BIOGRAPHY

IN THE BEGINNING

Born John William Lowery in 1970 in Grosse Pointe Michigan, John’s journey started at the age of seven, sparked by the tunes of Hee Haw and Jimi Hendrix. “My friends wanted to be astronauts and such but all I wanted to do was play and play and play.”

Supported by his parents John began making waves in the local Detroit scene during his teenage years. He formed his first band Dirty Trixx who tasted victory at a battle of the bands competition. This early success fuelled his ambition, and at 18, John took the bold step of moving to Los Angeles, the epicenter of his rock n’ roll dreams.

His early days in LA were not kind and John’s resilience was tested when he became a victim of a robbery on his first night in town, but he hunkered down, eventually landing his first LA break with the band Alligator Soup. This led to a chance encounter with Rudy Sarzo, who witnessed John step up as the band’s singer was taken ill one night. Impressed, Sarzo introduced John to producer Bob Marlette. This connection proved pivotal, opening doors to session work with legendary artists such as Lita Ford and Randy Castillo, with whom he released an EP called ‘Square’. Shortly after he was picked from 2000 other guitarists to tour with K.D. Lang.

Soon after John caught the attention of the iconic Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford and together they formed the industrial-rock band 2wo (Two). Their album ‘Voyeurs’ was released under the production of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. 

Just a guitar player’s dream of a show to watch John 5 do what he does in a club.

Nita Strauss

THE MANSON YEARS

Fate took another turn in 1998 when Marilyn Manson, fresh off the success of “Mechanical Animals” sought a new guitarist. After being contacted by Manson’s management team, John was invited out to lunch. “I get there and it’s Manson himself sitting at the table. As a result of that first meeting I had a new name and I was in the band.” The newly monikered John 5 became an integral part of the band, injecting his signature shredding style into tracks like the Grammy-nominated ‘Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes’ and 2000’s controversial album ‘Holywood: In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death’ and the Burlesque, Weimar Republic stylized ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’

However, after five intense years, both John and Manson felt it was time to pursue their own paths, “I’ll never regret working with Manson, it was such a blast, but we both knew it was time to move on.”

I was surprised that this guy could sit down and play Glen Campbell and Roy Clark better than they do, and it blew my mind. And then he loves southern rock, the blues and country. It really blew us away.

Rickey Medlocke

SOLO CAREER & THE ZOMBIE YEARS

After a chance encounter with the legendary Les Paul, John 5, who retained the nickname Marilyn Manson had bestowed on him, began working on his own music, unleashing ‘Vertigo’ in 2004. This album marked the beginning of a prolific solo career that has seen him release ten studio albums, 2 live albums and a remix album. 5 has collaborated with artists like Steve Vai and Albert Lee and explored a diverse range of musical styles.

In 2005 John 5 teamed up with Texas based singer Joe Grah to form “radio rock project” Loser. Their first single, ‘Disposable Sunshine’ featured on the Fantastic Four soundtrack.

In 2006, a short stint with Rob Zombie on the Ozzfest tour blossomed into a long-term partnership. As a consequence John 5 made the decision to leave Loser. “Being the founding member…my decision to leave was not an easy one.” John co-wrote and performed on Zombie’s albums from ‘Educated Horses’ until 2021’s ‘The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy’, bringing his signature flair to the shock rocker’s dark and theatrical sound. He even composed the score for two of Zombie’s films: ‘The Lords Of Salem’ and ’31’, showcasing his versatility beyond the realm of rock.

In 2015, following a series of web shows to celebrate the release of his solo album ‘Careful With That Axe’, John 5 decided to take his solo set on tour and formed The Creatures band to support his live shows. Initially joined by long-term friend Rodger Carter on drums and Ian Ross on bass, the band continues touring to this day and work as a unit on 5’s solo albums, including ‘Season Of The Witch’, the live album ‘It’s Alive’, ‘Invasion’ and 2021’s ‘Sinner’. In 2024 John 5 toured as a duo with drummer Alejandro Mercado.

If there was ever a musician who was an honorary member of Shred Guitar Society… Mr. John 5!

Paul Gilbert

A NEW ERA WITH MÖTLEY CRÜE

In 2022 following the retirement from touring of the legendary Mick Mars from Mötley Crüe, 5 was given a chance to step up to play for a band that he had followed throughout his formative years. Speaking at the time 5 said, “I’m honored to carry on Mick’s legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs”. Following successful world tours co-headlining with Def Leppard, 5 was welcomed into Crüe as a full-fledged member in 2023, with the band looking to carry their legacy forward, pushing “the limits of live performance” and exploring new music.

In April 2024 the band announced their first single release ‘Dogs Of War’ with John 5. 5 had previously collaborated with the band for the soundtrack for the Netflix movie ‘The Dirt’.

John 5 is much more than a hired gun or rock n’ roll icon. He’s passionate about his craft, constantly pushing boundaries in music and defying expectations. As he says himself “I don’t ever want it to stop”. 

John 5 is hands-down one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around.

Slash

Biography last updated April 2024. © John 5

PRESS/PROMOTERS

GALLERY

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 8: Ross Halfin. 4: Matt Wilson. 5: Torry Pendergrass.6, 7: Israel Perez Hortal. 9: Sam Shapiro. Images used with permission.

JOHN 5 GEAR