John Aielli was born in Cincinnati in 1946. His parents met in a USO in
Belton, Texas, and were jazz musicians. His father, a pianist, was in the Army during World War II, and his mother, who sang in a jazz band, was a telephone operator. When he was 8, Aielli's parents moved to Killeen, to be near his mother's family. There Aielli studied piano and sang in the school choir, showing talent in both. He exhibited an interest in classical music, purchasing his first classical record, Mozart's Requiem, at a grocery store. In 1966, he moved to Austin to attend UT. There Aielli leveraged his broadcasting experience into a job at the public radio station,
KUT, which at that time was known as "The Longhorn Radio Network". After earning a master's degree in English, he was about to begin an English PhD when he had a revelation. At age 24, he redirected himself back to music and pursued an education in voice. During this time, he continued to work at the public radio station. ==Eklektikos radio show ==