Born in Pittsburgh PA., John got his first professional gig at age 14 along with noted N.Y. saxman Ralph Lalama, now with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. Together, they worked the tri-state area for over four years. John received his Bachelor of Arts from Lock Haven State University in 1973 and moved to Ft. Lauderdale. In Lauderdale's thriving club scene of the 1970's, John hooked up with recording artist Will English in the band Willpower.

Willpower would be together touring Florida and the east coast for six years. In the early 80's, John joined the band CLIK!. This group amazingly lasted over twenty years performing in show rooms and festivals in the United States and Europe featuring their Blue-Eyed Sweet Soul Motown Review!

In 2000 John grew tired of the club scene and decided to test the waters as a free-lance bassist. He worked with various groups in the south Florida area including The Knuckle Busters, Czech Plz, and Delta Blue. John was then invited to be a part of Ray's Downtown Blues Jam Night Band for close to a year. There he had the opportunity to play with many of the noted Blues Cats in South Florida. One of these Cats was Kevin Murphy, founder and leader of The Juke Joint Jokers. And the rest is history.

Sweet Johnny's versatile approach to the five-string bass guitar has allowed him to perform with a wide variety of artists including Reggae, Funk, Country, Jazz, Blues, Rock as well as stage productions and studio recordings.