John Grant

Putting music first, and effortlessly using technology to make it happen, John Grant does what’s best for the song, and is always available to help in a creative and musical way.

When it comes to production, John has the tools to make each arrangement special.  He is an amazing and accomplished lead guitarist, and can play tight electric bass, tasty fretless, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard, organ, mandolin, citern, and produce stunning MIDI arrangements with programmed drums and percussion, strings, and anything imaginable from a rack of synthesizers.

Born at an early age, John began playing guitar at 10, thanks to a few lessons from his older brother Kevin.  Largely self-taught from then on, John played in a succession of bands throughout high school and college before finally taking some lessons in jazz theory and improvisation some ten years later from guitarist Carl Filipiak.  After that, his guitar playing ability (in John’s words) “tripled”.  Already an accomplished rock player, the integration of jazz improvisation skills took his playing to a new level.  This led to his inclusion in Guitar Player magazine’s “Spotlight On New Talent” column in January, 1983 (Brian May on the cover—and yes, John still has the issue).

While recording the demo tapes that led to that Guitar Player feature, John discovered a new passion:  engineering and producing studio tracks.  With the experience he gained in the studio, (and a small loan), John opened the first Secret Sound recording studio in 1983 in Woodlawn, sub-letting part of the basement of a bandmate’s rented house.  What’s in a name?  Well, as John puts it, when he first opened, he had no clients and the studio was, unfortunately, a “secret”.