John Squire

Jonathan Thomas Squire (born 24 November 1962) is an English musician, songwriter and painter. He was the guitarist for The Stone Roses, a rock band in which he formed a songwriting partnership with singer Ian Brown. Squire has been described as one of the most accomplished and influential British rock guitarists of the late 1980s and early 1990s, known for his chiming melodies, spiralling riffs and live solos. After leaving The Stone Roses he went on to form The Seahorses and released two solo albums. In 2007, Squire gave up music to fully commit to painting. However, he later returned to music when the Stone Roses reformed in 2011. When the Stone Roses disbanded for a second time in 2017, Squire again retired from the music industry and returned to painting. However, he continued to play guitar occasionally, including making guest appearances for two shows with Oasis and former Beady Eye frontman Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in 2022. In late 2023, he worked with Gallagher on a collaborative studio album, which was released in 2024. Squire was voted 13th-greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national poll by BBC 6 Music in 2010.