‘AGT’ judges were stunned when a 59-year-old teacher picked up his guitar — 'You turn into somebody else'
It appears that talent knows no limitations in terms of age! In June 2023, a 59-year-old gentleman named John Wines appeared on an episode of 'America's Got Talent' and shocked the judges with his power-packed guitar performance. When Wines pulled out his electric guitar and began strumming, the judges were quite literally taken aback. For his audition on the NBC talent competition, Wines wowed everyone with a stunning rendition of the smashing hit song 'We Will Rock You' by Queen. Following his mind-boggling performance, Wines bagged a standing ovation from all four judges and the studio audience.
As per Scoop Upworthy, when Howie Mandel was asked to give his feedback on Wines' performance, he described the whole act as “so surprising” and “so unexpected." On the other hand, Simon Cowell shared that he “was not expecting that. You look so normal and nice and sweet. And then you turn into somebody else when you perform. I love that." Meanwhile, Sofia Vergara remarked, “You didn’t think you could be a teacher. Did you ever think you could be a rock star?”
At the end of the day, Wines got four yeses from the esteemed judging panel and advanced to the next round of the competition. Then, Wines shed light on his audition for 'America's Got Talent' and exclaimed, “It’s the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done. But also the most exhilarating. My legs are going.” Later on, Wines, who refers to himself as the 'Old Grey Guitarist,' dubbed what happened with him after his audition as “unbelievable” and “the surrealest day of my life.”
When Wines first stepped up on the stage of 'AGT,' the soft-spoken gentleman from the UK shared that he teaches guitar to kids. Earlier in the episode, Wines stated that he had a different start to this career. “I used to be an electrician, but 20 years ago, a chance meeting with someone said, ‘You should go into teaching,’ and I did. Now I’m here, and I can’t believe it," Wines told the judges and audience, according to NBC. Shortly afterward, Wines mentioned that he has been teaching guitar to kids ages 5 to 18 for many years now, adding, "The kids keep me young.”
Fans were in complete awe of Wines' performance. One social media user stopped by the comments section and wrote, "It also shows John Wine's talent to have his eyes closed for most of his performance and to play so brilliantly; he showed his students that is how it is done, brilliant." Another user chimed in, "Appearance can always be deceiving. Amazing talent." A user went on to say, "John Wines is such a cool dude... and a huge talent. Wow!" Followed by a fourth user who commented, "The magic of the electric guitar for all to see so wonderfully demonstrated by Dear John wines, played from his heart—how awesome to have been there to hear that. Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton Dave Evans (the Edge), Brian May, and Mark Knopler are true masters of the magical electric guitar, an amazing instrument!" One comment read, "John wines, the whole of the U.K. stands united behind you!"