| Intro | English writer and composer |
| Is |
Journalist Musician Record producer Composer Jazz musician Editor Music journalist |
| From | United Kingdom |
| Type |
Business Journalism Music |
| Gender | male |
John L. Walters (born 16 April 1953) is a British editor, musician, critic and composer.
Early years
John L. Walters was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. He attended King’s College London and holds a degree in Maths with Physics.
Career
In 1974 John L. Walters was a founding member of the band Landscape with Richard James Burgess (vocals, drums), Christopher Heaton (keyboards), Andy Pask (bass) and Peter Thoms (trombone, keyboards). The band is best known for the 1981 hit “Einstein A Go-Go”, which reached number 5 in the UK charts. After the band split in 1984, Walters went into record production. He subsequently produced and arranged records for Swans Way, Kissing the Pink, Twelfth Night, The Mike Gibbs Orchestra and pianist Mark Springer, and worked with other artists from the era including Kate Bush, Hot Gossip and Landscape colleague Richard James Burgess. From 1987 to 1997 Walters was a member of the “electronic jazz orchestra” Zyklus, with Neil Ardley, Warren Greveson and Ian Carr.
In 1992, with Laurence Aston, he co-founded the audio journal Unknown Public. Aston and Walters also founded the SoundCircus label with producer James Mallinson and pianist Joanna MacGregor.
In 1997, after working for a number of newspapers and magazines, including the Architectural Review, he joined Eye magazine as managing editor. Walters has been the editor of Eye magazine since the publication of Eye no. 33 in 1999. He became its co-owner (with art director Simon Esterson) after a management buy-out in 2008. Walters also writes about creative music (including jazz, electronica and world music) for The Guardian.
Walters has been a guest lecturer at colleges and conferences internationally, and he served as an external examiner at Central Saint Martins from 2003-06. Walters has also served as chair for several international juries, including one for the inaugural European Design Awards and also the 24th International Biennial of Graphic Design. He has received six nominations for the UK’s BSME (British Society of Magazine Editors) Awards, and won in 2002. In January 2010, Walters was the co-curator of a one-day conference about music and design at St Bride Library, London.
Personal life
Walters is married to writer and journalist Clare Walters and has two daughters, circus artist and costume designer Jessie Rose, a member of the hula hoop trio Hoop La La (semi-finalists, Britain’s Got Talent 2008) and Rosie Walters.
Additional reading
- Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant-Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century, Steven Heller, Phaidon, 2003.
- The Barnbrook Bible, Rizzolli, 2007.
- Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design, Michael Bierut, Princeton Architectural Press, 2007.
- Communicate: Independent British Graphic Design since the Sixties, Rick Poynor (editor), Laurence King Publishing, 2004.
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, 7th Edition – 1988
- New Sounds New Styles, 1981. Layout by John Warwicker.
- John L. Walters discography.
- Landscape discography.
- Jazz: the Rough Guide (2nd edition). The Rough Guides, 2000. ISBN 1-85828-528-3
- 2004: The Rough Guide to Jazz, with Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley (3rd edition), Rough Guides Limited. ISBN 1-84353-256-5
- Alyn Shipton, Out Of The Long Dark: The Life Of Ian Carr, Equinox Publishing, 2006. ISBN (Paperback) 1845532228 ISBN (Paperback) 9781845532222
- The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette, Richard Cook and Brian Morton, Penguin Books.
- BSME (British Society of Magazine Editors) award-winners, 2002.
- BSME (British Society of Magazine Editors) Awards shortlist 2010.