about

John Joseph Gordon (at right) is a singer-songwriter from Allora in Queensland, Australia. He started writing songs when he was knee high and performed them with his primary school band called ‘The Bugs’*. He honed his songwriting craft at high school and then as a student and Civil/Environmental Engineer in the 1980’s. In the early 90’s John quit Engineering and followed the music muse full time, moving first to Sydney and later back to Brisbane. At about this time his song “Inexorably Yours’ was included on Wendy Matthew’s multiplatinum album, Lily. The Album went to Number 1 in Australia. In 1997 he released the cd Notre Dame (which included his original version of the song) and also the single ‘Labour’, which garnered modest airplay around the country. The album was recorded and mixed in a home studio in his late Grandmother’s house ‘Ashby’ in Allora. In the 2000’s John embarked on a decade long music development and production odyssey in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of Western Australia which yielded 4 Albums (Turlku Series) of critically acclaimed local indigenous desert reggae-rock. Amidst this work, he spent time writing and recording in Frankfurt, Germany which yielded the 2 Albums, ‘Alive in Bornheim’ and ‘Souvenir’.

In 2011 he released the controversial climate change protest song Australia (Whore of the world) which lambasts Australia’s continuing coal exports, and open slather approach to mining in general.

In contemporary times John has worked in the drug and homeless sectors in Brisbane whilst continuing to agitate and advocate in the climate and social justice spaces. He released “Friend In Need” – an ode to the Great Barrier Reef – in August 2023.

‘EXHIBIT A (Song for Julian)’ a song for Julian Assange, is slated for release in May 2024.

All the music is available herein and more.

*the schoolboy photo above is not to be confused with The Bugs. It is a pageboy pic from St Patricks school Allora, circa 1970.