A 12-year-old musician who wowed guitar legend Johnny Marr pulls in as much as £200 in an hour busking thanks to his ‘charming’ covers of songs by The Smiths.<br /><br />John Denton's performances in the streets of Manchester stopped shoppers in their tracks, while videos of his finger-picking skills went viral on social media.<br /><br />And the lad's talents were recently recognised by guitarist and songwriter star Marr after he was selected for a £1,000 grant created in his name.<br /><br />But his dad Phil, 42, has now revealed the prodigy's abilities have already helped him rake in hundreds of pounds in cash per hour while playing to shoppers.<br /><br />The former head teacher added that despite this impressive financial pay-off, the youngster, who's played at festivals to thousands of fans, wasn’t interested in money.<br /><br />Schoolboy John said about meeting The Smith’s legend recently: “Johnny Marr is my absolute hero on guitar. <br /><br />Phil said John, who was this year’s recipient of the Salford Foundation Trust’s Johnny Marr Award, had got his first gig when he was just nine years old.<br /><br />And since then, he's played to thousands of people on major festival stages, along with busking regularly in his hometown of Manchester.<br /><br />He said: “When he picked the guitar up, he never put it down, to the point where we were all going to bed and I would hear him rustling about. <br /><br />“We would shout to him saying, “John, put your guitar down!” <br /><br />"He wanted to do gigs straight away, wanted to do them for the family. He started to write to people and sent hundreds of letters.<br /><br />“He got loads of knockbacks. Eventually, he asked someplace near us, “Can I play my guitar”, and they said “Yep”. And he got together 70 to 80 people to watch him. <br /><br />"He was about nine at that point.<br /><br />“He’s since played Middleton Arena to a crowd of 200 people, and Kendal Calling festival, where he played in front of 1000.”<br /><br />John was also nominated for the young songwriter of the year award, which earned him a trip down to Notting Hill to play at the live final.<br /><br />And following his most recent award success, Johnny Marr sent the lad his heartfelt congratulations.<br /><br />He told him: “It’s a pleasure and privilege to give some assistance to a young musician especially when they’re as dedicated as John. Well done, brother."<br /> <br />Peter Collins CBE, from The Salford Foundation Trust, added: “There couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of the Johnny Marr Award. <br /><br />“Even though John is only 12 he’s already proven he’s committed to making a future in music and we’re delighted the Trust can give him a helping hand on this journey.”
