John McLaughlin (born January 4, 1942), also known as Mahavishnu, is an English musician who plays the guitar, leads bands, and writes music. He helped create a new type of music called jazz fusion, which mixes jazz with rock, world music, classical music, flamenco, and blues. In the early 1960s, he played with several important British music groups. In 1969, he released his first album as a bandleader, called Extrapolation. Later, he moved to the United States and played with drummer Tony Williams' group, Lifetime, and with musician Miles Davis on Davis' jazz fusion albums from 1969 to 1972, including In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson, Live-Evil, and On the Corner. In the 1970s, McLaughlin formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a band known for its highly skilled and complex style that combined electric jazz and rock with classical, Indian, and other musical influences. In 1974, he helped create Shakti, an important band that blended Indian and jazz rock styles. The band included Indian violinist L. Shankar and percussionists Zakir Hussain and Vikku Vinayakram.

In 2018, McLaughlin won a Grammy Award for the Best Improvised Jazz Solo for his guitar performance on the song "Miles Beyond" from his album Live at Ronnie Scott's. He has received many awards, including "Guitarist of the Year" and "Best Jazz Guitarist" from magazines like DownBeat and Guitar Player, based on reader votes. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 49th on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." In 2009, DownBeat included him in its list of "75 Great Guitarists" under the "Modern Jazz Maestros" category. In 2012, Guitar World magazine ranked him 63rd on its top 100 list. In 2010, musician Jeff Beck called McLaughlin "the best guitarist alive," and Pat Metheny also said he is the greatest guitarist in the world. In 2017, McLaughlin received an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music.

Biography

John McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1942, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. His mother, Mary, was a concert violinist, and his father, John, of Irish descent, was an engineer. John was mainly raised by his mother and grandmother. His father, the elder John, separated from Mary when John was 7 years old. John did not have a close relationship with his father for most of his life, but in the late 1970s, he contacted his father and took him to a pub. John later said, "Without my dad, I wouldn't be here. At least I had closure, and for that I thank my lucky stars." His father died from a heart attack. At age 7, John heard classical music on a phonograph and described it as a "message to my heart and soul," which inspired him to become a musician.

John studied violin and piano as a child. At 11, his brother gave him a guitar, and he quickly learned to play, exploring styles like flamenco and jazz by artists such as Tal Farlow, Django Reinhardt, and Stéphane Grappelli. He moved to London in the early 1960s, playing with groups like Alexis Korner and the Marzipan Twisters, then Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, the Graham Bond Quartet (1963), and Brian Auger. During the 1960s, he worked as a session musician, which helped him earn money but was often unsatisfying. He also taught guitar to Jimmy Page. In 1963, Jack Bruce formed the Graham Bond Quartet with Bond, Ginger Baker, and John McLaughlin. The group played a wide range of music, including bebop, blues, and rhythm.

Graham Bond was McLaughlin's first spiritual influence. Bond introduced McLaughlin to Indian culture, philosophy, and religious practices, which McLaughlin said "triggered a desire to know," especially while under the influence of drugs. However, the Graham Bond Quartet was not financially or critically successful, and McLaughlin left the group.

By 1966, while working in pop and jazz sessions, McLaughlin saw his musical peers struggle with drug addiction and death. This led him to stop using drugs and adopt a spiritual lifestyle, which became a major theme in his career. Around this time, he had a musical revelation during the popularity of psychedelic music, which he said raised deep questions about life. This experience further interested him in Indian culture and its classical music. In 1968, McLaughlin joined the free jazz scene with musician Gunter Hampel. He described the experience as "devastating" and "anarchistic," but he appreciated the unstructured style. Later, he said his time with Hampel was "self-indulgent" and that he needed "structure… the more restraints I put on myself, the happier I felt."

In January 1969, McLaughlin recorded his debut album, Extrapolation, in London. The album features John Surman on saxophone and Tony Oxley on drums. McLaughlin wrote the song "Binky's Beam" as a tribute to his friend, the innovative bassist Binky McKenzie. The album's post-bop style was different from McLaughlin's later fusion work, but it gained critical praise by the mid-1970s.

In 1969, McLaughlin moved to the United States to join Tony Williams' group, Lifetime. A recording from March 25, 1969, shows McLaughlin jamming with Jimi Hendrix. McLaughlin recalled, "We played one night, just a jam session. And we played from 2 until 8 in the morning. I thought it was a wonderful experience!" He played on several albums by Miles Davis, including In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew (which has a track named after him), Live-Evil, On the Corner, Big Fun (where he is a soloist on "Go Ahead John"), and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. In the liner notes of Jack Johnson, Davis called McLaughlin's playing "far in." McLaughlin returned to Davis' band for one night, recorded in Live-Evil and the Cellar Door boxed set. His reputation as a top session musician grew, leading to collaborations with artists like Miroslav Vitous, Larry Coryell, Joe Farrell, Wayne Shorter, Carla Bley, and the Rolling Stones.

In early 1970, McLaughlin recorded Devotion for Douglas Records. The album, featuring Larry Young on organ, Billy Rich on bass, and Buddy Miles on drums, was high-energy and psychedelic. Devotion was one of two albums he released on Douglas Records. In 1971, he released My Goal's Beyond in the U.S., a collection of acoustic works. Side A blends jazz and Indian classical music, while Side B includes standards like "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" by Charles Mingus, an important influence on McLaughlin. The album was inspired by McLaughlin's decision to follow the spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, introduced to him in 1970 by Larry Coryell's manager. The album was dedicated to Chinmoy, with one of the Guru's poems printed on the liner notes. This was when McLaughlin adopted the name "Mahavishnu."

In 1973, McLaughlin collaborated with Carlos Santana, also a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, on Love Devotion Surrender, an album of devotional songs featuring Coltrane compositions, including a movement from A Love Supreme. McLaughlin also worked with jazz composers Carla Bley and Gil Evans.

McLaughlin's 1970s electric band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, included violinist Jerry Goodman

Artistry

McLaughlin is a well-known guitarist in jazz and jazz fusion. His playing style includes fast speed, precise techniques, and complex musical harmonies. He often uses scales from non-Western music and plays in unusual time signatures. Indian music has greatly influenced his work, and he is recognized as one of the first Western musicians to perform Indian music for Indian audiences. He helped make jazz fusion popular by working with Miles Davis. He played on five of Davis’s studio albums, including Davis’s first album to receive a gold certification, Bitches Brew, and one live album, Live-Evil. McLaughlin once said that the guitar feels like "part of his body," and he feels more at ease when holding a guitar.

Although McLaughlin is a respected and successful musician, some artists believe his fast alternate picking and unusual note choices are weaknesses. Frank Zappa, who performed with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1973, did not strongly criticize McLaughlin’s fast picking but made indirect comments about his playing style.

Years later, McLaughlin responded to Zappa’s "machine gun" remark about his playing. While he acknowledged Zappa’s right to his opinions, McLaughlin claimed Zappa was "just jealous." McLaughlin also criticized Zappa’s guitar playing during live performances, stating that although he enjoyed Zappa’s recordings, Zappa struggled to perform long solos on stage.

Ritchie Blackmore, a guitarist from the band Deep Purple, did not fully support McLaughlin or his contemporary, Carlos Santana. However, he praised the musical skills of Mahavishnu Orchestra members Billy Cobham and Jerry Goodman. In a 1974 interview with Cameron Crowe, Blackmore shared these views.

Influence

In 2010, Jeff Beck said, "John McLaughlin has shown us many different ways to play the guitar. He also helped many people discover world music by mixing Indian music with jazz and classical styles. I believe he was the best guitarist alive." McLaughlin has been seen as a big influence on many guitarists from the 1970s and 1980s, including Steve Morse, Gary Moore, Eric Johnson, Mike Stern, Al Di Meola, Shawn Lane, Scott Henderson, and Trevor Rabin of Yes. Other musicians who have acknowledged his influence include Omar Rodríguez-López of the Mars Volta, Paul Masvidal of Cynic, and Ben Weinman of the Dillinger Escape Plan. Pat Metheny said McLaughlin changed how the guitar evolved during different times in his career. Johnny Marr of the Smiths called McLaughlin "the greatest guitar player that's ever lived."

McLaughlin is seen as a major influence on composers in the fusion music genre. In an interview with Downbeat, Chick Corea said, "John McLaughlin changed how people thought about the electric guitar. No one had ever heard an electric guitar played like that before, and it inspired me. His band made me want to create more dramatic music that was exciting and powerful."

The musician and comedian Darryl Rhoades also honored McLaughlin's influence. In the 1970s, he led the "Mahavishnu Orchestra," which created parodies of the funk, rock, and jazz styles popular at the time.

Personal life

McLaughlin was married to Eve when he was a follower of Sri Chinmoy. For a time, he lived with the French pianist Katia Labèque, who was also part of his band in the early 1980s. As of 2017, McLaughlin is married to his fourth wife, Ina Behrend. They had a son in 1998. Since the late 1980s, he has lived in Monaco. McLaughlin is a pescetarian.

McLaughlin, along with Behrend, supports a Palestinian music therapy organization called Al-Mada, which runs a program named "For My Identity I Sing." McLaughlin performed in Ramallah, Palestine, in 2012 with Zakir Hussain and in 2014 with 4th Dimension.

Awards and nominations

• 1972: Jazz Album of the Year – The Inner Mounting Flame by Mahavishnu Orchestra
• 1972: Pop Album of the Year – The Inner Mounting Flame by Mahavishnu Orchestra
• Guitarist of the Year – John McLaughlin (recognized in multiple years)
• 2024: Induction into the Hall of Fame

• 1973: Best Pop Instrumental Performance – "The Inner Mounting Flame" from The Inner Mounting Flame by Mahavishnu Orchestra
• 1974: Best Pop Instrumental Performance – "Birds of Fire" from Birds of Fire by Mahavishnu Orchestra
• 1997: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals – "The Wind Cries Mary" from In From the Storm by Sting, Dominic Miller, and Vinnie Colaiuta
• 2002: Best World Music Album – Saturday Night in Bombay by Remember Shakti
• 2009: Best Contemporary Jazz Album – Floating Point
• 2010: Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group – Five Peace Band Live by Chick Corea & Five Peace Band
• 2026: Nominated for Best Global Music Album – Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) and Nominated for Best Global Music Performance – "Shrini's Dream (Live)"

Guitar Player Magazine Annual Readers Poll Awards

Equipment

• Gibson EDS-1275 – McLaughlin used the Gibson doubleneck guitar from 1971 to 1973 while playing with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. This instrument, connected to a 100-watt Marshall amplifier in a special setting, helped create a unique sound that was named one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time" by Guitar Player magazine.
• Double Rainbow doubleneck guitar made by Rex Bogue – McLaughlin played this guitar from 1973 to 1975.
• The first Abraham Wechter-built acoustic "Shakti guitar" – a custom-made Gibson J-200 with drone strings placed across the soundhole.
• Gibson Byrdland with a scalloped fingerboard – used on the albums Inner Worlds and Electric Guitarist.
• Gibson ES-345 with a scalloped fingerboard – used on the albums Electric Dreams and Trio of Doom.
• McLaughlin has also played Godin electric/MIDI guitars. He talks about the Godin and other equipment in an online interview with Premier Guitar.
• McLaughlin endorses PRS guitars.