazzmaster that I own I feel very attached to that guitar because I’ve really worked it in and I understand it inside and out, and what it will give me tonally. So that one I lean on quite heavily, but I would honestly ditch it tomorrow if I found something that felt right.”
View all upcoming live dates for John Mayer and Madison Cunningham.