John Mead has played in and led bands Coyotes, Mystery Train, and Angelus, performing his original music for fifteen years, as well as playing lead guitar for Rachel Drew and the Bitter Roots, Crumbs Off the Table, Strider, and Little Queens. He has also spearheaded, organized, and led bands playing music by David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, The Band, Elvis Presley, the Eagles, and many more. He will release his first album in summer of 2017. He teaches ensembles from R&B to disco and funk to Otis and Aretha to Bowie and the Clash at the Old Town School. By day Mead helps run the venerable Sue Duncan Children’s Center on Chicago’s South Side. He holds a Ph.D. in American literature and is an expert on abolitionism and slave rebellion, and he sells his paintings as well.