John Howarth has travelled to some of the most obscure corners of the globe, and this has introduced him to a wide variety of music from around the world. He performs mostly his own compositions and draws on influences and inspirations that range across a very broad and eclectic musical palette - ragtime, blues, the rhythms of Africa, the scales of the East, and just a touch of country. He has been a frequent visitor to Africa, and as a result has absorbed the musical culture of that continent and then interpreted it in his own style.

An accomplished singer/songwriter and a masterful guitar player, he features a good deal of acoustic fingerpicking in his set, as well as the sounds of his unusual eleven string fretless guitar.