John Russ was born in Washington, DC, and grew up near Andrews Air Force Base. His family moved to Springfield in 1974, and he attended Kickapoo High School and SMSU before moving to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music in 1985. He lived in Boston until returning to Springfield in 2001, and has been working at American National Insurance since 2002, currently as a Quality Assurance auditor.
He found Unity in 2014, after discussing his spiritual ideas with a friend. He finds the five principles empowering. He is involved with the band, and has helped out with many other activities. Unity has helped him grow as a spiritual being, and he is interested in expanding his involvement by working with others to come up with creative solutions to business problems.