Biography | John Mizarolli

JOHN MIZAROLLI One of Uks leading guitarists spent 4 years in the USA, then returned to the UK in 1978. He then spent years gigging, recording, touring and teaching. He achieved cult fame worldwide in 1980 joining Ginger Baker's band Energy who toured Europe, UK and behind the former iron curtain appearing on TV, Clubs and Arenas. As Ginger's lead guitarist he was singled out by Europe's music mags as the Revelation of the Band after 4 encores at a 15000 seater in Rome. Mizarolli toured with the Kinks in Jody St, a sensational Rock Band, featuring Henry Thomas, Brett Morgan and Noel McCalla. In 1978 He developed a unique and historic course of guitar systems that created an industry bigger than the record industry itself.

It's ironic that in 1980 he was too busy to give tuition to Andy Summers of Police. Andy was relatively unknown then but was definitely influenced by Mizarolli's guitar sound (that jangly roland jazz-chorus chord vibe). When Gary Moore left Thin Lizzy, Mizarolli met with Phil Lynott with a view to joining. He decided that Ginger had more to offer in musicianship. So he stayed with the Cream's wild drummer, whilst being financially supported by teaching UK's most ardent guitar lovers. Maybe you should consider learning guitar with an Axe Phenomenon? 27000 other guitarists did!

In 1982 he toured with Atomic Rooster, reputedly the first ever heavy metal band, in the UK and Yugoslavia and guested on their last album Headline News, sharing guitar with Bernie Torme and Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Atomic Rooster flew on a private jet to Yugoslavia with Motorhead and the Ian Gillan Band. Lemmy stated of Mizarolli's drunken flight ...

that's the loudest spic I've ever seen!

In the same year Mizarolli guested on Jim Capaldi's album Fierce Heart with Stevie Winwood and completed a 6-week European tour with Ginger Baker in between his usual 7 days a week guitar lesson marathons. At 16 he supported the original Fleetwood Mac band led by Peter Green. His band Buzz became quite famous amongst other musicians despite that fact that he was still officially at school! At 17, whilst guesting with Screaming Lord Sutch's bassist at a rock club in Earl's Court, he was asked to do recording sessions with Dave O'List, the original guitarist with Keith Emerson in The Nice when it was a 4 piece. In the band was Ian Ayre, bassist of Curved Air. In the same era he played and became friends with Papa De Qwango Montez, an amazing percussionist who jammed regularly with Hendrix! Papa had also played with Edmondo Ross Orchestra regularly as a member.

Between teaching, Mizarolli's live guitar performances were compared to Clapton, Jeff Beck, Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. Born in Fulham, London, England he took up guitar at 7. He has been in bands since the age of 12. At 21 he left England for the USA and spent 4 years on the Californian music scene. He did endless gigs, tours and recording sessions gaining as much practical experience as possible across the musical spectrum. His band MONOLITH gained him the rep of being among the top 17 guitarists in the USA at the age of 22! He was at the centre of the Jazz/Funk & Jazz/Rock movement in LA around 1974. Mizarolli had tuition from Caldera's guitarist Jorge Strunz, who developed Mizarolli's jazz awareness a great deal. He also gigged with names like Canned Heat, Big Joe Turner(The Original!),The Platters and was developed in the studio by Little Richard's bass player and keyboard player.

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Mizarolli's parents were from Cyprus and emigrated to the UK in the early 50's. They left an island wartorn and soon became refugees during the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion. His roots were from many neighbouring lands as Cyprus is the crossover between Africa, Asia and Europe. He has bloodlines in Gypsy, Greek-Cypriot, Egyptian , Ethiopian and Italian.

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John's mother came from a small village called Leonarisson, his father was from another village in Kyrenia called Karavas. Both these villages have now been taken over by The Turks. Mizarolli's father left home at the age of 12 and became amongst other things a tailor by profession whilst learning music and acting. He played classical guitar, trumpet and mandolin and spent many years studying & reading pieces by Segovia and worked with some of the best composers in the middle-east. He was also a singer and travelled many places on the Island of Venus performing old cypriot folk songs. Mizarolli's mother came from a family of 13 that worked in tobacco fields as children. When she arrived in the UK in the early 50's she worked hard in the factories and eventually took on the rag trade as well.

Mizarolli suffered greatly during the british coal pollution years between 1952 and 1963 when he had acute asthma for 10 years. He was a Great Ormond Street Hospital survivor and in 1 year over ¼ of a million british children actually died in the fog or smog as it was called then. He was written off for dead on 3 occasions and eventually was cured when the british government took him to France to clean his lungs out in La Bourboule a famous cure centre for kids with asthma and eczema. His relentless resentment of corporate abuse since then, has never died!

Mizarolli as well as his sister Marina, learnt about guitar playing from their father Sophocles before they had any formal training. He was taught to hear and experiment with intervals at the age of 7. He originally wanted to learn piano but his father insisted he learn classical guitar so his mother found a local teacher by the name of Frederick Schiller who himself was quite a famous jewish Austrian actor/musician and appeared in film classics like Maigret, Guns Of Navarone and and the like.

At 12 Mizarolli took up electric guitar, started playing local gigs with his 1st band The Light, covering Shadows, Beatles, Equals and Elvis songs! He never gave many lessons until his playing ability was noticed by the neighbourhood musicians, then it all changed! At 17 on saturdays, the house was packed with friends and musicians jamming with Miz the Wiz. Now teaching Zeppelin, Hendrix and Cream songs. We are talking 1969! Yes, Mizarolli was teaching Hendrix then. As fate would have it, next door to Mizarolli's school, legendary bands used to rehearse and he regularly watched rock legends like The Who, The Cream, Ten Years After, Manfred Mann, Pink Floyd, Spencer Davis Group in between class breaks! Mizarolli reflects the first time I met Ginger Baker I was in my school uniform and we heard this sound like a UFO that had a magnetic-turbo effect on my brain.

We went round to St Annes Hall, peeked through the window and I could see Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker rehearsing, of course they were not famous then! I instinctively tried to walk in the door to get a close look at this strange event, then lo and behold, the door opened and Ginger came out looking like what I recognized as a beatnik and shouted Cut Out Man, Cut Out Man. He scared the shit out of me and my schoolfriends and we ran away! That was probably the beginning of my fascination with real rock music and electric guitar bands, I was amazed, confused, mystified, awe-inspired and fascinated. Then came the 60's, no more said!

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Zen guitar virtuoso 2nd2none. Unsigned, free, true to rock'n'roll spirit. Gypsy nature is not destined for chains in a hypocritical corporate music industry now dying of greed. Until Beat It, Michael Jackson was not allowed on MTV - 1980. Van Halen made it racially acceptable! Have no doubt, now is the biggest musicians revolution in the history of the planet. You can't own music, only channel it. Rock on torrents. Some say Mizarolli is the best electric guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. Many 60's music people blocked off upcoming talent and sold out to the money machine with their winner takes all philosophy cloaked in mystique and hippydom.

Rise above race, class, creed, religion, status and allegiance to colors. Is institutionalized racism alive and well in the british blues and rock music industry? If not, can you remember the last ethnic guitarist in the UK to achieve serious success in blues and rock? A long silence occurs after that question! Hmmm... Beatniks, hippies, punks, grungers, metalheads, rappers.. Truth in the current world revolution doesn't rely on the music, film or book industry to express what people feel and want. Cyberspace is a psychic country where anarchists rub shoulders with big brother daily. Long live the Rock'n'Roll revolution!

Over the last decade Mizarolli has been writing, producing withe the late Big Joe Turner, Pete Brown and many lesser known musicians. He has produced singers Beverley La Moth, Jacqui Walters and Oo Soul.

Hear his more varied productions on the following links at: Studio Sounds, Tracks, Blog and Styles. On these links are many guitar tips and miscellaneous subjects of interest to the serious guitarist. Learn guitar the futuristic way!