John Michael Glyn Etheridge (born 12 January 1948 in Lambeth, South East London) is a British jazz/fusion guitarist associated with the Canterbury Scene.
He began playing at 13, his primary influences then being Hank Marvin of The Shadows and Django Reinhardt. Although his father was a jazz pianist, he was primarily self-taught. By the time he joined his first notable band, Rush Release (including future Gracious! drummer Robert Lipson), his influences were Peter Green, Jeff Beck and, later, Jimi Hendrix. The band played at London's Speakeasy Club ca. 1966, on occasion jamming with such luminaries as Eric Clapton. Between 1967-70, Etheridge's studies (history of art at Essex University) took him away from the London scene. A crucial discovery for him during this period was John McLaughlin's debut album Extrapolation.
Back in London, Etheridge briefly joined the Deep Purple offshoot Warhorse, followed by a stint with Icarus, shortly after that band had completed its debut album The Marvel World Of Icarus. "Although I was billed on the record, I did not actually play on it. The only thing of note I did with them was a tour of Rumania in 1971, at the height of the Ceaucescu regime. Halfway through the tour, we were expelled form the country as a pernicious influence - I remember that the crowds went absolutely wild when we played which enraged the authorities ! This was my first foreign tour after leaving university".
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