John grew up in a musically talented family in Blackpool. His father, Robert, who lost a leg during the war, was a music teacher at St Joseph’s College in Blackpool by day and played trombone in big bands by night. Robert being very talented himself, played regularly in the Empress and Tower ballrooms in the Blackpool Tower. He also guested  with head lining acts of the day with the big band sounds of Joe Loss, Geraldo and Ted Heath. So the pedigree of entertaining and fine musician ship was installed in all the Rossall children.

John had a brother Ronnie and a sister Sheila who were both talented individuals and encouraged to take up musical instruments from a very early age. John’s first public gig was in the Fleetwood British Legion on remembrance day March in 1954 at the age of almost 6 with his brother Ronnie, who played the cornet.

The Blackpool Youth Orchestra had the privilege of his services along with the Norman memorial Youth Band  where he experienced his first foreign travel with them in various Youth band contests in Germany and Holland.

John, who was a follower of the Big Band sound following on from his father,  deputized for one night in the Charles Barlow Orchestra at the age of 16 and played his first professional gig in the same Tower Ballroom that his father had played in before him.

As with everyone, John had his share of heroes, and his was a fine trumpet player Eddie Calvert whom he wanted to imitate. John’s other interests were in Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey showing much of his fathers influence and interest.

His mum, Anne, being of Irish descent allowed John to travel to the west coast of Ireland where spent a few years from about 1959. During his time there John got to play a different style of music and became part of the Jack Ruane Showband who originated from Ballina in County Mao. This provided John with the ability to play in a different style to what he was use to. More upbeat or modern in a way. It was with this band John came back to England and spent some time in London where he first met a certain Mr Leander. John and Mike basically met up around in 1963, when John was hitting hard times as an out of work musician looking for the next penny.