John McLaughlin, born January 4, 1942, is an influential English guitarist, bandleader, and composer, widely recognized as a pioneer of jazz fusion. His style blends jazz with rock, world music, classical, flamenco, and blues influences. After making his mark with leading British groups in the early 1960s, McLaughlin released his debut album Extrapolation in 1969 before moving to the US. There, he played with Tony Williams’s Lifetime and contributed to groundbreaking Miles Davis albums like In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. In the 1970s, he formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, known for their virtuosic mix of electric jazz, rock, and Indian music. Highly acclaimed for his technical skill, McLaughlin has won a Grammy Award and numerous "Guitarist of the Year" honors, and he is regularly cited among the greatest guitarists of all time by leading publications and fellow musicians. In 2017, he received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.