James Gordon is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known as a founding member of Tamarack. He has also released more than 20 solo albums.

Musical career

As a prolific songwriter, James Gordon is known for such diverse songs as "Sweaters for Penguins" and "Frobisher Bay". He wrote the weekly song for the CBC Radio program Basic Black. He is proficient on a variety of instruments including guitar, piano, banjo and mandola. His songs have been covered by other musical artists such as the Cowboy Junkies ("Mining for Gold") and Melanie Doane.

He has toured internationally in North America, the British Isles, Southeast Asia, and Cuba.

He is a co-founder of Guelph's annual Hillside Festival and was its first creative director, from 1985 to 1988. He also founded (and was the artistic director of) the Canadian Songwriters' Festival, and was a board member of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. Gordon is active in arts-, civics-, and environment-related causes in the Guelph region, for which he was given the Guelph Mayor's Award in 2008.

Politics

Provincial He was the candidate for the Ontario New Democratic Party in the riding of Guelph in the 2011 Ontario provincial election but lost to incumbent Liz Sandals. He ran again in 2014 but once again lost to Liz Sandals.

Municipal James Gordon declared his candidacy for Ward Two City Councillor in the city of Guelph, Ontario in the 27 October 2014 Guelph municipal election. Gordon was elected to serve alongside Andy Van Hellemond and plans to continue his activist pursuits such as touring his one-man show, "Stephen Harper: The Musical". Gordon was re-elected in 2018 Ontario municipal elections. Gordon announced his retirement from municipal politics in June 2022.

Discography

Tamarack

Au Canada (1980) Wind River Spirit & Stone 13 Fields of Rock and Snow (1993) Frobisher Bay (1993) Leaving Inverarden (1995) Blankets of Snow (1998)

Solo recordings Looking for Livingstone (1987) Farther Along (1991) Hometown Tunes (1994) Dim Lights, Small City (1995) More Hometown Tunes (1997) Pipe Street Dreams (1999) Mining for Gold: Twenty Years of Songwriting (2002) Tune Cooties (2002) Out on a Rural Ramble (2002) One Timeless Moment (2003) Endomusia (2004), includes "Weapons of Mass Instruction" Nine Green Bottles (2007), includes "Casey Sheehan Didn't Die for Nothing", credited to James Gordon and Sons My Stars Your Eyes (2009) Coyote's Calling (2013), includes "Jack's Dream" Sunny Jim (2016) includes “This Canoe Runs on Water” & “I’m Just A Farmhouse” (SOCAN). Heritage Hall Sessions (2020) Crybabies Caravan viral single with 300,000 views 2022 When I Stayed Home (2022) Wrinkles and Scars (2024) Songs from "Smashing the Oligarchy" (2025)

Folk operas (musicals)

James Gordon used to perform with David Archibald as "Jim and Dave", producing family-oriented musicals. Jim and Dave's Awesome Environmental Adventure (1990) Jim and Dave's Awesome Search for the Golden Toad (1992) Jim and Dave's Awesome Supernatural Camping Adventure (1993)

More recently, his work includes: Hardscrabble Road (2003) Two Steps and a Glass of Water (2005), which deals with mental illness and health, also a film by Glenn Curtis Tryst and Snout (2007) Stephen Harper: The Musical (2013) Smashing the Oligarchy (2025)

Cinema "Mining for Gold" on the soundtrack of the film Silver City (2004) Two Steps and a Glass of Water

Electoral record 2018 Guelph Municipal Election: Ward 2 Candidate Vote % James Gordon (X) 3,009 30.59 Rodrigo Goller 2,728 27.74 Jonathan Knowles 1,591 16.18 Dorothe Fair 1,341 13.63 Mary Thring 996 10.13 Sudha Sharma 170 1.73

2014 Guelph municipal election: Ward 2Candidate Votes % Δ% ExpendituresAndy Van Hellemond (X) 3,266 27.50 -1.56 $2,012.04Financial Statement: Andy Van Hellemond. City of Guelph.James Gordon 2,990 25.17 – $5,450.18Financial Statement: James Gordon. City of Guelph.Ray Ferraro 2,615 22.02 +0.80 $2,458.07Financial Statement: Ray Ferraro. City of Guelph.Martin Collier 1,314 11.06 – $3,662.99Financial Statement: Martin Collier. City of Guelph.Sian Matwey 1,109 9.34 – none listedChris Keleher Sr. 583 4.91 – $270.13Financial Statement: Chris Keleher Sr. City of Guelph.Mark Paralovos (withdrawn) – – – $100.00Financial Statement: Mark Paralovos. City of Guelph. Total valid votes/Expense Limit 11,877   $16,446.10 Turnout 6,846 48.50 Eligible voters 14,116 Sources: 2014 Official Election Results, City of Guelph, 2014 Election – Ward 2, City of Guelph, and Voter Statistics, City of Guelph

References

External links

Current official website 2003 archive of old official website