Gordon Bok

ABOUT THE COMPOSER AND THIS MUSIC

American singer-songwriter Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine, learning many tunes, sea songs, stories, legends and ballads from the people he worked with. Where he could not find songs that matched his experiences or needs, he began to write his own, and has kept up a lively flow of poems, songs, stories, choral and instrumental works. "I'm drawn to songs that show me how others have lived their lives and sorted through their problems – that's the great wisdom in traditional music, and in the songs that will become the tradition in other generations. They've shown me how to live, and if others learn something from my passing them on, that's another pleasure."

Gordon Bok has performed extensively in the United States, including appearances on the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor, and in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. His music has also been sung by many other performers and has been used for films, most notably the documentary "Coaster: The Adventure of the John F. Leavitt" for which he won an award. His legacy includes over thirty recordings featuring his own compositions and folk tunes from around the world. His extensive repertoire provides a rich well to draw upon for his concerts; he has never sung the same solo concert twice.

In writing about Hearth and Fire, Gordon notes that "I made this one Thanksgiving, surrounded by good company, a warm house, and plentiful food; and I could not keep from thinking of friends who, for illness, poverty, distance or death, could not share those things with me."

NEXT CREATOR | BACK