Born in London in 1945, a hard start to life quickly taught John that resilience and hard-work were going to be key attributes to becoming successful. As a "Boy Bugler" in the London Sea Cadet Corps, John experienced first hand the positive influence of life in a band. His musical journey continued as a young adult where he played the trumpet in popular music groups including "The Farm", "The Kinsmen" and "Scrooge and the Misers".

The self-development benefits of music performance crossed over into John's professional life and supported him throughout his international business career. In 1990, John founded one of the most successful youth marching bands in the United Kingdom. Within just six years of starting the band from scratch, he led the group to the title of United Kingdom Marching Band Champions and to the Rose Parade, California.

For his services to "Youth Music" John was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The investiture was held at Buckingham Palace where John collected his award personally from The Queen.