John Wesley Richardson, pianist and music teacher. Born in Elizabeth Town Kentucky, John grew up in the Fairfax County and Washington DC metropolitan area until age 12.  At the age of 5 he learned how to play his first piano songs from his father and began his first piano lessons at the age of 7.  He moved to Florida in 1991, first residing in Saint Petersburg and then in Clearwater.   Graduated Countryside High School in 1996-1997.    Participated in the Countryside High School Jazz Big Band during his senior year of high school beginning a life long love of jazz music and improvisation. It was then at age 19 when he began playing publicly with various local bands.

He then attended Saint Petersburg College from 1998 to 2002 pursuing a Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on graphics design.  During this time he participated in the Saint Petersburg College Jazz Ensemble from 2000 to 2002 and studied piano under two instructors, Marvin Tiehara and Jeff Donovick.  It was his lessons with Donovick which provided him with his first teaching job opportunities.  In 2001 John began teaching private piano lessons in Pinellas County.  He then received an Associates Degree in Fine Arts from Saint Petersburg College in 2002. 

Continuing in the local music scene, he was influenced by local jazz artist in particular trumpeter Jonathan Powell who he played in an instrument jazz project with.  Shortly after he began branching out to other forms of music like reggae, blues & RnB.  He later joined Tampa and Sarasota based reggae and ska group Rocksteady@8 and recorded on their album “Rub Up, Push Up”.  In 2002 he play his first large jazz festival kicking off the 2002 Clearwater Jazz Holiday with then local jazz singer Suzette Jennings.

In 2003 John was accepted into the University of South Florida School of Music where he later earned his Bachelors Degree in Music in 2006 specializing in jazz piano performance.  During his studies at the University of South Florida School of Music he participated in the USF Jazz Big Band 1 where he had the opportunity to perform for and be conducted by composers such as trombonist John Fedchock, trombonist Wycliff Gordon and he was conducted by Gordon Goodwin and Maria Schneider performing big band compositions as part of the USF Monday Night Jazz Master Class series. During these undergraduate years in 2005 he began playing with local jazz fusion group Infinite Groove Orchestra which began as a trio and later became a quartet with addition of Saxophonist Jeremy Powell, brother of Jonathan Powell.   Infinite Groove Orchestra later recorded recorded their first album “People Music” in 2011.

In 2007 John’s private lesson business expanded to Musicology of Clearwater and in 2008 John was hired as an adjunct piano instructor for Saint Paul’s School in Clearwater.  In 2009 he was hired as the primary pianist for the First Light "Ignite" contemporary worship service at the First United Methodist Church of Saint Petersburg and later moved to Hammond B3 organist and 2nd keyboardist.  In 2010-2013 he returned to the University of South Florida where he graduated with a Masters Degree in Music Performance. In 2014 John was hired as an adjunct professor for Saint Petersburg College teaching for the MIRA Program.  Here he gained teaching experience with the subjects of Music & Computers and Introduction to Protools 2011 at the SPC Saint Petersburg Gibbs campus as well as the SPC Tarpon Springs Campus.

Currently John continues to work for Saint Paul's School of Clearwater, Seminole Music and Sound, Musicology, and is a adjunct instructor for Saint Petersburg College.  He continues to play 2nd keyboards and Hammond B3 for the First United Methodist Church of Saint Petersburg "First Light" contemporary worship band, the Helios Jazz Orchestra, the Helios Swingtet, the Infinite Groove Orchestra and Infinite Groove Duo, Justino and the Difference, Rocksteady@8 and performs solo piano for numerous private/public events around the bay area.  John is driven by a duty to share his talent and inspiration with everyone as a teacher and as a performer.