
Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Korean parents, Myung grew up in Kings Park, Long Island, New York. He played the violin from the age of five until he was asked to play electric bass in a local band when he was fifteen, which he accepted. After graduating from high school he and his high school friend John Petrucci enrolled at the Berklee College of Music, where they met future bandmate Mike Portnoy. The three formed the band Majesty, later adding keyboardist Kevin Moore and vocalist Chris Collins. The band would change its name to Dream Theater shortly before the release of their first album.
John Myung is best known as the bassist and founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, but his contributions extend well beyond the group. Throughout his career, Myung has participated in several other musical projects. His first outside venture was the progressive rock supergroup Platypus, alongside Rod Morgenstein, Ty Tabor, and ex-Dream Theater bandmate Derek Sherinian. After Platypus disbanded in 2000, Myung, Tabor, and Morgenstein formed The Jelly Jam, releasing four albums that blended progressive rock and alternative elements.
Apart from his involvement in these bands, Myung has been a guest musician on numerous albums, bringing his distinctive style to a range of projects. During Dream Theater’s Falling Into Infinity tour, he also served as the keyboardist for the band’s alter ego, Nightmare Cinema, a comedic side project where the members swapped instruments.
Myung’s musical influences are wide-ranging, with favorites including The Beatles, Black Sabbath, The Who, Iron Maiden, Rush, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Genesis. As a bassist, he draws inspiration from legendary players like Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, Chris Squire, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, and Jaco Pastorius, whose innovative styles have shaped his own approach to the instrument.
In addition to his professional career, Myung is married to Lisa Martens Pace, the former bassist of the all-female heavy metal band Meanstreak. Interestingly, Meanstreak’s lineup also has connections to Dream Theater, as Rena Sands is married to guitarist John Petrucci, and Marlene Apuzzo to original drummer Mike Portnoy.
Despite his impressive career, Myung has cultivated a reputation as the “mysterious” member of Dream Theater due to his quiet demeanor and tendency to avoid the spotlight in videos and concerts. Fans have affectionately joked that they’ve never heard him speak, and that he might even write all of Dream Theater’s instrumental songs. However, Myung has spoken in DVD commentaries and his instructional video Progressive Bass Concepts, as well as during occasional interactions with fans at shows.
One humorous moment that added to his mystique occurred during a Dream Theater concert in Germany, where Myung unexpectedly tackled vocalist James LaBrie, leaving both the audience and the band stunned. This became known as the infamous “Myung Tackle,” and it was later revealed in the band’s biography Lifting Shadows that Myung had been dared to do it for a couple hundred dollars.
Despite these light-hearted moments, Myung remains a quiet yet integral force in Dream Theater, known for his precision, creativity, and enduring contributions to the progressive metal genre.
In The Studio & On Stage Gear








