John Cutliffe is from Buncrana, County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, but he now lives in Swannee,Georgia  http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Cutliffe&action=editssee]]. John grew up playing Irish traditional and bluegrass music in the many pubs that dot the Irish countryside and has played with many pop and rock bands over the years. During his wilder days in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 his Irish bluegrass band The Pyros teamed up with Frank Tovey (AKA Fad Gadget) and recorded albums on the world famous Mute Records

Mute Records

Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...

.

Cutliffe helped formed The Pyros some years earlier in his home town of Buncrana. The group developed a cult following in the North West of Ireland. Various lineups have featured the cream of Donegal musicians including Kevin Doherty (Four Men and a Dog) and Ciaran Tourish (Altan). During this time John got the chance to meet and play with some of the best musicians in the world including Altan, Gerry O Connor, Ted Hawkins and rock legends such as former Wings

Wings (band)

Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....

 guitarist Henry McCullough

Henry McCullough

Henry McCullough Henry McCullough Henry McCullough (born Henry Campbell Liken McCullough, 21 July 1943, Portstewart, Northern Ireland is an Irish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who has played guitar in such bands as Sweeney's Men, Spooky Tooth, Paul McCartney & Wings, and The Grease Band. He...

.

Cutliffe is the owner and editor of JigTime, a site that chronicles Irish and American roots music and is the Tour Manager and general U.S. "man on the ground" for Irish traditional band Altan. He is a keen photographer and his pictures can be seen on websites including Rosanne Cash's site and the MerleFest

MerleFest

MerleFest is an annual "traditional plus" music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on the campus of Wilkes Community College . The festival, which is held the last weekend in April, is hosted by Grammy Award winner Doc Watson and is named in memory and honor of his son, Eddy Merle Watson,...

 site and on album covers both in Ireland and Nashville.

Most recently Cutliffe has teamed up with Andrea Zonn

Andrea Zonn

Andrea Zonn is a singer fiddle player who grew up in Champaign, Illinois. She grew up in an environment surrounded by music. She sings, and plays classical violin, and is fluent in numerous other musical genres. Zonn first met Alison Krauss at a fiddle contest at the Champaign County Fair when she...

 to produce the Hands Across The Water CD, a 16 track collaboration album between Celtic and American artists.

Bands

• The Pyros, AKA The Pyrotechnicos - bass, guitars
• Pluto - bass
• Fiveskin - bass
• Shandrum - guitar
• Frank Tovey and the Pyros- bass, guitar
• The Other Brothers - bass, guitar
• Beware of the Dog - guitar
• The Barry McGuigan Band - bass guitar
• The Whiskey Priests - bass
• The Bordercollies - bass, guitar
• No River City - bass

Sources

http://www.jigtime.com/pyros

http://www.fadgadget.co.uk

http://www.compassrecords.com

http://www.handsacrossthewater.com

http://www.altan.ie

Discography

• Grand Union with Frank Tovey and the Pyros (musician, bass and guitars) (1991)
• Worried Men In Second Hand Suits with Frank Tovey and the Pyros (musician, bass and guitars) (1992)
• Travelling Home - Rory Mcleod (Musician, bass) (1991)
• Beware of the Dog - Beware of the Dog (musician, guitar, vocals, songwriter)
• Barr Trá - Mary Custy and Quentin Cooper (inside cover photograph)
• New Kid in Town - Ryan Holladay (cover photography)
• Hands Across The Water (2005) (Producer, photography)
• Down the Line - Ciaran Tourish (cover photography, liner notes)