John McLaughlin
Photo: Буньков Денис, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Guitarists · b. 1942

John McLaughlin

English guitarist, founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra

Born
4 January 1942
Doncaster
Country
United Kingdom
Active
1963–
Record labels
Columbia Records, Verve Records
Discography
31 albums

Biography

John McLaughlin is a jazz musician who plays guitar and voice. John McLaughlin was born on 4 January 1942 in Doncaster. The music is usually filed under jazz, jazz fusion and ethno jazz. Record labels: Columbia Records and Verve Records. The discography here lists 31 albums, from “Extrapolation” (1969) to “Music for Abandoned Heights” (2025). Honours include Frankfurter Musikpreis (2012) and honorary doctor of the University Côte d'Azur (2026).

John McLaughlin (born 4 January 1942), also previously known as Mahavishnu, is an English guitarist, bandleader, and composer. A pioneer of jazz fusion, his music combines elements of jazz with rock, world music, Western classical music, flamenco, and blues. After contributing to several key British groups of the early 1960s, McLaughlin made Extrapolation, his first album as a bandleader, in 1969. He then moved to the U.S., where he played with drummer Tony Williams' group Lifetime and then with Miles Davis on his 1969–72 electric jazz fusion albums In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson, Live-Evil, and On the Corner. His 1970s electric band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, performed a technically virtuosic and complex style of music that fused electric jazz and rock with Classical, Indian and other influences. In 1974, he helped found Shakti, a seminal Indian-Jazz rock fusion band with Indian violinist L.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Extrapolation 1969
Devotion 1970
My Goal’s Beyond 1971
Where Fortune Smiles 1971
Electric Guitarist 1978
Electric Dreams 1979
Belo Horizonte 1981
Music Spoken Here 1982
Passion, Grace & Fire 1983
Adventures in Radioland 1986
Concerto for Guitar & Orch and Duos for Guitar & Piano 1990
Trio in Santiago 1991
Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans 1993
Tokyo Live 1994 · Live
After the Rain 1995
Molom 1995
The Promise 1995
The Heart of Things 1997
The Heart of Things: Live in Paris 2000 · Live
Montreux Concerts 2003 · Live
Thieves and Poets 2003
Industrial Zen 2006
Sleep Easy Baby 2007
Trio of Doom 2007
Floating Point 2008
Black Light 2015
Is That So? 2020
Liberation Time 2021
The Heart Awakens 2021 · Live
Montreux Jazz Festival 2022 2025 · Live
Music for Abandoned Heights 2025

Also plays on

Albums where John McLaughlin is credited as a sideman

1969 In a Silent Way — Miles Davis guitar
1970 Bitches Brew — Miles Davis guitar, electric guitar
1973 Love Devotion Surrender — Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin guitar, piano, producer, arranger
1974 Get Up With It — Miles Davis electric guitar
1974 Big Fun — Miles Davis electric guitar
1981 Castro Marín — Paco de Lucía guitar
1985 You’re Under Arrest — Miles Davis guitar
1989 Aura — Miles Davis guitar

Member of

Awards

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument does John McLaughlin play?

John McLaughlin is known for playing guitar and voice.

When and where was John McLaughlin born?

John McLaughlin was born 4 January 1942 in Doncaster.

What are John McLaughlin's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Extrapolation (1969), Devotion (1970), My Goal’s Beyond (1971), Where Fortune Smiles (1971) and Electric Guitarist (1978).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.