About the author
JOHN DILLON is an accomplished singer-songwriter, guitaris-maker, author, and producer. He began his journey of recovery in 1992 at Marworth Treatment Center in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
He is recognized for his work as producer and co-host (along with his wife Vivian Nesbitt) of Art of the Song – a one-hour program about songwriting and creativity heard across America on over 100 public radio stations. His book The 20-20 Creativity Solution gives readers a step-by-step process to enhance their creativity. As a luthier, John has built over 80 custom acoustic guitars for the likes of Hank Williams, Jr., Trisha Yearwood, the Mavericks, Tish Hinojosa and Steve Earle.
In 2022, he released his fourth studio album HOPE ROAD - from Addiction to Recovery. The 12 songs trace his journey from 1960s traveling hippie to full-blown substance use disorder, and finally to sobriety and spiritual growth through inner work, gratitude, and service.
After releasing the album, John was invited to join the Creative Recovery Group, an online group that uses creative writing to enhance the recovery process. They meet weekly on Zoom where they've been collaborating on a series of songs that make up this album.
John has developed this collaborative songwriting process into a workshop for people in treatment and recovery centers. Through a series of writing exercises, they choose a topic and begin writing lyrics. John takes their writings home and distills them into a song, which is later recorded and sent back to the participants. He makes monthly visits to R. E. Blaisdell Treatment Center in Rockland County, NY, where each month he performs a recovery concert and facilitates a writing workshop with the patients there.
John lives on an upstate New York farm with his wife Vivian, his mother-in-law, two dogs and two horses.