About John Sheard

Throughout my thirty-odd years as pianist, producer and arranger, I have recorded and performed with many North American artists. While I’ve always enjoyed working with great singers and players, life is short and I decided to record some of my own music. My first solo CD, 'JERUSALEM' consists largely of pieces that I performed at Vinyl Cafe concerts across Canada. I am grateful to Stuart Mclean for giving me musical carte blanche on his show which was largely   responsible for the creation of JERUSALEM and my second CD, 'NOCTURNUS'.

I grew up surrounded by all kinds of music, thanks to the eclectic tastes of my parents, from the lovely melodies in the old Anglican hymnal, to Duke Ellington and Brahms.  This is still the music I hear in my head and play for myself, and I hope some of those influences have found their way into the music I record for other artists.

I’ve been fortunate to experience the excitement of playing to big crowds in beautiful theatres from Massey Hall to Carnegie Hall, but for me, the art really begins and ends on an upright piano in a quiet living room.  

Recording History

Rita Macneil, Ian Tyson, Sylvia Tyson, Dan Hill, Rita Coolidge, Olivia Newton-John, Mary-Margaret O’Hara, Celine Dion, Ronnie Milsap, Colm Wilkinson, Bob Schneider, Tom Paxton, Willie P. Bennett, Terry Kelly, Al Simmons,  Dan Kershaw, Mark Haines, Chad Mitchell, The Henrys, Ted Hawkins, Mia Sheard, Norm Hacking, Grit Laskin, Keith Stegal, Gwen Swick, Quartette, Chris Whiteley, Linda Morrison, Mose Scarlett, Jackie Washington Jr., Ken Whiteley, The Cuban Fence Climbers  etc.

Composing/Arranging

Celine Dion, Dan Hill, Murray McLaughlin, The Pointer Sisters, The Nylons, Shirley Eikhard, Andrea Martin, Caitlin Hanford and Quartette  

U.S. television shows: A&E’s Biography, Sunset Beach, Sesame Street, Sesame Park, Showtime, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and David Letterman.

Production

The Guess Who, Dan Hill, The Henry's (2 CD’s),  Buster Poindexter, Gregg Lawless, Caitlin Hanford, The Good Brothers (multi-artist compilation), Chris Whiteley and others.

Performance
                  
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Lowell Fulsom, Amanda Marshall, Prairie Oyster, Fabian, Rough Trade, Jackie Richardson, Bob McBride, Gail Bliss, Junior Wells, The Diamonds, Amos Garrett, Maryann Price, Chris O’Connell, Herb Remington and Leon Rausch (from Bob Wills’s Texas Playboys), Marc Jordan, Alexis Radlin,  Howie Mandel and many hundreds more.

I have served as music director for Stuart Mclean’s Vinyl Cafe touring orchestra since 1998, and have been the music director for many CBC radio programs including Peter Gzowski’s famous "Red River Rally" Morningside show.