While he was studying history and philosophy at Moravian College, music pulled John Gorka into a more exciting world. Before long, he was networking with Canadian troubadours Eric Andersen and Claudia Schmidt (among others) and involved in the New York City folk scene. With motivation from Nanci Griffith, the New Jersey native won the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk Competition in 1984 and followed that with his debut release three years later. Today, artists he once looked up to, such as Maura O'Connell and Mary Chapin Carpenter, perform and record his songs while his co-touring resume consists of musical greats like Carpenter and Griffith. His 2006 album, Writing in the Margins, was followed by a DVD, The Gypsy Life, in 2007.
While he was studying history and philosophy at Moravian College, music pulled John Gorka into a more exciting world. Before long, he was networking with Canadian troubadours Eric Andersen and Claudia Schmidt (among others) and involved in the New York City folk scene. With motivation from Nanci Griffith, the New Jersey native won the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk Competition in 1984 and followed that with his debut release three years later. Today, artists he once looked up to, such as Maura O'Connell and Mary Chapin Carpenter, perform and record his songs while his co-touring resume consists of musical greats like Carpenter and Griffith. His 2006 album, Writing in the Margins, was followed by a DVD, The Gypsy Life, in 2007.
