John was born in Santa Barbara, but after growing up mainly in the Inland Empire, and lots of travel, eight years in Boston and twenty years in Los Angeles, he returned full circle to Santa Barbara in 2002. He studied music at UC Riverside and U Mass Boston in the 1970s. His performing experience includes gigs with jazz and latin music artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Stagnaro, Justo Almario, Luis Conte, Alex Acuna, Michito Sanchez, Nate Birkey and Cougar Estrada.

John has toured with artists such as the Pointer Sisters, Donald O'Connor, and Eddie Fisher. He served as music director for high school productions of "West Side Story", "Most Happy Fella", "Guys Dolls" and "Kiss Me Kate". He has recorded extensively in commercial and artistic settings, including original solo piano works, accompanying singers in original songs and songs by other composers, and albums by jazz and latin music artists. In the 1980s he worked with Chiltic Istac, a Salvadoran nueva cancion band in the Central American solidarity movement and in the 1990s with LA's popular Cuban charanga band, Charangoa.

Since 2003 John has worked as a substitute teacher and music teacher in Santa Barbara and Goleta schools. He is on staff at SB City College adult ed as accompanist and music teacher. He directs the award-winning Goleta Valley Junior High School advanced jazz band. John regularly
accompanies theatre classes taught by Clark Sayre at Dos Pueblos High School. He served as music director for DPHS's fall 2005 musical, "Moby Dick", and for GVJHS's spring 2006 musical, "The Boyfriend". He accompanies the DPHS concert choir and "Jazz-B" choir, directed by Brian Slotnick-Lastrico, and recently completed a large recording project of practice tracks for the choirs. He is accompanying the voice students of mezzo-soprano Tihana Herceg in an upcoming recital of arias and classical song.

John served as music teacher in the 2004 and 2005 Arts at Laguna summer camp, and music and karate teacher at the 2005 Childrens Creative Project Performing and Visual Arts Camp with Dauri Kennedy. He will return to AAL and PVAC in the summer of 2006 to teach karate and music. John regularly performs locally as a solo pianist and with singers and bands such as Laura Schlieske (jazz/rock & roll), YogiMango (New Orleans rock & funk), and Lady Blue & the Roadhouse Daddies (blues). He is currently involved as arranger/pianist in recording projects with several Santa Barbara singers, including Stephanie Sivers, with LA smooth jazz band, Present Tense, and the newly formed SONGON (latin-jazz), plays gospel piano for the Inner Light Community Gospel Choir, the Santa Barbara Soul Choir, and Light of Christ Baptist Church in Goleta.