Ed Alleyne-Johnson

Ed Alleyne-Johnson (born 1959) is a British electric violinist and prolific busker. He has been busking since he was a Fine Art student at Oxford University in the early 1980s. He uses an electric violin he carved with a kitchen knife, a custom pedalboard and portable amplifier. This setup has enabled him to perform on the street in almost every major city in Europe, and across the United States and Canada.
He was a member of the English post-punk/alternative rock band New Model Army, recording and touring with them for five years, with several concerts in Germany among over 200 concerts worldwide. They supported acts such as Simple Minds, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Cure, Midnight Oil and Faith No More.
Alleyne-Johnson was born in Liverpool in 1959 where his father, Brian, was a teacher. The pupils he taught included future Beatles members George Harrison and Paul McCartney. At the ag…