John Townley (born 1945) is a musician who was a member of the folk-rock group The Magicians from 1965-66. After The Magicians "disappeared", Townley built the first 12-track recording studio in New York, Apostolic Studios, which opened in 1967 and which was often used by Frank Zappa. A naval historian, he is the founding president of the Confederate Naval Historical Society. He performs maritime music professionally and has recorded several albums in that genre. He has been part of several sea shanty bands, including the "X-Seamen" and "The Press Gang" He is also a professional astrologer, has published eight books on the subject, and was a former president of the renowned Astrologers’ Guild of America.