John Keith was born in Parkersburg, WV and raised just up and across the Ohio River in Newport, OH.

John began playing guitar when he was nine. One day he heard the Bill Monroe record Bluegrass Time, and decided he wanted, no, he needed a mandolin.  That is when John began studying the music of Bill Monroe and other monroe-style players.  In July, 1990, John was hired by Melvin Goins and toured for many years.  During this time he met Mike Compton and became even more determined to play those old sounds of Monroe.

After the passing of Ray Goins, John took over the tenor vocals to harmonize with Melvin, recording three CDs and a live video.  During these years, John had the opportunity to hang around with Mr. Monroe…and among his treasured possessions is a personal video of duets they sang together at Bean Blossom.  Another precious memory happened at Long Hollow Jamboree, when Bill sang and insisted that John play the mandolin.

Poignantly, perhaps the last live music that Bill Monroe ever heard was the Goins Brothers Band playing his songs standing outside his window at the rehabilitation facility where he spent his last days, with John’s Monroe-style mandolin punctuating every line.

John tried to retire from music in 1998, but it wasn’t too long before he decided he couldn’t do without it.  Now, he plays with The Open highway Bluegrass Band from Central Ohio.  People know they can always count on hearing some ‘straight old Monroe-style’ mandolin playing from John.