Saturday Mornings With Joy Keys

Whether Michael Mayo is performing with his band, as a guest, or alone with a looper pedal, the LA native’s commanding and other worldly vocalese is quickly gathering critical and commercial acclaim around the globe. Born to two successful musicians, Mayo grew up just a little more than 20 feet from the likes of Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, Earth Wind and Fire, and Stevie Wonder. This proximity helped Mayo create a musical path centered around elements of R&B, Soul and Jazz, forging his musical identity long before he hit the stage. Mayo attended the acclaimed Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, only the third vocalist to be accepted into the 20-year-old program, where he learned from the likes of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Now living in Brooklyn, and still in his 20s, Mayo is a veteran international performer whose highlights include singing at the White House, the Kennedy Center and Renée Fleming’s American Voices Festival, as well as the Panama Jazz Festival. Most recently he has reco