SWNS
12-year-old musician makes £200 an hour busking thanks to ‘cute’ song covers
A 12-year-old musician who surprised film guitarist Johnny Marr is pulling in up to £200 an hour busking thanks to his ‘nice’ covers of songs by The Smiths. John Denton’s performances on the streets of Manchester stopped shoppers in their tracks, and videos of his finger-picking skills went viral on social media. And guitarist and singer star Marr recently recognized the boy’s talents after he was chosen for a £1,000 grant created in his name. But his dad Phil, 42, has now revealed that the ability of the crowd has already helped him earn hundreds of pounds in cash per hour playing with shoppers. The former principal also said that despite this significant financial passage, the youngster, who played at festivals with thousands of fans, was not interested in money. He said: “People are really generous, and they’ll drop in the odd coin, sometimes a pound or two – and then the other person will throw in a £20 note. “He got £200 on Christmas alone. That was after about an hour. But he is not interested in the money at all. “When we find houses, he doesn’t count them. He doesn’t even ask how much it was, he walks away. “We put it into a savings account for him, and he bought his electric guitar with it. With the other pieces he is saving, he wants to record new songs.” Schoolboy John recently said of his encounter with The Smith legend: “Johnny Marr is my absolute hero on guitar. “It was great to meet him and then get messages from him online. I want to make Johnny Marr proud and make the most of this opportunity.” Phil said John, who received the Salford Foundation Trust’s Johnny Marr Award this year, got his first gig when he was just nine years old. in his hometown of Manchester. He said: “When he picked up the guitar, he never put it down, to the point where we were all going to bed and I would hear him strumming about it. John, put your guitar down!” “He wanted to do gigs straight away, he wanted to do them for the family. He started writing to people and sent hundreds of letters. “He got a lot of knockbacks . Eventually, he asked somewhere near us, “Can I play my guitar”, and they said “Yes”. And he gathered between 70 and 80 people to watch him. “It was about nine at that point. “He has since played in Middleton Arena with a crowd of 200 people, and Kendal Calling festival, where he played in front of 1000.” John was also nominated for the young songwriter of the year award, which earned him a trip down to Notting Hill to play at the live final.And after winning the latest award, Johnny Marr offered the lad a hearty congratulations. “It is a great pleasure and a privilege to give some help to a young musician especially when they are as driven as John. Well done, brother.” Peter Collins CBE, from The Salford Foundation Trust, said: “There couldn’t be a more deserving person to receive the Johnny Marr Award. “Although John is only 12 he has already proven that he is committed to making a future in music and we are very happy that the Trust can give him a helping hand on this journey.”