Biography

John began playing guitar at the age of 13 after hearing a recording of the Kingston Trio—and he’s been performing ever since. Beginning in folk music, he moved on to bluegrass and then country music, playing with such seminal Northeast bands as the Down City Ramblers, Cross Creek, Texas Hots, and The Lost Boys.

John has been a touring road musician out of Nashville, and his songs have been recorded by national bluegrass artists such as Tony Trischka, Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, Amy Gallatin, Richard Kiser, the International Guitar Duo, and Lou Reid, who took John’s song, “Time,” to the #1 spot on the national bluegrass charts for three consecutive months.

Described as "fresh, intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking," John's songwriting has been recognized by Just Plain Folks as among the best in the nation, with his recordings "The Closer I Get" (2007) and "The Hard Years" (2015) being nominated for best album and several songs garnering nominations as well.

He performs with his wife, Cathy Cadley, and their band, The Cadleys.