John Maycraft

John Maycraft

John was born in the North West of England.

He fell in love with music at a very early age; he remembers going to a fairground when he was 3 and being thrilled by the music blaring from the rides.  “I remember The Beatles, Roy Orbison, and a lot of the late 50s music being played over the sounds of the rides. Great melodies and harmonies... It was all very exciting!”

Although music notation was taught to John he didn’t really use it, preferring instead to rely on his already developing musical ear - a method of working that he still prefers to this day. “I think it’s quicker for me, and more direct.”

Wanting to progress in his chosen instrument, he studied at first with his high school music teacher, then going on to specialise in electric guitar. All the lessons and study were of great benefit in the formation of a good grounding in musical theory, guitar technique and a genuine enthusiasm for guitar music, and indeed, music of all genres.

John came to the conclusion that his "individual voice" was something that had to be learned, but couldn't be taught. This is still an ongoing process... 

Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Gordon Giltrap, David Gilmour, the Edge, Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, Bert Jansch, John renbourn, Steve Reich and Terry Riley have all influenced John and still continue to inspire up to the present day.

John’s first break into the professional world came when he met and teamed up with Bernie Calvert – The Hollies’ long-time bass player. John has also been afforded the opportunity to work with many other well known musicians through Bernie.

This musical relationship continues right up to the present day, where they both co-write regularly,  and perform live together two or three times a year.

In the early nineties John was signed to two record companies, producing 3 albums. This was the start of his commercial writing, and gave him the opportunity to co-write and produce commercial music professionally. He set up his own company, “Artguitar”, to produce and market all his original works.

Working predominantly on Guitars- though not exclusively- Johns work is Minimalist, with timed echoes. The mathematical principles of "Fibonacci", the "Golden ratio" and "Phi" are also to be found in his work. Therefore odd time signatures and different rhythms are often at the source of these quirky yet melodic pieces. 
The sustained patterns weave intricate melodies and voices into a simple beginning, often becoming more complex as the themes develop.

To date over 185+ cuts have been used commercially, by clients as diverse as Sky One, Sky Sports, Discovery, Bravo, Radio City (New York) and British Film companies. John is able to record, produce and master his own work to a high professional standard.

John’s current work is diverse. Some of the projects he has been involved with over the last couple of years include:-

-Music used for the 2012 Olympic celebrations - endorsed by the 2012 Olympic committee.

-Composing, arranging and recording with Bernie Calvert. Including re-works of some older released (and unreleased) Hollies material. Samples of this music and full downloads can be found at the website address below. 

- Compositions for Radio City (New York) as part of the 60 x 60 multimedia projects. These have been screened/performed worldwide e.g.  San Francisco, New York, Carolina, Toronto and in London U.K.

-  Work for BBC 1 and BBC radio 2. 

- Live work, e.g. Composition, arrangement and playing of live performance music.

- Composition for theatre and live performance, dance and Poetry.

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