At age four, he was enrolled at the prestigious Protestant Cathedral and John Connon School, where he learned to play the piano and violin, and was exposed to Western and classical music, particularly that of J.S.
In 1960, he and his family moved to Toronto, where he discovered WUFO 1080, an AM radio station in Buffalo, New York and, for the first time, heard American music and rhythm and blues.
Inspired by Chuck Rainey, Motown legend James Jamerson, and Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, John taught himself to play bass guitar.
At his school, he formed his first R&B group, The Trikq, which served as the rhythm section for another band, George Olliver & The Soul Children.
Mandala was about to break up, but some of its members formed a new band, Bush, which consisted of guitarist Domenic Troiano, singer Roy Kenner, keyboardist Hugh Sullivan, John, and the Finnish-Canadian drummer Pentti Glan (aka 'Whitey').
[6][7] Bush then broke up—Troiano and Kenner left to join James Gang and Glan went to work on the solo album of Steppenwolf frontman John Kay.
[8] While in Los Angeles, John also taught guitar to Nick St. Nicholas (Steppenwolf), Kenny Gradney (Delaney & Bonnie and Little Feat), and Rosemary Butler (Birtha).
[9] At that time, John declined several prestigious recording offers (Van Morrison's album Moondance[10]) He was invited, by Bobby Whitlock, to join Derek & the Dominos, and he was asked, by Rick Derringer and Edgar Winter, to join White Trash, with Winter asking three times.