He moved to the London scene in the late sixties, where he joined another band, 'Milton's Finger', and recorded a few songs, two of which (Jenny's mother / Love of my life) ended up on an acetate 7".

[citation needed] Mayhew joined Genesis in the summer of 1969 to replace departing drummer John Silver, who enrolled at Cornell University in the US to study leisure management.

He installed proper panelling and seating in the band’s transport, a former bread delivery van, as well as building the cabinet for a home-made Leslie speaker that would often grind to a halt during live performances.

[4] Genesis made their live debut at a friend's party in October 1969, with their first professional concert on 4 November, in both cases with Mayhew on drums.

"[7] In a memorial tribute to Mayhew, Tony Banks wrote, "John was a bit older than us and had played live in [another band] so he had some knowledge of what was expected on stage.

[8] In 2006, he attended a Genesis convention in London (along with Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett), and played drums for tribute band ReGenesis's performance of "The Knife".