John Byrne was born in Paisley in 1940. An award winning graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Byrne subsequently took a job in a local carpet factory. while there he continued to paint. His visual art career took off soon afterwards, when his work reached a wide audience in the form of record covers for the Beatles, Gerry Rafferty and Billy Connolly.
Byrne is also a successful playwright, having written, designed and directed stage and screen productions, including "Tutti Frutti" and "The Slab Boys", clearly inspired by his experience working in a carpet factory.