One of John’s first memories is being lifted up by his father to look
eye to eye at a rag-and-bone man’s mule in Bradford, Yorkshire in
1961. The mule let out a belch right into the poor mite’s face.
Little did his dad know how this experience would effect John’s
future.
John first picked up a guitar in 1970
and, following a well-trodden route via The House of the Rising Sun,
Black Magic Woman and Stairway to Heaven, arrived as lead guitarist
with art college band The Rhythm Method in 1982. 'I left college in 1983 and there followed
a long sabbatical filled by day-jobs, child-rearing and much solitary
bedroom noodling. Through the nineties my playing was improving, and
inspired by some of the old greats like BB King, The Stones and Santana
I decided to try to get a band together before I got too old'.
The self-abuse ended in 2000 at a jam
with work colleagues where he met the bass player with whom he formed Blues RPM. The band folded in
2003 but was quickly followed by a stint with Big Galoot. Again this group folded
after a couple of years... but, reluctant to spend the rest of his life
playing by himself, John resorted to the web to try to find some like
minded collaborators and, early in 2007, made contact with Ian and
Dave... followed, after many line-up changes and even more auditions, by
Leanne and Neil. John plays a recently acquired old Yamaha semi-acoustic as his main
guitar alongside a couple of crusty old Strats.
