John Pilkington was born in Manchester, England and became immersed in the vibrant Irish trad. session scene in England and Ireland since the early ‘80s. Adopting the nomadic life of a travelling troubadour, singing and playing both in America and around Europe allowed John to soak up first-hand a wide range of roots music from around the world. Blending these new influences with his love of Irish music, John brought all the threads together in what became known as “Tangled Roots Music”.

An album of self-penned songs, ”From my Point of You”, was recorded for the English label Making Waves and was enthusiastically received.

“Social conscience weaving singer-writer strands in the web of guitar styles.....more than tempting” - Simon Jones, Folk Roots

In 2003, John released ” Sørøver Søren og andre alfabet sange” on the Danish record label "Go' Danish FolkMusik": 29 songs for children, one for each letter in the Danish alphabet, recorded together with his wife and daughter (https://folkshop.dk/shop/1-go-udgivelser/140-soeroever-soeren-og-andre-alfabetsange-cd/ )

After settling in Denmark, John continued to develop his musical vision by forming the Atlantic Wave Band, playing countless concerts around Scandinavia and England, and releasing the album “Serious Hits”.

“An amalgam of roots styles, with an obvious Celtic flavour, carried along by Pilkington’s authorititive vocal delivery.” - Sean McGhee, Rock‘n’Reel

“Makes for a lot of raw feeling amd bold statement….. brilliant.” - Bob Lloyd, Shire Folk

In the years 1995-2009, John returned to his trad. roots as lead singer and guitarist with Irish band Moving Cloud.

After setting up his own “Tangled Roots Studio” in Århus, Denmark, John has been involved in a variety of projects as both sound engineer and producer, including all of Moving Cloud’s albums. Working together with the iconic Irish producer Dónal Lunny in both Denmark and Japan, three albums were released: “Cuckanandy”, “Sweet Nyaa” and “Welcome: Who are you?”
Cuckanandy was nominated for for “Roots Album of the Year” at the Danish Music Awards.

In 2009, John formed a new band, Tradish, playing “Irish music and beyond”, releasing two albums, and continuing to play concerts and festivals both in Denmark and around Europe.
John is currently dividing his time between Tradish and his “one-man-show”.