A native of the Pacific Northwest, John picked up his cousin’s acoustic guitar when he was 14, fell in love with the blues, The Beatles and the beat poets, and began composing his own tunes. He writes in a rootsy Americana style, etching out narrative character sketches rich in visual imagery and observation. These characters may be a vagabond, steel worker, a poet, out of work drifter, ‘47 woody or a waitress from a small town diner. Themes explored include wanderlust, jilted love, transformation, dreams and hope. Influences include Townes van Zandt, Guy Clark, Jimmy Reed, Freddy King, Tim Hardin, Ron Davies, Muddy Waters, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Picasso. The Seattle Times in it’s profile observed…”the self taught musician, who has been playing guitar for nearly four decades, is a composer who brings an array of musical tastes, from rock to world beat, to jazz and folk to his work”. John’s new CD, Tengo Ranchito (May 2007) offers listeners a mix of folk, blues and country textures with 13 originals and one cover. Featuring acoustic guitars, fiddle, Dobro, and harmony vocals and backed by ace musicians Alice Stuart, Jeff Simmons (Frank Zappa), Chris Leighton (Bill Frisell, Laura Love), Jon Parry (Hank Williams Jr., Danny Barnes) and Orville Johnson these tunes come alive. From honky-tonk piano to blues inflected slide guitars, to the Appalachian sounds of Dobro & fiddle on “Light On the Shore”, the arrangements underscore the stories without overwhelming them. Accordion and nylon string guitar add texture to “Sail Away” and Hammond B-3 organ backs several cuts including the classic “Satisfied Mind”. Other CD’s by John include Soliloquy, a record of tasteful instrumental guitar music inspired by weekly performances at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. Victory Music noted…”one of the most gratifying solo guitar sets in some time, sweet, simple, touching...like letting your eyes dwell on a campfire or waterfall. The word that keeps coming to mind is ‘care’, you’re likely to care deeply for this set”. In 2003 his song Lindsey was selected for the NW Harvest benefit CD: “A Night Of Song For World Harmony”. This live concert and recording featured 17 rising Northwest singer-songwriters. A duo record, Coast Bound Train, was released in 2005 with guitarist/songwriter Max Schwennsen, an alumni of The Atlanta Rhythm Section and Doug Kershaw’s band. Songwriting mentors include Jon Vezner, Tom Kimmel, Kathy Mattea and Steve Seskin. John’s is also an engineer/producer of note who has worked with many artists including blues great Guitar Shorty, jazz bassist Gary Peacock, Gypsy musicians Inti Illimani, Grammy nominated African master King Sunny Ade and folk musician Brian Bowers. John can be found performing at folk festivals, coffee houses and music clubs, and continues to write, record and produce records for a variety of artists.

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