ArtistInfo

John O'Connor

acg, eg, man, *1949 IE
Composer of Pop and Electronic
A.k.a. John Kevin O'Connor

John O'Connor (born ca. 1949) is a TV composer and recording artist from London, of Irish descent, who lives and works in California since 1987. John started in the 1970s by setting up his own recording studio in Walthamstow, North London, called Bark Studios (that continues to operate, as producer Brian O'Shaughnessy's base). After 10 years he became more interested in playing music then simply recording it, so he became a session musician and played guitar for artists like Maddy Prior, Rick Kemp, Isla St Clair and Bucks Fizz. But his biggest success stories in the 1980 were two television-themed novelty songs that no record label wanted to release, that he subsequently published using the moniker The Firm on his own label (Bark) and that eventually became hits, the first (Arthur Daley 'E's Alright) a modest Top Ten hit in the UK in 1982, the second (Star Trekkin') became a world-wide hit, spending two weeks at number one on the Singles Chart and becoming the ninth best-selling single of 1987 in the UK. The success allowed him to move to California, where he started recording again, this time in the new age direction under the name EKO, making four albums for Higher Octave Music between 1989 and 1996. Eventually, in January 1997, Judgemental Films invited him and other composers to create the music for a new animated television series, King of the Hill. After the first he became one of three composers that write all music for the hit show and he continues to do that to this day.

Instruments

• Acoustic guitar
• Electric guitar
• Mandolin

Genres

• Pop
• Electronic
• Folk
• Rock

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