John was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. During his youth he studied at Charterhouse School in Surrey, England, studying singing and orchestral writing. He began his career singing and playing in bands, while studying traditional orchestral music. After Charterhouse, Graham pursued his musical studies at Williams College, Stanford University, and UCLA, focusing more and more on film music over time. John's first film score was written for Full Contact, directed by Rick Jacobson, with whom he has also worked with at other times, including on the cult favourite "Bitch Slap." He has also worked with James Brolin on My Brother's War, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, and other projects. John wrote a substantial body of work recorded with large orchestras and choirs with Immediate Music, now part of BMG, and his music has been featured in the trailers for Avatar, Edge of Darkness, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian" (Fox), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)" The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and others. On March 8, 2019, it was announced that John would be the composer for the 59th taiga drama Kirin ga Kuru.[1] He is the first American composer to score a taiga drama since they began in 1963.