John Ellis (guitarist)

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John Ellis is a British guitarist and songwriter born in London in 1952. He was a founding member of punk rock group The Vibrators. Ellis formed The Vibrators in 1974 while still at art school studying illustration. One of Ellis' colleagues was Stuart Goddard who later found fame as Adam Ant. The Vibrators released two albums with Ellis and toured extensively.

After several years in early punk bands such as Bazooka Joe and The Vibrators, Ellis left for a solo career in 1979, releasing a couple of solo singles. In the 1980s, he began recording and touring with Peter Hammill, having worked in the studio and live with Peter Gabriel on the China tour.

Throughout the 1990s, Ellis was a permanent member of the punk rock band The Stranglers, starting with the album Stranglers In the Night. During that period he also created music for European Art exhibitions and several short films. Ellis left the Stranglers in 2000 and continues to create interesting, new music. He is an exponent of the E-bow guitar.

Ellis has contributed to the recordings of Judge Smith, a founding member of Van der Graaf Generator.

In 2005 Ellis formed a community organisation called The Luma Group that delivers arts based training and workshops.