John Squire

Jonathan Thomas "John" Squire (born 24 November 1962) is an English musician, songwriter and painter.

He was the guitarist for the Stone Roses, a rock band in which he formed a songwriting partnership with lead singer Ian Brown.

After leaving the Stone Roses he went on to found The Seahorses and has since released two solo albums.

Squire (now calling himself John, instead of his birth name of Jonathan) co-wrote all of the tracks with Brown and painted the cover art, a Jackson Pollock-influenced piece containing references to the May 1968 riots in Paris.

Squire has been described as one of the most accomplished and influential British rock guitarists of the late 1980s and early 1990s, known for his chiming melodies, spiraling riffs and live solos.

In the early 1980s Squire and Brown founded a band, Patrol, that eventually became the Stone Roses.

Squire was lead guitarist, and the partnership between him and Brown formed the heart of the band's lyrical and musical output.

The Stone Roses became one of the most influential acts of its era.

Their 1989 eponymous debut album quickly achieved the status of a classic in the UK, and topped NME's list of the Greatest British Albums of All Time.

The band's second album, Second Coming was released in 1994.

It featured a heavier blues-rock sound, similar to Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers Band, but fused with Ian Brown's distinct Britpop vocal style.

The album also featured Squire's vocals for the first time on 'Tightrope' and 'How Do You Sleep'.

Squire wrote the majority of its songs alone.

The album was met with mixed reaction from fans, and shortly after band infighting and rumoured cocaine abuse led to his departure from the band on 1 April 1996.

The band dissolved six months later.

With three previously unknown musicians, Squire formed a new band, The Seahorses, in 1996.

The band's only album Do it Yourself was released in 1997.

The Seahorses disbanded due to creative differences in 1999.

Following the demise of the Seahorses, Squire continued work with drummer Mark Heaney and ex-Verve bassist Simon Jones along with new vocalist Duncan Baxter as John Squire's Skunkworks, but left prior to the band releasing material as the Shining.

This is the second time that Squire has recorded an album and opted to keep it unreleased, as he did the same in 1999 as a part of the Seahorses, when they recorded an album, set to be named "Minus Blue" or "Motorcade", but decided to break up rather than release the album.

In 2024, Squire collaborated with Liam Gallagher on the album Liam Gallagher & John Squire, which was released on 1 March 2024; the album was preceded by the singles "Just Another Rainbow" (which peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart) and "Mars to Liverpool".

Squire and Gallagher announced a tour on 26 January 2024.

Besides music, Squire is also a published artist.

His artwork has adorned the singles, album covers and promotional posters for his and the Stone Roses' music.

Squire released his first solo album, Time Changes Everything in 2002.

A concept album followed in 2004 entitled Marshall's House.

Squire has also said that he has recorded a third album, however he has decided not to release it as he felt that promoting and touring the album would take the fun out of the music, and turn it into a job rather than a hobby.

In 2007, Squire gave up music to fully commit to painting.

He was voted the 13th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national poll by BBC 6 Music in 2010.

Squire was born in Broadheath, Altrincham, Cheshire.

He grew up on Sylvan Avenue in Timperley, around the corner from Ian Brown, and after attending Heyes Lane Junior School, he passed the eleven plus exam and went on to attend Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.

As a child he excelled at art.

He formed a close friendship with Ian Brown during their last two years at school together after Brown aided him in a fight with a school bully.

The two further bonded over a shared love for punk rock, particularly the Clash.

Squire and Brown moved on to South Trafford College after passing O-Levels.

Brown got expelled and Squire dropped out shortly after in order to start a band.

Although Squire had a couple of guitar lessons, he was largely self-taught.

However, he later returned to music when the Stone Roses reformed in 2011.

When the Stone Roses disbanded for a second time in 2017, Squire once again retired from music industry and returned to painting.

However, he continues to play guitar occasionally, including making guest appearances for two shows with Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in 2022, In late 2023 he started working with Liam Gallagher on a collaborative studio album which released on 1 March 2024 with the singles "Just Another Rainbow" and "Mars To Liverpool" preceding the album's release.