Music
John 5
born 1970 · guitarist, songwriter
Grosse Pointe-raised guitarist of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and Mötley Crüe, who learned blues and rock 'n' roll from a Detroit guitar teacher.
- Born
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
age 56- Birth name
- John William Lowery
- Detroit years
- 1970–1987
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
John Lowery grew up in Grosse Pointe, the lakeside suburbs east of Detroit, and later recalled being the lone “rock kid” in an upper-class town. He took lessons from Detroit guitarist Robert Gillespie, who grounded him in classic blues and rock 'n' roll, and at 17 he left Michigan for Los Angeles to work as a session guitarist. After playing in David Lee Roth's solo band he joined Marilyn Manson in 1998, when Manson gave him the stage name John 5. He went on to a long run as Rob Zombie's guitarist and in 2022 became the touring, then full-time, guitarist of Mötley Crüe. Alongside the big-stage work he has released more than ten mostly instrumental solo albums and written songs for artists from Rob Halford to k.d. lang. His 2005 project name, Loser, was a nod to his outsider years in Grosse Pointe.
Highlights
- Studied with Detroit guitarist Robert Gillespie
- Moved from Michigan to Los Angeles at 17
- Guitarist for Marilyn Manson (1998–2004) and Rob Zombie
- Member of Mötley Crüe since 2022
- Eleven solo albums, from Vertigo (2004) to Ghost (2025)