John Bush (New Bohemians)

Drummer/ percussionist John Bush is an original member of the platinum selling group Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. John was born April 10, 1963 in the town of Greenville, Texas. Growing up in several small towns in Texas before moving to Dallas in the summer of 1977, John eventually attended and graduated from The Arts Magnet High School at Booker T. Washington in 1981. It was at this school for performing arts where he met and began playing with the other members of New Bohemians.

He attended college at the school of music at North Texas State University in Denton Texas studying drums and percussion as a jazz studies major for one year before moving back to Dallas. There John continued his study of music and changed majors to a recording engineering degree at Cedar Valley Junior College in Lancaster. Eventually quitting school and then his job he began playing music full time with Edie Brickell & New Bohemains in 1985. It was in couple of years that the band made their debut record “Shooting Rubber Bands At The Stars” released in 1988.

John has also recorded and performed with numerous acts from Texas and aboard including Ian McLagan, The Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, The Small Stars, Patrice Pike, Ruthie Foster, Papa Mali, Critters Buggin’, David Garza, Greezy Wheels, Kevin Carroll, Ron Flynt, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Wayne Sutton, Steve Bernstein, Tannish Clay, Poor Devils, Emuzeki, McLemore Avenue, Landis Armstrong & The Guilty Pleasures, Aimee Bobruk, Penny Jo Pullus, Edge City, Jamie Lee Bradford, Paul Simon, and James Brown just to name a few.

“The performance with Paul Simon was a special benefit in Dallas where Paul was gracious enough to have New Bohemains back him up for four or five numbers. It was very cool to work with him.”

“The session with James Brown was very cool. It was for a coffee commercial for a canned coffee drink in Japan. Unfortunately the product did not do well so we only made the one commercial where as if it had taken off we were set to make other commercials.”

John grew up listening to a wide range of rock & roll music as well as jazz, blues, soul, R&B, Afro Cuban and folkloric music, funk, hip hop, rap, country, and classical. Some of his influences are Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, The Kinks, The Grateful Dead, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Otis Redding, Frank Zappa, Freddie King, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Little Feat, King Crimson, Public Enemy, Trouble Funk, Los Muniquitos de Mantanzas, Ray Baretto, Poncho Sanchez, The Clash, Crass, Beethoven, Stravinsky & The Romones just to name a few.

While attending The Arts Magnet High School John was turned onto congas by a teacher named Brad Dutz. Congas became his main focus for many years. He later met and studied with Mingo Lewis while on tour with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. Afro Cuban rhythms and folkloric rumba remain one of John’s biggest musical influences to this day.

John currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Suzy and their two young children.

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FOAMY

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Foamymusic

Drummer/ percussionist John Bush is an original member of the platinum selling group Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. John was born April 10, 1963 in the town of Greenville, Texas. Growing up in several small towns in Texas before moving to Dallas in the summer of 1977, John eventually attended and graduated from The Arts Magnet High School at Booker T.

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