OUR STORY
Growing up in Pennsylvania, John discovered music as a teenager and spent much of his early adulthood pursuing adventure, self-discovery, and artistic expression. He traveled widely, performed in bands, attended Woodstock, and eventually settled in New Mexico. Music became a lifelong companion through both triumph and hardship. Over the years he worked as an electrician, musician, floral marketing executive, master guitar builder, radio producer, and author. His experiences, including his recovery from substance use disorder, would later become a foundation for much of his work.
Vivian's path emerged from a family with deep roots in the performing arts. Her great-aunt, Cathleen Nesbitt, appeared as Mrs. Higgins in the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady and portrayed Cary Grant's mother in An Affair to Remember. Vivian earned her MFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and began her professional career in New York, including understudying in the Broadway production of Candida at Roundabout Theatre Company.
The two met in Taos, New Mexico, where a shared love of music, storytelling, and artistic exploration quickly grew into a lifelong partnership. What began as a personal connection evolved into a decades-long creative collaboration spanning performance, broadcasting, education, and community engagement. Together, they began writing, performing, producing, and developing projects that would eventually reach audiences across the country.
ART OF THE SONG: CONVERSATIONS ON CREATIVITY
In 2003, John and Vivian launched Art of the Song, a nationally syndicated public radio
program dedicated to exploring songwriting and the creative process.
Over the next twenty-one years, the weekly program was carried by more than 100 public radio stations nationwide and featured conversations with some of the most influential songwriters and creative thinkers of our time. Through interviews, performances, and thoughtful discussion, the show offered listeners a rare glimpse into the craft, inspiration, and discipline behind artistic work.
Among their highlights were conversations with Jackson Browne, Judy Collins, Roger Daltrey (The Who), Nanci Griffith, Donald Fagan (Steely Dan), Glenn Frey (Eagles), Rosanne Cash, Smokey Robinson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Richard Thompson.
What began as a passion project became a nationally recognized platform for celebrating creativity in all its forms. More importantly, it allowed John and Vivian to build a remarkable community of artists, listeners, and lifelong learners who shared a belief in the power of stories and songs to connect us.
Although the weekly production concluded after twenty-one years, the spirit of Art of the Song continues to inform and inspire their work today.
MUSIC, RECOVERY & SERVICE
Music has always been central to John's life, but now it has become deeply intertwined with another passion: recovery.
Sober since 1992, John has spent decades exploring the role artistic expression can play in healing, self-discovery, and spiritual growth. Through songwriting workshops and collaborative projects with individuals in treatment and recovery programs, he helps participants find language for their experiences and express hopes for the future.
His album HOPE ROAD: From Addiction to Recoveery chronicles his personal journey, from the idealism of the 1960s counterculture movement and years of travel across America to addiction, recovery, and a renewed sense of purpose. Today, John continues to share songs and stories within recovery communities, encouraging connection, resilience, and hope.
For John, creativity is not simply artistic expression. It is a pathway toward healing, service, and transformation.
MASTER GUITAR BUILDER
Long before he became known nationally as a radio host and songwriter, John developed a reputation as a master luthier.
Over the course of his guitar-building career, he handcrafted more than eighty custom instruments for musicians including Hank Williams Jr., Trisha Yearwood, Steve Earle, Tish Hinojosa, Michael Martin Murphey, and Robert Reynolds of The Mavericks. His work was featured in newspapers and magazines across the country, celebrating both his craftsmanship and his distinctive artistic vision.
For John, guitar building was never simply about woodworking. It was another expression of the same creative impulse that fuels songwriting and performance: a combination of skill, intuition, patience, and imagination.
These experiences later informed his book, The 20-20 Creativity Solution, which offers practical tools for developing creativity in everyday life.
THEATER, STORYTELLING & PERFORMANCE
Vivian's career as an actor, writer, producer, and storyteller has been defined by a commitment to bringing compelling human stories to life.
Her stage, film, and television credits include appearances in Breaking Bad, Longmire, The Night Shift, Manhattan, Law & Order: SVU, and other acclaimed productions. She holds an MFA in Acting and has continued her artistic training with respected theater innovators including Anna Deavere Smith and Alan Arkin.
Her original solo play The Bark & The Tree earned recognition at the prestigious United Solo Festival in New York City and the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. Her short film Leverage received festival recognition and an award for Best Performance.
Vivian is perhaps best known on stage for her acclaimed performances in Si Kahn's one-woman musical Mother Jones in Heaven, portraying legendary labor organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones. Through story and song, she brings history vividly to life while exploring themes of justice, resilience, and human dignity.
TEACHING, MENTORSHIP & COMMUNITY
A longtime advocate for arts education and community engagement, Vivian was the director of Sol Acting Academy from 2011 to 2017 in Albuquerque, NM where she created signature programs combining classical acting techniques with nuanced practices for film.
In 2019 she brought her expertise to the historic Caffè Lena, America's longest-running folk music venue, to help create the Caffè Lena School of Music. As Director of the school, Vivian played a central role in developing the school's programs, partnerships, and educational offerings. What began as a vision to extend the venue's mission beyond the stage has grown into a vibrant learning community serving students of all ages and experience levels.
TODAY
Today, John and Vivian live on a farm in upstate New York surrounded by family, horses, dogs, and more guitars than they probably need.
They continue to write, perform, teach, and create, both individually and together. Whether through music, theater, education, recovery work, or storytelling, their mission remains the same: to foster connection, encourage creativity, and celebrate the stories that shape our lives.