Born in Brooklyn, NY and spending a large portion of his life in Northern New Jersey, Jon has been a professional musician from the age of 16 when he left home to join Sweetgrass, a short lived West coast based bluegrass band as a mandolinist.  The band produced a self-titled LP that is long out of print.

   After returning East, Jon relocated to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts and continued playing with a number of bands and as an accompanist for various solo artists.  

   When Jon returned to New York City in the early '80's, he took a six-year detour from performing music and concentrated on work in the television business. He ran the graphics department at Court TV for its first 15 months on the air and as a cameraman/lighting designer, he has shot everything from the Ricky Lake Show to interviews with Prime Ministers and even Larry Storch!

The lure of performing live music was too much for Jon to resist and he took up with a reconstituted Beat Rodeo at their Monday night gig at the Ludlow Street Café. The café was the only business open at night in a neighborhood that, years later would become the hottest late night section of New York City. The band created a "scene" that became the weekly “in” spot and is fondly remembered by many today. The band performed at the café every Monday for close to eight years, backed up guests luminaries like Alex Chilton and Lucinda Williams while hanging out with other notable drop-ins like the late-great Doug Sahm, “Monkee” Mickey Dolenz and even insider trader, Ivan Bosky!

After a two-year break, Jon and the Beat Rodeo held court again on Monday nights a few blocks "uptown" to Manitoba's on Avenue B.  A few memorable nights there included backing up Neil Innis (The Rutles and Monty Python) and a long remembered evening accompanying P.F. Sloan, solo artist and composer of Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire), You Baby (The Turtles), Where Were You When I Needed You (The Grass Roots), She's A Must To Avoid (Herman's Hermits) and many others.

The Beat Rodeo rides again every first and third Monday of the month at the Lakeside Lounge on Avenue B. (see schedule page)

   Jon continues to gig and record for many artists in and around the New York City area.  He's appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", The Grand Ole Opry from Nashville. TN, Mountain Stage, and the Newport Folk Festival.  Jon has recorded with Ronnie Spector, Arlo Guthrie, Ben E. King, Jon Spencer, Kelly Willis, Amy Allison, Amy Rigby, the Schramms and Laura Cantrell who's CD “Not The Tremblin’ Kind” received a four star review in Rolling Stone Magazine. In that review, senior editor David Fricke singled out Jon’s work.

    Jon's performing credits include: Freedy Johnston, John Wesley Harding, Rodney Crowell, Paul Burch, Herman's Hermits, Garland Jeffreys, Laura Veirs and many others.