John McLaughlin Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

John McLaughlin is an English guitarist who is one of the pioneers of fusion and jazz music. He played music for various bands in Britain and then released his own album as a bandleader titled Extrapolation. He then moved to the United States and played for Lifetime group and released albums like In a Silent Way, B*tches Brew, Jack Johnson, and On the Corner. John is deeply inspired by Indian classical music and is a follower of Sri Chinmoy. He also took up the name Mahavishnu at the beginning of his career. He formed the electric band Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s and performed a complex style of music that consisted of jazz, rock, and Indian influences.

In 1970, he recorded Devotion that is a high-energy, psychedelic fusion album featuring artists like Larry Young, Billy Rich, and Buddy Miles. He had been studying Indian classical music for a very long time and joined a group of Indian musicians including Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, and others which later formed into a group called Shakti. Together, they recorded 3 albums namely Shakti with John McLaughlin (1975), A Handful of Beauty (1976), and Natural Elements (1977). After playing acoustic for 3 years, he made his comeback to his fusion style in 1979 with the album Johnny McLaughlin: Electric Guitarist. John went onto release 2 albums in 1981 and 1982 with the group Fuse One. In the 1990s, John had also performed with Shankar Mahadevan. McLaughlin in the year 2007 performed at Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, Illinois. He also performed at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland with Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Billy Cobham, years after the split of their band. His technique of playing the guitar is an influence for many.

Born Name

John McLaughlin

Nick Name

Mahavishnu John

Sun Sign

Capricorn

Born Place

Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Residence

Monaco, France

Nationality

Education

John studied violin and piano as a child. Later on, when he turned 11, he started learning the guitar.

Occupation

Musician, Songwriter

Family

• Mother – His mother was a concert violinist.

Manager

John is managed by Gert Pfankuch in Europe and Souvik Dutta, Abstract Logix Agency for places other than Europe.

Genres

Jazz, Jazz Fusion, World Fusion, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock

Instruments

Guitar, Veena, Piano

Labels

• Douglas
• Columbia Records
• Verve
• Abstract Logix

Build

Slim

Height

6 ft or 183 cm

Weight

72 kg or 159 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

John has dated –

1. Sue – Sue was John’s first wife and they had a son together named Julian in 1966.
2. Eve Kolosky (1970-1980) – John got married to Eve in 1970. They were married to each other during the time when John was a disciple of Sri Chinmoy. The couple got divorced in 1980.
3. Katia Labèque – John lived with Katie, who was a French pianist and a member of his band as well in the 1980s.
4. Ina Behrend (1980-Present) – John got married to Ina Behrend in 1980. They had a son together in the year 1998.

Race / Ethnicity

White

He has English ancestry.

Hair Color

Gray

Eye Color

Hazel

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Long hair

Brand Endorsements

John has endorsed brands such as PRS Guitars.

Best Known For

• Being one of the most pioneering figures in Jazz music and fusion
• Being the leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and his music combined with elements of rock, Indian classical music, Western classical music, flamenco, and blues

First Album

John’s first solo album was titled Extrapolation which released in the year 1969 under the label of Marmalade and Polydor Records. 

First Film

He made his first theatrical film appearance in ‘Round Midnight in 1986.

First TV Show

He made his TV show debut as ‘Himself’ on Sounds for Saturday in 1972.

Personal Trainer

John likes to keep himself fit. He does so by a bike ride up to 10 miles. He also does swimming and plays tennis to stay fit.

John McLaughlin Favorite Things

• Guitarists – Jeff Beck, Wayne Krantz, Jimmy Herring

Source – Music Radar

John McLaughlin Facts

1. He used to play the piano as a child.
2. He is one of the most popular guitar players.
3. John became a follower of spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy and acquired the name Mahavishnu in the year 1970.
4. He is deeply inspired by Indian classical music.
5. He was among the few who played jazz-rock fusion music.
6. John began his career playing rocks and blues in London in the early 1960s.
7. He moved to the United States to play in the year 1969.
8. In the 1960s, he gave guitar lessons to Jimmy Page.
9. He supports the Palestinian music therapy organization, Al-Mada.
10. He is considered as a major influence for composers in the fusion genre.
11. John belonged to a family of musicians and started playing guitar at the age of 11.
12. He is known for using non-Western scales and unconventional time signatures.
13. He is one of the westerners to play Indian music to Indians.
14. There are books written on him including Follow Your Heart – John McLaughlin Song by Song by Walter Kolosky. 
15. He joined Abstract Logix in the year 2007.
16. He started performing live in the 1990s with a trio.
17. John has played the instrument Veena for several years.
18. Visit his official website @ www.johnmclaughlin.com.
19. Connect with him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Featured Image by Bunkov Denis / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0