Kevin Gordon is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, poet, and

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

collector from Louisiana. His songs draw from experiences growing up in the South, and have been recorded by

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...

, Webb Wilder, and

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

Biography

Early years

Gordon was raised in

West Monroe, Louisiana West Monroe is the second largest city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 13,103. It is situated on the Ouachita River, across from the neighboring city of Monroe. The two c ...

, where he was exposed to blues, honky tonk and rockabilly. He started playing guitar and writing songs at age 17 or 18, and played in a punk band while in high school that performed

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

and

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

covers. While Gordon was attending the

University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it becam ...

, poet

Jorie Graham Jorie Graham (; born May 9, 1950) is an American poet. The Poetry Foundation called Graham "one of the most celebrated poets of the American post-war generation." She replaced poet Seamus Heaney as Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at H ...

encouraged Gordon to apply to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Writers Workshop, where he earned a master's degree in poetry. On weekends he began playing local gigs with Bo Ramsey. Gordon moved to Nashville in 1992 to work as a songwriter.

Recording career

Carnival Time

Gordon's first album was ''Carnival Time'' in 1993, initially released on cassette and later reissued on CD. Gordon is joined by Ramsey (guitars), Steve Hayes (drums), Mike Murray and Rick Cicalo (bass), Mitchell Moss (fiddle, mandolin), Dave Moore (accordion), and Al Murphy (fiddle).

Cadillac Jack's #1 Son

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

bassist

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the bass player and a founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing ...

produced Gordon's 1997 EP ''Illinois 5 a.m.'' on the Motherlode label. Gordon and Gwil Owen co-wrote four songs for Gordon's 1998 album ''Cadillac Jack's #1 Son'' which was also produced by Tallent.

Down to the Well

Gordon's next album ''Down to the Well'' was released in 2000. Personnel included Joe McMahan (guitars, mandolin), David Jacques (bass), Paul Griffith and Bryan Owings (drums), Kevin McKendree (keyboards), and Bo Ramsey (slide guitar).

O Come Look At The Burning

Gordon recorded 2005's ''O Come Look At The Burning'' live to a 16-track tape recorder in McMahan's home. The album included covers of

Eddie Hinton Eddie Hinton (15 June 1944 – 28 July 1995) was an American songwriter and session musician, best known for his work with soul music and R&B singers. He played lead guitar for Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section from 1969 to 1971 and after leaving t ...

's "Something Heavy" and

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

's "Crazy Mixed Up World."

Gloryland

Gordon's 2012 release ''Gloryland'' was produced by Joe McMahan and supported by Scott Martin (drums), and Ryan Norris (keyboards) of Lambchop. A standout song is "Colfax" which related a childhood memory of a high school band and the KKK over 10 minutes of ever-changing music. Another highlight is "Pecolia's Star," a duet with Sarah Siskind about folk artist Pecolia Warner.

Long Gone Time

Recorded in Louisiana, 2015's ''Long Gone Time'' was again produced by Joe McMahan, and drew praise for his lyrical imagery drawn from growing up in the South.

Other credits

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

, and D.J. Fontana recorded "Deuce And A Quarter" (written by Gordon and Owen) for the 1997 album ''All the King's Men''. Gordon's duet with

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...

on the song "Down to the Well" (co-written with

Colin Linden Colin Kendall Linden (born 16 April 1960) is a Canadian guitarist, songwriter and record producer. Linden plays acoustic and electric guitar, specializing in slide guitar, country blues, and ragtime fingerpicking, who frequently collaborates wi ...

) was featured on the 2001

Oxford American The ''Oxford American'' is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the American South. First publication The magazine was founded in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by Marc Smirnoff (born July 11, 1963). The name "Oxford American" is a play on ' ...

Southern Music Sampler in their annual Southern music issue. In 2009,

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

licensed Gordon's song "Watching The Sun Go Down" for the television series ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy Horror fiction, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball (screenwriter), Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels ...

''.

Gordon Gallery

Gordon collects folk art in his home in East Nashville. His collection can be viewed by appointment or at his Gordon Gallery website. His collection is also exhibited in shows at local venues.

Discography

Solo albums

* 1994: ''Carnival Time'' (Taxim Records) * 1997: ''Illinois 5 AM'' EP (Motherlode) * 1998: ''Cadillac Jack's #1 Son'' ( Shanachie) * 2000: ''Down To the Well'' (Shanachie) * 2005: ''O Come Look at the Burning'' (Crowville) * 2009: ''Salvage & Drift #1'' (self-released) compilation of live tracks, demos, and rarities * 2012: ''Gloryland'' (Crowville) * 2015: ''Long Gone Time'' (Crowville)

As composer

* 1995: Bo Ramsey - ''Live'' (Trailer) - track 8, "Get Away" (co-written with Bo Ramsey) * 1996:

Sonny Burgess Albert Austin "Sonny" Burgess (May 28, 1929 – August 18, 2017) was an American rockabilly guitarist and singer. Biography Burgess was born on a farm near Newport, Arkansas to Albert and Esta Burgess. He graduated from Newport High School in 1 ...

- ''Sonny Burgess Has Still Got It'' ( Rounder) - track 9, "Fast Train" (co-written with Gwil Owen) * 1997: Mark Insley - ''Good Country Junk'' (Country Town) - track 7, "Six Feet Under" * 1998: Kate Campbell - ''Visions of Plenty'' (

Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...

) - track 5, "This Side of Heaven"; track 11, "Sing Me Out" (both songs co-written with Kate Campbell) * 2000:

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore sound, Jersey Shore formerly led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen and The ...

- ''Messin' with the Blues'' (Leroy) - track 9, "Cadillac Jack" * 2002: David Zollo - ''The Big Night'' (Trailer) - track 5, "Get Away" (co-written with Bo Ramsey) * 2004: John Reischman - ''Field Day'' ( Copper Creek) - track 10, "Over the Levee" (co-written with Trisha Gagnon) * 2005: Kate Campbell - ''Blues and Lamentations'' (Large River) - track 4, "Freedom Train" (co-written with Kate Campbell) * 2006:

- '' After the Rain'' (Rounder) - track 2, "Flowers" (co-written with Gwil Owen) * 2008: Kate Campbell - ''Save the Day'' (Large River) - track 11, "Shining Like the Sun" (co-written with Kate Campbell) * 2008: Eric Brace and Peter Cooper - ''You Don't Have to Like Them Both'' ( Red Beet) - track 3, "Down to the Well" (co-written with

) * 2008: Sean Garvey - ''California Parable'' (Small Town Graffiti) - track 5, "Layback Woman"; track 9, "Hard Way to Go" (both songs co-written with Sean Garvey) * 2014: Hard Working Americans - ''Hard Working Americans'' (Melvin) - track 3, "Down to the Well" * 2014: Hard Working Americans CD/DVD - ''The First Waltz'' (Melvin) - track 3 on DVD, "Down To the Well" * 2016: Julie Christensen and Stone Cupid - ''The Cardinal'' (Stone Cupid) - track 6, "Saint on a Chain" * 2018: Shemekia Copeland - ''America's Child'' (

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using ...

) - track 10, "One I Love" (co-written with Gwil Owen) * 2022: Julie Christensen - ''11 From Kevin: Songs of Kevin Gordon'' (Wirebird Records)

Appears on

* 1999: Bob Delevante - ''Porchlight'' (Relay) * 2003: Kate Campbell - ''Twang on a Wire'' (Evangeline) * 2008: David Egan - ''You Don't Know Your Mind'' (Out of the Past / Rhonda Sue) * 2008:

Scott Kempner Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos. Background and car ...

- ''Saving Grace'' (MRI) * 2011: Chris Canterbury - ''Poets, Prophets, and All Things Forgotten'' (Back Porch)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Kevin American male singer-songwriters American male guitarists American rock guitarists 1964 births Living people People from Louisiana Guitarists from Louisiana 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Shanachie Records artists Singer-songwriters from Louisiana