John Steever was born in 1962 and raised on a farm near Lennox, South Dakota. He developed an appreciation for music by listening to his family's record collection and Sioux Falls radio stations. He started buying 45s and LPs in grade school and was finally allowed to attend rock concerts around 1978.

That made a big impression on John. He was impressed by the spectacle of live performance and how artists interacted with their audiences. After graduating from high school, John moved to Sioux Falls and tried to see as many live bands as possible.

He worked as a booking agent for Champagne Attractions for about a year, then started his own company, Downtown Promotions. One of the first bands he promoted was The Flamin' Oh's in a bar in Brookings. From there he went on to promote many regional and national touring bands such as Ipso Facto, Squeeze, fIREHOSE, The Replacements, Weird Al Yankovic, The Suburbs, Violent Femmes, The Forbidden Pigs, and Goo Goo Dolls in various South Dakota clubs, ballrooms, and theaters.

Aside from promoting, John represented some local bands and got involved in production and event coordination for several promoters, universities, festivals, and corporations. He spent eight weeks during the summer of 1992 running lights for Kool & the Gang and The Wailers (Bob Marley's band) on the island of Curacao during the Tumba Festival.

John has worn many hats in the music business. He has been a stagehand, a driver, booking agent, band manager, merchandise seller, light director, carpenter, promoter, caterer, stage manager, and production manager.

John and his wife, Sara, live near Lennox and operate the Steever House Bed and Breakfast. They have been married 27 years and have two children, John, 22, and Elizabeth, 19.

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