John Crawford (musician)

rdf:langString John Crawford (musician)

rdf:langString John Crawford

rdf:langString John Crawford

rdf:langString John Buckner Crawford

rdf:langString solo_singer

rdf:langString John Buckner Crawford

rdf:langString Vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer

rdf:langString Musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist

rdf:langString John Buckner Crawford (born January 17, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter known for co-founding the pop group Berlin, which scored several hit songs in the 1980s. Crawford's career as a musician began in junior high after breaking his leg during a basketball game. In an attempt to fight off the boredom of being injured, he picked up a guitar and began taking lessons at a musical instrument retailer in nearby Fullerton, California, where his teacher put him in touch with future Berlin band members Dan Van Patten, Chris Velasco, and Tyson Cobb. John attended El Dorado High School in Placentia, California. The three soon formed a band named The Toys, with vocalist Ty Cobb at the helm. Crawford, Cobb, and the others were influenced by then-current punk rockers like the Sex Pistols and Synthpop band Ultravox, though Crawford has cited KISS as an early influence as well. After a name change to Berlin, the band stayed together for about three years. After Cobb left the group, a string of vocalists attempted to fill his spot. In 1980, Berlin released the EP Information on Zone H. Records with Virginia Macolino fronting the group. The band signed to I.R.S. Records briefly in 1980, releasing the single "A Matter of Time", before suddenly disbanding in 1981.