User:Humanmuse/John Joseph Gordon

John Joseph Gordon (25.12.1963 - ) is a singer/songwriter from the small town of Allora in Southeast Queensland, Australia. He is best known for his song Inexorably Yours which was recorded by Wendy Matthews on her multiplatinum and ARIA award winning album Lily (RooArt/Warner label, 1993). He has gained a reputation as a serious songwriter in the fields of the Environment and social justice - writing songs for East Timor "Xanana (will lead us home)1999 West Papua Theys Goodbye 2002, Aboriginal Australia ('Papulankutja' 2005) and most recently the much vaunted climate change protest song 'AUSTRALIA (Whore for the world)', 2010. A former Environmental engineer with the Queensland Government, Gordon left to pursue a career in Music - not long after whistleblowing on the Queensland Government of the day for, what he saw, was the neglect of pollution of the states waterways.

He moved to Sydney in 1991 and spent 2 years there songwriting and performing, before returning to Queensland. He released the album Notre Dame in 1997, which contained the original version of the song 'Inexorably Yours' and featured Gordon on Wurlitzer electric piano and vocals. The single from the album, Labour was playlisted nationally on ABC radio. The title song Notre Dame later featured in the Australian film Rats and Cats in 2007.

In 2001 Gordon recorded the song Valiant Lady under the band pseudonym Majordomo. It was Sydney Morning Herald’s Single of the Week.

In 2007 he spent time in Frankfurt Germany and recorded the album Alive in Bornheim – Bornheim being an inner city village suburb of Frankfurt. The single from the album, Time Will Tell was playlisted nationally on ABC radio in Australia and also gained airtime on BBC Radio 2 and CBC radio Canada. BBC2’s Jeff Smith likened the work to Neil Young. Gordon’s songs are noted for their insightful lyrics and pure melodies, as evidenced by Courier Mail (Brisbane) Music Writer Noel Mengel

''Alive in Bornheim is one of a dozen quality songs on this superb new album, all written, sung, played and recorded by Gordon during his German sojourn. Some take the traveller's point of view, like In a Strange Country, a piano ballad that wouldn't be out of place on a Randy Newman album …Gordon might not have the profile of Australian songwriters like Paul Kelly and Tim Freedman, but the evidence here shows that he deserves to.''

He returned to Frankfurt in 2008 and recorded more material for the Album Souvenir which was released in late 2009.

There has been a constant social justice thread running through Gordon’s music. In 1999 his song Xanana (Will lead us home) was featured on ABC Radio’s Australia All Over programme, and used to raise funds for the East Timor cause. In 2002 Gordon released the song Theys Goodbye which was inspired by the assassination of the West Papuan leader, Theys Eluay. The song was dedicated to the people of West Papua and also makes an appearance on Souvenir. In 2005 he composed the song Papulankutja as an ode to the Ngaanyatjarra people of the Great Western Desert of Western Australia. In 2010 he composed and recorded the Climate Change protest song 'AUSTRALIA (Whore of the World)' a controversial commentary about Australia's

Gordon has worked in Aboriginal music development in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of WA since 2002 wherein he has taught instrumentation, songwriting and recording. In that time he has produced 4 compilation albums, including the much vaunted and groundbreakingTurlku 4 ( mid 2010), which features bands from around the Ngaanyatjarra lands. The album was recorded at the new NG Music Studios in Wingellina Community, WA in September and November of 2009. The Album was engineered by Scott Taylor and mastered by Dave Sparks (Pirate Studios). In 2005 he wrote the song Papulankutja as an ode to the Ngaanyatjarra people.

Discography
1993 Inexorably Yours - Wendy Matthews Lily (RooArt Warner) 1998 Album Notre Dame – (Human Music Australia) Single - Labour 1999 Xanana (Will Lead us Home) – Song for East Timor 2001 Valiant Lady - Majordomo 2002 Theys Goodbye – Song for West Papua 2008 Album Alive in Bornheim – Single ‘Time Will Tell’ 2009 Album Souvenir – Single ‘Emily’

Synch
2007 Rats and Cats – ‘Notre Dame’ (Director Tony Rogers Written and starring Adam Zwar, Jason Gann and Paul Denny. Wilfred(SBS TV)  Lowdown (ABC TV)