Saturday Morning Folk Festival Celebrating the 2021 Birthday of the Man With the Golden Pipes, John Gorka
by Robert Wilkinson
Today we celebrate the birthday of one of my favorite folksinger-songwriters, the extremely talented John Gorka.
As I’ve written in past birthday tributes, this man could do voiceovers for the Angels, as his voice resonates on some pretty amazing frequencies! The first time I heard John Gorka (27 July 1958) was on a Windham Hill Christmas CD about 25 years ago, and his voice immediately got my attention. His music is haunting, beautiful, humorous, poignant, rowdy, and definitely genuine.
If you haven't heard him sing, you're in for a major treat. As a reviewer once wrote, "His piercing poetic lyrics are as arresting as his vocals... folk heaven." Once upon a time, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."
I've done birthday celebrations for a few years, and found there are quite a few videos out there. They mostly seem from a couple of concerts held in intimate venues, and I suspect one was from a show I attended in West Los Angeles at the ever-fabulous McCabe's Guitar Shop. The last time I saw him in Austin he was still in fine form!
Anyway, prepare to enjoy yourself in concert with one of the great talents of our era! As usual, some require more time to buffer than others, but they're all worth the wait. If you want the video to open in a new tab, right click on the link.
Let's begin with one of my favorites, written in a somewhat grim stage of his life. Here's the title song from his 2nd CD, "Land of the Bottom Line." Though the album features an amazingly powerful set of tracks, as he sez, it really doesn't have any happy songs on it. Still, it's truly a great album!
Here's an extraordinarily funny song, a wry take on aging: "People My Age."
As anyone from New Jersey will agree, this song gets it all in a nutshell: "I'm From New Jersey."
My wife is a New Jersey Italian and loves this one! From Land of the Bottom Line, "Italian Girls."
Combine a haunting voice singing a sad song, and you get a little piece of his genuineness (which is why so many love him!) Here are two sad ones and one fairly in your face, all from Land of the Bottom Line (I told you it's an amazing album!)
"I Saw A Stranger With Your Hair."
Another confessional from early in his career (or maybe commentary on the human condition), a bit of a rocker: "Mean Streak."
Another early one, "Jack's Crows."
From Writing in the Margins, the extraordinary title song: "Writing In the Margins."
Also from Writing in the Margins, "Chance of Rain."
Here are a few more that you may enjoy!
Here’s a KXT live performance of John doing “I’m From New Jersey”
From 2009 in Texas, "Edgar the Party Man"
Here's a song that has been called "the best antiwar song ever." I did a post with the lyrics and a link to his 2008 Texas performance of the song on Memorial Day 6 years ago, and it's pretty powerful stuff! For your consideration, A Song for Dead Soldiers – “Let Them In”
He also did it in 2009 at a private show in the Netherlands, along with another great tune. "Let Them In" and "You Can Close Your Eyes."
From WNRN in 2010, John doing a live performance in the studio of three tunes. First, the amazing and deep “Ignorance and Privilege”
From the same session, “Flying Red Horse” and we close this trifecta with the profound and poignant “Where No Monument Stands”
Here’s something John did for Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday on Folk Alley. For your enjoyment, "The Water is Wide"
The title song of his DVD (it's great!) "Gypsy Life."
As I said, I saw him in Austin in early December 2013 right before his tour of the Netherlands. For your enjoyment, a full 27 minute show! John Gorka 2013 Tour of the Netherlands
From February 2014, John Gorka live on Mountain Stage with “Give Us Back Our Water.” From the same gig, “Thirstier Wind” and “The Water is Wide”
From May 2014, the title track from his album "The Bright Side of Down."
From October 2017 in the Hague, 17 minutes of John live in the studio doing tracks off his new album True in Time! ”Mennonite Girl,” “True In Time," “Tattooed,” and “Brown Shirts.”
For our penultimate performance, we'll "pre-close" with a great 55 minute set from Portsmouth, NH on Stay Tuned TV. "John Gorka on Stay Tuned TV
We'll close with this great hour and 35 concert from May 2018 at Hawthorne Barn in Provincetown, Massachusetts! John Gorka in Concert – Hawthorne Barn 2018
For the encore, the song that froze me in my tracks the first time I heard it. I do a post every Christmas season, so just consider this Christmas in July! His voice is compelling, deep, and soulful, and the words were written by the legendary poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day, 1863, just after his wife died and his son was severely wounded in the Civil War. Prepare to be taken somewhere.... "Christmas Bells"
For our second encore, a true gem. This is an hour and 42 from early in his career in August 1990, just after he released his second album Land of the Bottom Line. He was 32 when he did this show at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. For your enjoyment, the rising star! John Gorka Live at the Woodland Park Zoo - 1990 (Some people sure were LOUDLY chatting at times.)
From May 20, 2021, John’s being interviewed at the Oceanside Library via zoom. Here’s an hour and 7 of “An Evening with John Gorka”
From the tour list on the site, we see John is Back on Tour! If you can, check him out! Right now he’s in New England and will be in Santa Fe soon.
Here's a great website courtesy of a big fan in Europe, John Gorka Videosite, with even more videos, interviews, concert listings, and a lot more.
So happy and merry everything to you over the next year, John Gorka! You are truly one of the best, Mister Leo of great heart. May you have many, many more birthdays, happier times to come, and an ever increasing group of fans who love and appreciate you and your music. (And may your CDs and DVD sell at least several hundred thousand. Your works are masterpieces!)
© Copyright 2021 Robert Wilkinson
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