Gordon Bok (Special Event)

Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine, where he started singing and playing guitar at an early age, inspired by both his musical family and his coastal environment. He worked on or near the water much of his earlier years, in shipyards and on sailing vessels, serving in every capacity from dishwasher to captain. As the original first mate on the sloop "Clearwater," he toured the New England coast with the Hudson River Sloop Singers.Bok's music is largely self-taught. He learned many of his songs and stories from the people he worked with and continues to do so. His mastery of both 6- and 12-string guitarss along with his well-developed vocal experssion create an unmistakeabel syle taht has carried him through decades of being one of our most cherished folk artists.His repertoire consists of a rich trove of ballads of Maine and the Maritimes, songs and dances from abroad, stories of boats and sailors, tales of seal-folk and cate-fables of his own composition, contemporary songs and guitar instrumentals.He has recorded over thiry albums, both solo and with other musicians, and performas at folk clubs, concert halls, and festivals thoughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. He's performed with the Paul Winter Consort and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and on "A Priarie Home Companion." "For decades now, Bok has been writing and collecting songs inspired by life in Maine and the Maritime Provinces, so it wasn't surprising to hear well-crafted tales of loggers and river drives and battles between American natives and settlers. A superb storyteller . . ."

--Mike Joyce, The Washington Post"There is something deeply rooted, ancient and timeless to his songs, yet he is an utter original. From the instruments he plays to the myths he explores, the music is indelibly his own."

--Scott Alarik, Sing Out!"If the sea had a voice with which to sing, it would be the voice of Gordon Bok."

--The Brunswick Times-Record