John's folk connections go back to a time when he bopped around the gym in short trousers. Contrary to popular belief, this wasn't at this year's charity knobbly knees competition, but was in fact at primary school in the late 50's, early 60's, when country dancing was part of the curriculum.

In 1973, John visited the Auvergne in France for his summer holiday. It was there that he fell in love with the music of France, the bourree and the hurdy gurdy. He continued to visit France in subsequent years and it was there that he also fell in love with his future wife Ariane, with whom he moved to Belgium. It was there that he fell in love with the melodeon. That melodeon, however, belonged to someone else and it wasn't until 1975 that he managed to save up for his own.

Once a member of the notorious Hammersmith Morris, after a move to Cheltenham, John joined Gloucestershire Old Spot Morris as a dancer. However, he soon started playing his box for the Morris and eventually took over the musicianship, restoring original versions of tunes from Cecil Sharp's collection of manuscripts to the dances. When he moved to Horsley in 1977 John started a popular and successful ceilidh band called Bombadilla, which included Richard Valentine on banjo and calling, and in the mid eighties, briefly joined a band formed by Ted Stevens (ex Flowers & Frolics) bizarrely called 'Women Wrestling in Mud'. Despite the band producing a good sound, the members lived so far apart that the band naturally expired.

Luckily for John, he was on the Horsley village hall committee at the time. John suggested that the musicians of the village ought to be able to organise ceilidhs to make loads of dosh for the hall extension. The rest is history. John now calls for dances and is a mainstay of the band.

The hurdy gurdy is a late addition to John's arsenal of instruments. He made it himself from plans drawn up from a Pimpard gurdy and playing it has revived his own interest in French music. Since he began playing it in 2003, he has noticed that his wife, son, cats, dog, and hens are all happy to leave him in peace to practise.

On John's 40th birthday, when the band met at his house for a practice, John was challenged to write a tune. He did just that and appropriately named it 'John's 40th breakdown'. Coupled with a tune Rod had written entitled 'Carmella's' this started a tradition within the band of writing original material. The band still plays John's 40th breakdown - take a look at John and judge for yourself how long it's been on the repertoire.