The Management...
Born on 25th November 1950 in Warrington John grew up listening to the family's old gramophone and playing as much rugby as he could. By his second year at Wade Deacon Grammar School in Widnes, John was guitarist in a local band playing youth clubs and pubs in the area.

Despite late nights playing with bands and awful school reports, John somehow managed four O levels and went on to pass A level Economics, French and General Studies. By now, he had switched to bass guitar and been in a successful local soul / progressive band called Colour who had played all the major Liverpool and surrounding area clubs, pubs and universities.

From Philosophy student to bass player
In 1968, instead of going to university where he had originally planned to study Philosophy & Law, John went to London with his new band Ibex, in which he was the singer and bass player. Soon after arriving in London they met another group called Smile, which contained Brian May and Roger Taylor. Brian and Roger had a friend, a singer called Fred Bulsara, who wanted to join a group. Fred joined Ibex, who soon changed their name to Wreckage. The new singer too, soon changed his name to Freddy Mercury. After a few months, their drummer Mike Smith left to go to America and was replaced by a local drummer Richard Thompson, but in 1969 when the other founder member, Mike Bersin, returned to Liverpool to go to Art College, the group folded.

Sound Management...
After a managing a record store in Piccadilly Circus, John went on tour as a Road Manager with the group Patto, while Freddy joined a band called Sour Milk Sea. Patto toured incessantly until their break up in 1973 when John became a freelance sound engineer. Among the artists he worked with were Ace, Frankie Miller & Andy Fraser and John Martyn before being asked in 1974 to do front of house sound for Brown's Home Brew ( Joe's Country / Rock / Gospel band ). When they split, he did freelance sound on shows with Randy Newman, David Elliot and others before taking a job as Tour Manager & front of house soundman with Paul Kossoff's new band Back Street Crawler.

John was with the band until Paul's death in 1975, accompanying Paul on the last flight, and disillusioned with remaining members and management he went to work with Atlantic Records V.P. Phil Carson for a few months before taking a step back to look after his wife who had undergone a spine operation following the birth of their daughter Cass.

Following her recovery, and the running out of their money, in 1978 John went on the road again as tour manager for Jim Capaldi & The Contenders. Jim's management situation was falling apart and he asked John to take over at the end of the tour - He is still Jim's manager twenty two years later.

New Management...
In 1986 whilst working on a mixing session at Wessex studios John went to the kitchen for a cup of tea and bumped into Joe's daughter Sam. She was working in the studio next door and told him that her mum Vicki was going to call him. Vicki had recorded for a Dutch album project which was beginning to do very well. She thought that the record company were going to offer her a solo record deal for which she would need a manager and she wanted John to do it. The call came, he took the job and guided her through all her solo success until her death in 1991.

From 1994 to 1998 John took over management of Sam Brown who had not, since her mother's death, been pursuing her own career. Sam had moved to a remote Scottish Valley, married and now had two young children. In this period she toured with Pink Floyd and Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and together with her own band with whom she toured the U.K., Ireland, Europe and Russia and recorded and released the Box album.

Career highlights...
As his career highlights, John lists sound mixing at Madison Square Garden and The Hollywood Bowl at the age of 21 on Patto's first U.S. tour with Joe Cocker. Being at Woodstock with Traffic in 1994. The success of Vicki Brown as a recording and concert artist and the restructuring of Joe's career to return him to theatres and making records. Although not a career matter he is proud to have been involved in following Vicki's death, is the setting up of The Vicki Brown Huis (a Dutch charity inspired by Vicki's example ) which counsels cancer patients, their families & friends.

John became Joe's manager in 1990.