John Gorka - Before Beginning, The Unreleased I Know -
  • Down in the Milltown
  • Love is Our Cross to Bear
  • Geza's Wailing Ways
  • I Know
  • Out of My Mind
  • Downtown Tonight
  • Blues Palace
  • Winter Cows
  • Branching Out
  • I Saw a Stranger With Your Hair
  • Down in the Milltown
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (03:58) [10.46 MB]
  • Love is Our Cross to Bear
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (04:18) [11.25 MB]
  • Geza's Wailing Ways
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (03:48) [10.11 MB]
  • I Know
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (03:04) [8.41 MB]
  • Out of My Mind
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (02:39) [7.48 MB]
  • Downtown Tonight
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (02:50) [7.87 MB]
  • Blues Palace
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (03:30) [9.42 MB]
  • Winter Cows
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (02:16) [6.59 MB]
  • Branching Out
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (02:43) [7.61 MB]
  • I Saw a Stranger With Your Hair
    Genre: Folk
    MP3 (03:38) [9.71 MB]
Biography
From New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Though small, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s, John was was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident MC and sound man, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs - mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him - Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin - had become his peers.

In 1987, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records caught wind of John’s talents and released his first album, I Know, to popular and critical acclaim. With unusual drive and focus, John hit the ground running and, when an offer came from Windham Hill’s Will Ackerman in 1989, he signed with that label’s imprint, High Street Records. He proceeded to record five albums with High Street over the next seven years: Land of the Bottom Line, Jack’s Crows, Temporary Road, Out of the Valley and Between Five and Seven. His albums and his touring (over 150 nights a year at times) brought new accolades for his craft. His rich multi-faceted songs full of depth, beauty and emotion gained increasing attention from critics and audiences across the country, as well as in Europe where his tours led him through Italy, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. He also started sharing tours with many notable friends—Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter among them. All this brought his music to an ever-widening audience. His video for the single “When She Kisses Me” found a long-term rotation on VH-1’s “Current Country,” as well as on CMT and the Nashville Network.

In 1998, after five successful recordings and seven years at Windham Hill/High Street, John felt the need for a change and decided to return to his musical roots at Red House Records. The choice was driven, in part, by the artistic integrity that the label represents in an industry where the business of music too often takes precedence. The 1998 release After Yesterday marked a decidedly different attitude towards making music for John, and his next release The Company You Keep held fast to his tradition of fine songwriting, yet moved forward down new avenues. Its 14 songs displays John’s creative use of lyrics and attention to detail. Andy Stochansky played drums and shared production credits with John and Rob Genadek. Ani DiFranco, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin contributed stellar guitar work and vocals to this fan favorite. Old Futures Gone was informed by his life as husband and father of two young children and also contained the colorful experience of many hard years on the road. Writing in the Margins followed in 2006 and was an engaging collection of sweet and serious songs that spanned many musical genres—folk, pop, country and soul—and featured guest vocalists Nanci Griffith, Lucy Kaplansky and Alice Peacock. His 11th studio album, 2009’s So Dark You See, found him returning to his early folks roots with a batch of originals as well as covers of songs by Utah Phillips and Michael Smith and a cover of the blues standard “Trouble in Mind.” A live performance DVD, John Gorka Live at Tales from the Tavern, an interview and concert DVD filmed in 2013, is available now through Tales From the Tavern’s website at www.talesfromthetavern.com. Bright Side of Down, released in 2014, features a catchy, timeless batch of folk-pop songs produced with Rob Genadek with guest vocals by his label mates Lucy Kaplansky, Eliza Gilkyson, Claudia Schmidt and Michael Johnson. John mines his own vaults for Beyond Beginning, revisiting the never-before-released studio versions of the songs that became his debut, I Know.
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    07/07/16
  • Profile Last Updated:
    08/17/23 13:14:34

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