About John
I was born in Liverpool on 28th of September 1961...
From an early age my father, an avid classical music enthusiast, introduced me to the world of music. I was fascinated by it's different mood swings tempos and feel, especially the works of Mozart.
Then when I reached the age of 14 my elder brother Robert, without knowing it, changed my whole way of life! He bought home a guitar and a small amplifier, a fuzz box. Together with some friends he wanted to form a band.
I was totally blown away with the sound. It was the golden era of artists like Thin Lizzy, Queen & Gary Moore and I was fascinated by the sound they were producing. So much so, I would sneak into his room when he was out and pick out bits and pieces on the guitar. One day my brother came home and caught me red handed - he wasn't too impressed. Fortunately, his friend Clark was, and he saved my bacon that time.
After playing the guitar for over 33 years and going through the whole spectrum of styles I have reached a high standard that I want to share with you. I have also played in a number of bands through the years and have a lot of stage experience I record my own music and have a digital recording studio.
Influences
A few weeks later Robert offered me the guitar and from then on I never looked back. I was influenced by the guitarist Tony Iommi I learnt all his solos by ear and picked them all out without realising what I was doing playing pentatonics etc. All my friends were going out having fun but I was totally dedicated to the guitar and spent hours learning to become like my guitar heroes.
Then I heard a live album from Hendrix called 'Hendrix in the West' it had the most incredible impact on me - his controlled feedback and amazing scales opened up opportunities in the mind of a young boy. Along came groups like Thin Lizzy and the Live and Dangerous album. I learnt every solo off by heart.
I was also inflenced by groups like Rush and the playing of Alex Lifesson. These started to give me more scope in my playing without me being conscious of what I was really doing. Then along came a guitar player who probably had the biggest influence on me - Gary Moore. It was his soul and feel for the instrument that amazed me. It was later on when guitar players like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Malmsteen, and Paul Gilbert appeared I thought "it's time to get your head around things and find out what they are doing".
