John started playing the cornet when he was 11 having lessons from Graham Jones the brass peripatetic teacher in the Elfed High School. His first band was Royal Buckley Town where he started on 3rd cornet and quickly progressed to repiano.
Within 4 years John was principal cornet in not only the school band but in both Royal Buckley junior and senior bands. John had his first taste of Championship section banding when his brass teacher invited him to join Point of Ayr on front row and then repiano and in 1981 he played Blitz in his debut National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall. During this period the band went on become ‘BBC Radio Wales Band of the Year’ winners on 2 occasions and ‘Pontins Champions’.
After 12 years of cornet playing John switched to the tenor horn and stayed with Point of Ayr taking the solo horn seat.After 10 years with Point of Ayr John moved from North Wales to Lincoln due to his job and quickly joined the Newark Airquick Ransome Band on solo horn.
After 18 months and the band in difficulties John moved to Foss Dyke, winning the 1st section Area Championships in 1993 qualifying for the National Finals in London where his old band Point of Ayr won! 1994 John then rejoined the now newly named NSK-RHP Ransome Band back on solo horn and achieved much success.
