Born and raised a few miles east of London in Essex, England, John Dutton’s earliest musical experiences were playing along to records as a four year old on the household piano. Early on he realised that composing was going to be the driving force in his life, and he progressed through a classical training, studying as a junior at the Royal Academy of Music, and later as a full time composition and piano student at Trinity College of Music, London.

As a lover of musical improvisation, interest in jazz and rock music came naturally. They had a strong bearing in developing a distinctive approach to harmony, mixing up romantic, atonal and contemporary styles. Spending considerable time in the college studio, he became engrossed in the process of writing, arranging and recording his own music, and realised he was on the path he wanted to follow.

Upon leaving college, it was initially in the rock and jazz fields that John started to make his mark. He was signed to Acid Jazz records as The Apostles and several original albums were released on the label, including The Apostles, Mo Jazz and the Totally Wired series. Mixing up rare groove samples, jazz keyboards and rap vocals, the Apostles were regarded as one of the most significant artists in the early history of Acid Jazz. He also produced and performed with UK rock artists Creed, touring alongside electro pioneer Gary Numan.

In demand as a composer, producer and session keyboard player, a varied and productive period followed, working with several diverse acts including Kim Wilde, Imagination, Junior Walker, Bad Manners, the James Taylor Quartet and the Brand New Heavies. Although enjoying this musical diversity, John continued to write image driven compositions, and began to focus on producing and composing soundtrack scores. He subsequently wrote works that would lead to commissions for television and film work, beginning with the BBC Trench series. The approach to this score was potentially tricky, the programme focusing on a gritty, personal and often disturbing reconstruct of dramatic First World War events. John’s sensitive and poignant approach to the score meshed with the programme perfectly and produced one of the year’s most memorable theme tunes.

The Trench paved the way for several subsequent commissions, including Richard the Lionheart and Spartacus for the BBC Heroes and Villains drama series, Operation Crossbow, Kidnapped  and the WGBH Nova series for US television. The score for Spartacus led to a submission by the BBC for that year’s Ivor Novello awards.

For samples of these scores and others, please go to the soundbites page.