John Pearse (September 12, 1939 – October 31, 2008) was a British folk singer, guitarist, and music educator from Hook, Yorkshire. Pearse performed guitar and banjo in a jazz band as a teenager before relocating to London in the 1950s to work as a musician and teacher. In 1967, Pearse presented the BBC2 tuition series Hold Down a Chord. Solo recordings include the albums Teach Yourself Folk Guitar (1963), Guitar Train (1968), and Travelling Man (1975). Pearse moved to the United States in 1978, working for the Martin Guitar Company before co-founding Breezy Ridge Instruments. In 1983, a medical error resulted in temporary paralysis. Following therapy, Pearse presented the series Cooking with Wine (1986) and String Along (1987). Pearse settled in Besigheim, Germany, in 2002 and released the album Live! At Kutztown (2002). Pearse died in Bietigheim-Bissingen on October 31, 2008. The album The Lost 1966 Waldeck Audition was released in 2010.
