John McAndrew, Singer, Songwriter and Pianist

John McAndrew has that rarely-seen talent that allows a songwriter to write lyrics like poetry. His words flow, from the questioning tone of “Give Me New Eyes” to the beautiful and memorable new melody “I Love You All,” a track from McAndrew’s new album, “I Am Home.” With each successive album, the gifted McAndrew further hones his talent for storytelling and songwriting, making this newest album his best yet. Accompanied with the release of his new CD “I am Home” the singer, songwriter and pianist, John McAndrew will be performing live in musical celebration accompanied by musician Merle Krause, as well as several other guest musicians.

A native of Wisconsin, John McAndrew was born in Rice Lake and was one of seven children, with four brothers and two sisters. In his earlier life, John thought of pursuing a career in ‘the arts’, because he loved drawing, but his love of music was just as equally strong and would eventually win him over. You see, John was born into a musical family with deep roots in music, as his father, Bill McAndrew was a musician and songwriter as well, who also played a nice variety of musical instruments. At a very early age, John McAndrew also knew he wanted to be a musician. Without a single formal lesson, he learned to play the saxophone, flute, guitar, harmonica, and piano. Eventually he settled on the piano to create his masterfully crafted blues songs, with his beautiful piano music serving as a counterpoint to his poetic and artfully written lyrics. More than a simple singer, pianist, or songwriter, John McAndrew is a storyteller. The inspiration he finds in life, and in the people around him, he chooses to express through his poignant, soulful lyrics. Though he calls himself a Pop/Blues artist, listening to his songs makes it easy to understand why McAndrew has attracted fans from all walks of life.

Besides the piano, John McAndrew, who is a self-taught musician, plays many different instruments such as, the saxophone, guitar, and harmonica. He is also a gifted lyric writer. His song “I’ll Play All Night Long”, is a tribute to his father and his brother Emil, who both died from cancer. John now makes his home in Nashville and in his spare time when he’s not composing himself, enjoys listening to jazz. Other musical artist he likes to listen to is, Oscar Peterson,Gene Anderson, and Randy Newman, to name some. In 2006 John’s CD entitled “Good Enough” and his music, “Give Me New Eyes” and “They Got That Look” were featured in the feature film “Jesus, Mary, and Joey”, starring Olympia Dukakis, Charles Durning and Stacey Keach.