Born in Washington D.C., John Cephas grew up there and in Caroline County. He was influenced at an early age by his mother's singing. A cousin taught him the highly syncopated and danceable guitar style now known as Piedmont Blues, which employs a complex, finger-picking approach. Cephas performed at rural dance parties and developed his rich voice as a gospel singer. He and harmonica master Phil Wiggins made numerous award-winning albums and performed all over the world, earning the W. C. Handy Award as Blues Entertainers of the Year in 1987. Cephas received the coveted National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1989.