John The Conqueror

Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, guitarist Pierre Moore assembled the trio John the Conqueror, whose sound fuses tough blues with hard rock and soulful intensity. He first took up the instrument as a teenager, claiming instruction from a homeless man who lived in the back room of a local auto repair shop. While attending college in Oxford, Mississippi, Moore teamed with his cousin Michael Gardner, who handled both drums and bass, and the pair played in several local outfits, among them the popular combo IZM. They later moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where they joined the punk-influenced indie rock band Slack Republic, formed in 2005, with Moore on guitar and Gardner on bass. The group toured the East Coast, performed select dates on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour, and appeared on the soundtrack to James Spooner’s documentary Afro-Punk before splitting in 2007.

In 2011 Moore and Gardner relocated to Philadelphia and met bassist Ryan Lynn while auditioning musicians for a new project. Although Gardner had planned to play bass, he and Moore were so impressed by Lynn that Gardner switched to drums to make room for him. The trio adopted the name John the Conqueror, drawn from the African-American folk hero—an African prince kidnapped into American slavery yet never stripped of his spirit or pride—as well as a root said to hold magical properties. John the Conqueror launched in spring 2011, quickly began East Coast performances, and recorded a pair of EPs issued as digital downloads. Their growing audience and favorable press drew the notice of Alive Naturalsound Records, which released the band’s self-titled debut album in fall 2012. They toured vigorously in support and returned in 2014 with the second album The Good Life.