John Bottomley

-2011. R.I.P.

A Brief History
According to John, he has "been very fortunate to have worked with some great people. He has shared the stage with artists like Bill Haley and the Comets,Warren Zevon, Steve Earl, Lenoard Cohen, Living Color Tragically Hip, Bruce Cockburn, Barenaked Ladies, Cowboy Junkies to name a few . He has also worked with great producers like T-Bone Burnett ( Brother where art though) and David Kershenbaum ( Joe Jackson, Tracy Chapman)." His musical career has been "something like Alice in wonderland". John not only writes his ownmusic and lyrics, but also has a talent for art and literature. In particular, he has illustrated his book,posters and CD covers. His work shows a sense of contemplation and stillness combined with a comical inclination of the surreal. Of his music, John says, "I try not to trap my music in any style since this can be very dangerous. My music is sometimes magical, sometimes exotic, but at other times, Frumious".

"I try to do what the poetry tells me to do". "I also do a number of pen and ink drawings of characters that magically reappear in my songs".

John was born in Toronto on September 17, 1960 , and studied classical piano at the age of six. Since his father was in the air force, he lived in various places including Toronto , Ottawa , London ( England ), Cold Lake Alberta, as well as Lahr, Germany , where he found himself at the age of 14, studying the guitar. At the age of 16, he started playing in the bands Albatross and Celsius, and toured in the Black Forest region of Germany .

By 1980, John returned to Toronto and began performing with the band Tulpa, who were early pioneers of the Queen Street scene. In 1983 John began his recording career with the release of Tulpas' first single "Apologize to Your Mother" followed by his first LP "Mosaic Fish".