Piano lessons – age 6-14.

Men’s glee club – age 16 -18.

Formed Pep Band carrying piano in pick-up truck – age 17.

Flunked out of freshman year of college – age 19.

Singing waiter – Farmhouse Inn & Hotel – Blowing       Rock, NC for two summers. With guitar, began to       learn the music of the late great Josh White.

Went to another college and flunked out.

Joined rock band on Farfisa organ (Double Shot of My    Baby’s Love).

Learned how to fly airplanes – age 21.

1966 – age 22. Hired by Eastern Air Lines and         flew Constellations, DC8’s, DC9’s, 727’s until 1989.

Borrowed by Uncle Sam for two years as MP in Army and a year in Pleiku, Viet Nam – age 23-25.

Sang with the Greater Miami Civic Chorale and Bach    Society 1986-1989.

1989 – Airline went broke – moved back to Chapel      Hill from Miami.

1992 – MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.

 Flew for UNC Medical Air Operations – part-time for    seven years.

 Recorded CD – Vintage Café Society Blues – 1998.​

 Flew air tankers fighting forest fires – 2001.

 Sivananda Yoga teacher certification – 2002

 Flew air attack firefighting missions (a la movie           Always) in the Western US from 2002-2012.

Certified teacher for Paul Ferrini’s                       Healing Your Life program of personal awakening   and transformation.

​Set up new outreach WonderOfItAll.org as teacher,      entertainer, and celebrant, using original and             traditional musical performances as the binding           ingredient on the recipe of life – 2016 - ?

​Festivals, concerts, wakes, memorials and workshops around the USA.

27th year appearing as the Ghost of Christmas           Present in Ira David Wood III’s musical comedy           adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in Raleigh’s   Memorial Auditorium and Durham’s DPAC. We’ll see   25,000 folks each season. Get your tickets early         since we always sell out!

27th year clean and sober.

September 2017 - Released new CD entitled             UNSWEET TEA,  – Big John Shearer’s new collection   from over 50 years of making Café Society Blues &     Americana music – .

​July 2020 - Released new collection of BJS's work on   USB Flashdrive including UNSWEET TEA in WAV and   MP3 formats, 1 video featuring an interview about       Ole Blue and UNSWEET TEA, the album.

Also, included is an hour long episode of                 Big John's Borealis Blues Radio Show focused on Black Gospel on WELY, AM/FM, Ely , Minnesota - Summer of 2002.

Finally, galleries of BJS photos and writings of humor and an essay.

2023 - Launch the Love & Seduction Tour, featuring BJS solo.