John McLaughlin Biography
One of the most prominent guitarists of jazz’s ’70s fusion movement, John McLaughlin first won attention for his speed and technique, as well as his prodigious skills as a soloist and improviser. As leader of the seminal Mahavishnu Orchestra, McLaughlin merged Jimi Hendrix-inspired guitar pyrotechnics with complex rhythms and unconventional time signatures, as well as elements of funk and Indian classical music. He also maintained a spiritual sensibility that would eventually push him to disband the group, in order to explore acoustic guitar and Eastern religion. In the years since, McLaughlin has retained his restless musical spirit, recording in multiple styles and formats while maintaining the high creative and technical standards that have been constants in his long and celebrated career.
Born in Yorkshire, England, McLaughlin picked up the guitar at age 11. He played early gigs with such British blues and R&B bandleaders as Georgie Fame, Graham Bond and Brian Auger, before striking out on his own and recording his first solo LP in 1969. Later that year, he moved to New York to join drummer Tony Williams’ pioneering fusion outfit Lifetime. His work with Williams won McLaughlin an invitation to join Miles Davis’ band, which he joined in time to become a key player on Davis’ landmark albums In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, On the Corner and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. During his time with Davis, McLaughlin continued to pursue his own musical vision on a series of adventurous solo albums. McLaughlin eventually left Miles’ group in order to pursue his own muse, as well as working as sideman with Carla Bley, Larry Coryell, Joe Farrell, Wayne Shorter and Miroslav Vitous.
In 1971, McLaughlin formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra and released the albums The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, Between Nothingness and Eternity, Apocalypse and Visions of the Emerald Beyond, all widely acknowledged as landmarks of the fusion genre. The band’s melodically and rhythmically complex fusion of jazz, rock and Eastern elements quickly became popular with both jazz and rock audiences. McLaughlin also bridged the world of jazz and rock with Love Devotion Surrender, his 1973 collaboration with Carlos Santana—who, like McLaughlin, was a disciple of the Indian spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.
McLaughlin disbanded the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1975, wanting to spend more time exploring acoustic guitar and Eastern spiritual pursuits, which would be reflected strongly on his subsequent releases. In addition to recording under his own name, McLaughlin formed the group Shakti, whose three albums fused acoustic jazz with Indian music, before leading the One Truth Band. He also recorded a pair of albums in collaboration with fellow fusion axe heroes Al DiMeola and Paco de Lucia. In the ’80s, McLaughlin composed classical/jazz pieces, led a short-lived new edition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and continued to record in electric and acoustic formats.
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