John Thomas Peek was born in 1928. His father, a trumpet player and bandleader, began giving him trumpet lessons at the age of 12. By 14, John was playing dance music, which he continued through high school. Between his junior and senior years in high school, he played with the "Carolina Cotton Pickers Orchestra." He graduated from Washington High School and earned a B.A. degree with distinction from Clark College under the direction of Waymon Carver, with additional studies in Music History from Dr. J. DeKoven Killingworth. John also studied trumpet with Max Friedentard from 1947 to 1949.

In 1954, John was appointed Director of the Atlanta Youth Mason Band, a position he held for three years. From 1957 to 1961, he served as Musical Director for organist Cleveland Lyons. In 1988, John and his wife, Carrie Whaley Peek, founded the non-profit Music South Corporation (MSC), which served as the umbrella organization for the African American Philharmonic Orchestra, established in 1989. At the time, the orchestra was one of only four African American orchestras in the country. The orchestra performed for notable figures such as Mayor Maynard Jackson, Ambassador Andrew Young, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Winnie and Nelson Mandela, and Maya Angelou in Atlanta.

Over the years, John's musical talents have been numerous and diverse, ranging from directing his own ensembles to teaching and consulting for schools and church music programs. He performed with many national and international artists, including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Arthur Prysock, Woody Herman, Ruth Brown, Little Richard, Dinah Washington, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Natalie Cole, Slappy White, The Temptations, The Dells, and Barry White. He was an early mentor to Atlanta's own Duke Pearson and other renowned musicians. John also had the distinct honor of conducting the Trujillo Symphony Orchestra while visiting Trujillo, Peru.