Phillip Houghton, Australia's leading contemporary classical guitar composer, writes to John Mills: "You are one of the finest composers that I know...because you communicate your ideas so directly and honestly...it is straight from the heart and soul, and it is so melodically beautiful, it's like a song of love."

Perhaps this is not surprising, since John Mills' earliest memory is of music and singing. As he explains, "My father was a professional singer, and he would sing both my sister and I to sleep each night. Some would tell stories like: A fox went out on a chilly night, and prayed for the moon to give him light, For he'd many a mile to go that night, before he reached the town-o, town-o.""Others were soothing lullabies, usually Irish or Irish/American."

One of these timeless lullabies is given an especially sweet and soothing treatment on Hallowed Moon; "Away in a Manger" begins with a sound similar to a child's little toy piano (though it is performed on guitar) before developing into a beautifully rendered and spacious arrangement that touches even the most jaded soul with innocence.

Of his playing style, he says "I use the guitar in a highly unintended way. My compositional style is much more suited to keyboard, and I like to have lots of space, lots of openness in much that I write.

The guitar is not a hugely sustaining instrument and it is often hard work to make it big and full. I will often cross string melodic lines so as to allow a mingling of voices, but this can often mean the need for at least an extra hand. It's like trying to turn the guitar into a harp."

This rare talent for innovation stems from the fact that John is self-taught, having been given an electric guitar at age ten. He notes "I taught myself to play the entire Beatles repertoire, starting with 'Twist & Shout.' I liked fantasizing that I was one of them; but I guess I shared this in common with about 50 million other ten year olds!" In addition to guitars, Mills can perform on chime harp, recorder, kalimba and various percussion instruments. John's approach to composition was influenced by his father's and older sister's "extensive and varied record collections that I enjoyed: Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Stravinsky, Dave Clark Five, Gene Pitney, Burl Ives. But the first record I purchased was Jimi Hendrix's 'Are You Experienced?'

"That set back interpersonal relationships in our family home a decade at least! Frankly, I still enjoy listening to Hendrix, and now it's my children that give me a hard time about it! I'm also continually inspired by Keith Jarrett, James Taylor and Van Morrison."

John Mills notes that he finds the process of writing music "quite mysterious. I often write very late at night and into the early hours of the morning. More often than not, I feel that what I compose enters my being at particular times; lines and themes rattle around inside sometimes for months on end, then something complete begins to emerge. The recording session for Hallowed Moon began in March, 1998, although much of the album had been written over the previous two years. To be honest, I didn't set out to write anything specific or to a singular theme for this record; but rather allow an inner mood or feeling to move me.

"For example, 'Into the Dark Night' was composed not long after my father died, and I think it has something of the sense of loss that I was feeling at the time. But that piece also has a gentler partner - 'Lullaby' - which follows and, to me, resolves it."