John Mayer sings the blues -- with joy

NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- John Mayer has switched from solo catchy pop music that earned him three Grammy Awards to playing blues with Steve Jacobs and Pino Palladino.

The John Mayer Trio's first album "Try!" includes seven new tracks the three penned together in only four four days, Mayer told CBS' "The Early Show" Monday.

Mayer said some of his biggest music heroes have been blues musicians -- BB King, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton, "to a certain extent."

"This is a music that has been buried a little bit in the ground, and it's been waiting for someone to dig it up and carry it on," Mayer said. "I actually had to become a good enough pop musician to bring blues to people, which is ironic."