Errol John regarded himself primarily as an actor, but his reputation is based largely on Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (1958), his classic "yard" play, so called because its setting is a yard shared by several poor neighbors in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Tobago. At a time when black writers were finding it hard to establish themselves in Britain, John won the prestigious Observer play award in 1957 for Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, taking first prize over playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe and N. F. Simpson. This play, which was first produced in Manchester in October 1958, has since been frequently produced and revived in England, the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.

John was the son of the famous West Indian cricketer George John. In his 1963 study of cricket, Beyond a Boundary, C. L. R. James devoted a chapter to George John, describing him as a formidable player...