At 12, Francis started writing, recording, and performing. At 18, he
enrolled as a Literature and World Religions major at Messiah College
near Harrisburg, PA. There he immersed himself in the classics of
poetry and prose, honing his craft as a songwriter. During these
years, John played guitar on Sunday mornings in an African-American church in Harrisburg.
In vast periods of absence from academia, Francis traveled to Ireland where the musical traditions of his family homeland threw more fue...