Introduction

Biography

John was the son of Aar­on Tho­mas Pat­ton and Sal­lie Mor­gan, and hus­band of Eu­gen­ia Em­ma Lets­on.

Educated in the pub­lic schools, he be­gan stu­dy­ing mu­sic at age 12. He was elect­ed cho­ris­ter of his church and Sun­day school at age 15, and be­gan teach­ing sing­ing schools at age 17.

In 1891, he at­tend­ed the Ver­non, Ala­ba­ma, ses­sion of the South­ern Nor­mal Mu­sic­al In­sti­tute di­rect­ed by An­th­ony Sho­wal­ter. He at­tend­ed an­oth­er ses­sion in Ed­en, Ala­ba­ma, in 1893, and re­ceived his di­plo­ma at Sho­wal­ter’s home in Dal­ton, Geor­gia, in 1895.

He helped Sho­wal­ter ed­it the Re­vi­val Choir in 1894, and worked on sev­er­al song books af­ter­ward.

He even­tu­al­ly be­came vice pre­si­dent of the Sho­wal­ter-Pat­ton Com­pa­ny, and a di­rect­or of the A. J. Sho­wal­ter Com­pa­ny.

Showalter’s 1904 book said he now teach­es more nor­mal mu­sic schools than any oth­er man liv­ing.

Works

• Singing for Joy, with An­tho­ny Sho­wal­ter (Dal­ton, Geor­gia: A. J. Sho­wal­ter, 1902)
• The Light­house in Gos­pel Song (Birm­ing­ham, Ala­ba­ma: J. D. Pat­ton, 1910)