Born in 1951 and raised in Clarksville, Indiana, John Goodin played guitar in rock bands in high school and discovered the mandolin in the early 1970s. He began writing pieces for mandolin orchestra after the formation of the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra in 1988 and has composed over 25 pieces to date. Several have been published by Trekel Musikverlag in Germany. Goodin has also written hundreds of short tunes and pieces, many are recorded on his own CDs and those of his band Contratopia. Mel Bay Inc. has published four of his books of baroque and early music arranged for mandolin and, in addition, Goodin has self-published several book of his own tunes. Much of this work would not have occurred without the support of the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra.