John Spiers


John Spiers is an English melodeon, concertina and bandoneon player.

Career

He is best known for his work with the duo Spiers and Boden, the band Bellowhead, and Eliza Carthy's old band The Ratcatchers. He is currently focusing on solo performance.

Personal life

Spiers was born in Birmingham but moved to Abingdon at an early age. His father is a Morris dancer. He attended John Mason School in Abingdon, and then went on to study genetics at King's College, Cambridge. As a child he learned the organ and piano and when he was a university student he began to play the piano accordion and melodeon. After spending some time busking he started a new career selling melodeons.
He and his partner have a son and a daughter.

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