John Saunders was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec where he got an early start demonstrating an extraordinary talent for both banjo and guitar. He played with bluegrass bands in the 70's and early 80's, which brought him recognition as a major talent. Moving to the United States in 1982 he continued performing and touring with many musicians, and exploring many different musical genres, delving deeply into jazz, classical and Baroque, and Celtic. During this time, mandolin was added to the list of instruments that he excelled in playing. In 1993 he met his wife, Barbiel Matthews, who introduced him to the 10 string Irish Bouzouki, and brought into the mix her love of Medieval and Renaissance music, which he readily matched. In John's hands the Irish Bouzouki became a tremendously powerful and expressive instrument, and later formed the mainstay of their sound. The name 'Silent Lion' was bestowed on John by a fellow musician partly due to his virtousity on this instrument. John has gained true respect from his peers. Other musicians have labelled him a 'real hoss'.