John Canning Yates

John Canning Yates is the Liverpool-born ex-frontman of the 2000s Americana-inspired act Ella Guru. He began to release thoughtful, hushed, ornately arranged chamber pop after a two-decade hiatus. Following Ella Guru’s critically acclaimed, 2004-issued The First Album, the band fizzled out, but Yates continued to write music. Years later, spurred on by interest from Violette -- the label which rebooted Michael Head’s career in the 2010s -- he created a set of nocturnal, largely home-recorded songs with the help of former bandmate Andy Frizell. Pedal steel contributions from both BJ Cole and Scott Poley helped complete the record, which was released as The Quiet Portraits in 2024.