John grew up in Charlotte, NC, and attended East Mecklenburg High School. He was a trombone player who served as trombone section leader for two years and received the Marching Eagle Award during both of those years. After graduation, director Michael Soltys hired John as a marching instructor for the following two years.

He went on to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from East Carolina University. In 1985, he marched with the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps. John has spent the past 36 years working as a band director in both public and private schools. In 1992, he started the band program at Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville and remained there until this past year, when he moved to Mooresville to help care for his elderly parents. In 2023, John received the Award of Excellence from the Southeastern Band Masters Association.

John and his wife, Janet, have been married for 36 years and have a son, Nathan Wright, who is a music producer in Columbia, Tennessee. Nathan and his wife, Taylor, have a two-year-old daughter named Rooney, and another little girl, Poppy, is on the way.