John McFarland - Guitar & Vocals 

Born December 17th in Chicago, John is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer for M&R Rush. His passion for music was ignited by his sister's Beatles albums and like so many musicians for that era, from seeing the first performance of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. He began playing guitar at age nine, taking jazz lessons from a local guitar teacher who lived across the street from his grammar school. In 7th grade John formed his first band which included a keyboard player who couldn’t afford a portable keyboard so he played the accordion at live shows!  To keep developing his skills John became the bass player for another band for a short time.  Influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills & Nash, early Chicago, Alice Cooper, and early Queen albums, John soon gravitated towards bands where melodic guitars and strong harmony vocals were prominent. 

In and out of bands throughout grade school and high school, it was during a performance with the band Port Authority that John was spotted by M&R Rush.  Asked to join the band the next day in 1973, he rounded off the lineup that remained together for a decade. 

McFarland holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications & Theatre from the University of Illinois, which has contributed to his roles on stage and behind the scenes. In the spring of 1978, John learned valuable insight into the music industry during an internship at WLS Music Radio in Chicago during it's heyday. John observed the talents first hand of Larry Lujack, Little Tommy Edwards, Bob Sirott, John Records Landecker, Brant Miller and John Gehron.

Known for his perfectionism, John has produced the majority of the band’s recording sessions. It was after the band’s first session in 1974 at Gary Loizzo’s Pumpkin Recording Studio in Palos Heights, IL that John realized his knack for producing the band.

John’s vantage point on stage during live shows is front and center delivering a blend of strong stage presence and smooth guitar playing. He plays Gibson, Jackson, B.C. Rich, Hanson, Taylor and Yamaha guitars, using Marshall and Fender amplifiers.