1 “BIRTH”
Samples OF THE MUSIC
2 “SUNRISE”
3 “DAWN OF TIME”
4 “UTOPIA”
5 “AWAKENING”
6 “eVOLUtion”
7 “DESTRUCtion”
“Earth Chronicle” takes the listener through our planet’s entire history, from its birth to the possible extinction of all life.
The end is inevitable unless immediate action is taken to reverse mankind’s disregard for our only home in the universe.
We fly from the outer reaches of the universe past stars and through
nebulae into a solar system where we witness a distant supernova.
A black hole forms and consumes all surrounding matter. The black
hole contracts and matter is recycled into its elements and molecules.
Fierce bursts are seen from the black hole’s quasar.
Clouds of gases form giant nebulae. Matter begins to form. Galaxies
form and stars become suns. A solar system begins to form from
galaxies and order slowly emerges from chaos. A crust forms on the
molten ball that will become Earth. The new planet is bombarded from
all sides. The moon forms and becomes spherical.
A primordial soup of chemicals, gases and elements lays the
foundation for organic life. The ocean subsides as torrential rain falls.
Plants and trees begin to spring from the planet’s bare crust. Rivers
start to run from the new mountains and carve courses on their way to
join the oceans. Forests and plants spread and Earth gradually
becomes green.
Tidal movement begins. Clouds form and a single landmass emerges
from the ocean. Our solar system forms and planetary orbits begin.
Volanoes erupt and form mountains of lava. The oceans evaporate as
Earth warms and the Sun rises above the horizon for the first time.
Islands emerge and the landmass begins to divide as tectonic plates
move and form mountain ranges where they collide.
Meteorites bring elements of life to Earth’s crust and seas. Algae
grows at water’s edges and organisms form and develop in the
oceans. Primitive life eventually crawls onto land. Flowers and trees
develop fruits and flowers. Insects develop. Primitive creatures give
way to dinosaurs. Mammals develop. A vast meteor collides with
Earth and debris hides the Sun. The Great Ice Age begins.
Man ‘the hunter’ emerges and spreads across the Earth. The Stone,
Iron and Bronze ages lead to early forms of civilisation. Empires grow
in Sumeria, Egypt and Rome. Holy wars, conquests and plagues
ravage the planet. Great works of art and music are created. Slaves
are transported from Africa to the ‘New World’ and beyond. The
Industrial Revolution begins with early inventions.
With progress comes affluence, new empires, despots, wars, destruction,
pollution, computers, terrorists, nuclear weapons, deforestation, floods,
global warming, famine, plague and eventual disaster.
“She’s A Gypsy” co-written with Terry Dempsey, recorded by Sir
Cliff Richard on his ‘Green Light’ album and performed live.
Tracks from John’s
1972 Polydor album.
“Warm My Bed”
“Woodbine Annie” - inspired by a true story
“Lester May’s Country Band”
“No Strings” on Private Stock Records.
“Peace Will Be Mine” Polydor single.
SINGLES
“Daybreak”
“The Way You Are”
“Baltimore”
“If I Could Fly” single.
“Queen Of The Silver Star” - co-written with Terry Dempsey.
John D. Bryant started his musical career at school. He was in Tooting band The Shifters, who gigged extensively and
appeared on ITV’s ‘Ready, Steady, Win’. John went solo and recorded the first of three singles for Fontana Records in 1965,
Tell Me What You See. He appeared on ‘5 O’clock Club’ and supported the Small Faces at Streatham Ice Rink.
The Shadows recorded John’s Dear Old Mrs Bell as their first vocal single in 1968. John went on to record singles for
Decca and MCA before signing a 5-year deal with Polydor records in 1970, recording five singles, an EP and an album
between ’70 and ’73, then going on to release singles on Pye, Tony Visconti’s Good Earth label and Private Stock Records.
John played the Rainbow, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Marquee, the Cambridge Folk Festival, and had a residency at Smalls
after-theatre restaurant in Brompton Road, alternating with the Dudley Moore Trio.
On radio, he performed live on Folk Meets Country, Both Sides Now, Country Club and Speakeasy for the BBC and recorded
sessions for Capital Radio.
In 1974, his song, Painter of the Sky, reached the final of the first American Song Festival in Saratoga Springs where it was
performed by José Feliciano. That gave him the opportunity to travel to Nashville and work with Marijohn Wilkin (One Day at a
Time) and Clarence Selman (Jim Reeves’ manager). They introduced him to some of the real country greats, including Johnny
Cash and Waylon Jennings, and he played and sang on sessions with legendary producer, ‘Cowboy’ Jack Clement.
In the 1970s John teamed up with an artist friend, Peter Edwards and wrote the story and songs for The Lion’s Tale, a
musical about a lion cub. It was proposed as a concept album in aid of the WWF with a star-studded cast and Phonogram
contracted as producers. Tim Rice and John worked together to build the list of performers, but the project was left up in
the air when the MD of Phonogram left suddenly.
John turned to producing, but while recording tracks for Polydor with the hugely talented writer/pianist/singer, Brian Chatton,
the sessions were arbitrarily cancelled in favour of a little-known punk band, The Jam. John left Polydor and signed to
Private Stock. He gave up recording when the label closed.
In 1985, he set up a design partnership in New Bond Street, with a client roster which included Marks & Spencer, Tesco and
Avon Cosmetics. One strange commission was to buy and restore an ex-pirate radio ship, formerly Laser 558, and move it
to the Costa Del Sol to compete with Radio Gibraltar. One night the ship was raided by a group of thugs intent on stealing
it. John and his partner responded by hiring a group of ex-SAS guys, who stormed the ship brandishing serious weaponry.
The ship was eventually impounded by the DTI when the anchor chain broke and it strayed into British waters.
After the partnership was dissolved in 1988, John went on to launch and edit Satellite Times magazine when the first Astra
satellite went up. The magazine was so successful that Robert Maxwell, Asil Nadir, Richard Desmond and Conde Nast all
made offers to buy it, but any deal was scuppered by the non-executive Chairman. John resigned and went freelance again
as a designer/illustrator until 1992, when he was asked to join the staff of the Brit Performing Arts School in Croydon,
where he taught A-level music technology and grade 8 classical guitar.
At the same time, John worked with producer David Mackay on the Up With People stage show concepts, writing three
songs for their World In Motion show, while continuing to develop The Lion’s Tale, now renamed Delta Ball, which
opened the Stoppard Theatre in Yorkshire as a musical play in 2000.
Tom Stoppard described the new £1.5 million Tom Stoppard Centre as a "brilliant theatre" and after opening it, he watched pupils
perform part of a new musical play called The Delta Ball by the school's head of art, Peter Edwards, and composer, John Bryant.
York Press interview 2001
In 2004, John was commissioned to write a score and songs for a feature film about the death of Diana, Princess of
Wales and, in 2006, he set up Bryant Whittle Ltd with Amanda Whittle to develop and produce concepts for film and TV.
John went on to conduct a forensic investigation into the death of Princess Diana, and his book, The Diana Jigsaw, was
published at the end of August 2019. John is now planning to make a film of the same name, based on his investigation.
Meanwhile, John completed a seven-movement orchestral suite, Earth Chronicle, and realised that he should put together
a new album of his unreleased recordings. The result is The Poor Man’s Troubadour, which is now available to download
on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon, Google Play, Tidal, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Deezer and many more.
John has since released ‘We Are Refugees’ for the Ukraine Appeal, a new version of ‘Peace Will Be Mine’ and ‘If I could Fly’,
as well as completing his ‘Earth Chronicle Suite’ for orchestra, choir and soloists. He has also written two books.
For all enquiries, please email us at:
For music publishing enquiries regarding songs, please contact:
Arthur’s Mother Music / Valentine Music Ltd
26 Litchfield St, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9TZ T: +44 (0)20 3540 8941
