John Gorka at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 2004

John Gorka (born 1958, Edison, New Jersey)^[1] is a contemporary American folk musician. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edison Township (usually known as Edison) is a township in Middlesex County New Jersey, United States. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Upon the release of his first album in 1987, Rolling Stone magazine dubbed him "the voice of 'new folk'. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published "

Biography

Gorka received his first guitar as a Christmas gift, though Gorka alleges that his older brother stole it from him shortly thereafter. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles He eventually learned, instead, to play the banjo, and began performing in a folk music group at his church. The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments

Gorka attended Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and joined the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band which would also include guitarist Richard Shindell. Moravian College & Theological Seminary is a private liberal arts college and Seminary located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the The Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band was a bluegrass band that formed in 1976 at Moravian College in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Richard Shindell (born 1960 Lakehurst, New Jersey) is an American folk Songwriter. He later began performing solo at the Godfrey Daniels coffee house as the opening act for various musicians who toured there. These included Nanci Griffith, Bill Morrissey, Claudia Schmidt and Jack Hardy. Nanci Caroline Griffith, (born July 6, 1953 in Seguin Texas) is an American Singer, Guitarist and Songwriter Bill Morrissey (born on November 25, 1951 in Hartford Connecticut) is an American folk Singer/songwriter from New Hampshire Claudia Schmidt is a musician who has recorded Folk, Jazz, Blues, and Spoken word albums Jack Studebaker Hardy is a lyrical Singer-songwriter and Playwright based in Greenwich Village who has been influential in the North American

In 1984, Gorka took first place at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville Texas. Since then he has toured with artists such as Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Michael Manring, Christine Lavin, Dave Van Ronk, Cliff Eberhardt, David Massengill, Frank Christian and Lucy Kaplansky. Suzanne Nadine Vega (born 11 July 1959 in Santa Monica, California) is an American Songwriter and Singer Shawn Colvin (born January 10, 1955) is a Grammy Award -winning American singer songwriter and Musician. Michael Manring (born June 1960 in Washington DC) is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, ( Northern California Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City -based singer songwriter and promoter of contemporary Folk music. Dave Van Ronk ( June 30 1936 – February 10 2002) was a Folk singer born in Cliff Eberhardt is an American folk Singer/songwriter who currently lives in the Pioneer Valley, in Massachusetts. David Massengill (born in 1951 in Bristol Tennessee) is an American folk Singer/songwriter, Guitar and Appalachian dulcimer player Frank Christian (born 1948 is a Greenwich Village -based Singer-songwriter and Guitarist. Lucy Kaplansky (born 1960 is an American folk musician based in New York City. As of 2005 he was residing in the St. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Croix Valley area near Saint Paul, Minnesota. Saint Paul ( abbreviated St Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U

In 2008 John Gorka decided to go to Europe again. After 14 years he will play four times in the Netherlands in october 2008.

Discography

Studio albums

• I Know (Red House Records, 1987)
• Land of the Bottom Line (Windham Hill/High Street, 1990)
• Jack's Crows (Windham Hill/High Street, 1991)
• Temporary Road (Windham Hill/High Street, 1992)
• Out of the Valley (Windham Hill/High Street, 1994)
• Between Five and Seven (Windham Hill/High Street, 1996)
• After Yesterday (Red House Records, 1998)
• The Company You Keep (Red House Records, 2001)
• Old Futures Gone (Red House Records, 2003)
• Writing in the Margins (Red House Records, 2006)

"Best of" albums

• Pure John Gorka (Windham Hill, 2006)

EPs

• Motor Folkin' (Windham Hill/High Street, 1994)

DVD

• The Gypsy Life (AIX Records, 2007)

On various artists compilations

• See various issues of Fast Folk Musical Magazine for early recordings. A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist Red House Records is an American Independent record label specializing in Folk music based in St Land of the Bottom Line is the second Album by contemporary folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. Windham Hill Records was an Independent record label, founded in 1976 by Guitarist and Carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife High Street Records was a Record label and a branch of Windham Hill Records from 1990 through circa 1997. Tempoary Road is the fourth album by folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. Out of the Valley is a 1994 album by contemporary folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. Between Five and Seven is as the name suggests the sixth studio album by folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. After Yesterday is the seventh studio album by folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. The Company You Keep is the Eighth studio album by folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. Old Futures Gone is the ninth studio album by folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. Writing in the Margins is the tenth studio album by folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. A greatest hits album (sometimes referred to as a " best of " album is a Compilation album of successful previously released Songs by a particular Pure John Gorka is a "best of" collection of John Gorka 's work selected from the five albums Gorka released on the Windham Hill / High An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify Out of the Valley is a 1994 album by contemporary folk Singer-songwriter John Gorka. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Fast Folk Musical Magazine (originally known as The Co-op) was a combination Magazine and Record album published from February
• "I Saw a Stranger with Your Hair" on Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music (Windham Hill, 1989)
• "Christmas Bells", on A Winter's Solstice, Vol. Legacy A Collection of New Folk Music and Legacy II A Collection of Singer-songwriters are a pair of compilations that were released by Windham "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a Christmas carol based on the poem "Christmas Bells" composed by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882 III (Windham Hill, 1990)

References

External links

• Official Website
• AIX Records Website
• John Gorka on All Music Guide
• John Gorka videosite a kind of John Gorka multi media site. allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide.
• "More good noise" a detailed discography/fan site.