Event

Gordon Bok

Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine. In his early years, he worked on a variety of vessels - on America's Northeast coast and others - fishing boats, passenger schooners, and as deckhand, mate, and captain of various yachts. On the boats, he learned many tunes, sea songs, stories, legends and ballads from the people he worked with. After high school, he worked on the boats in the summer months while the rest of the year he worked in Philadelphia and other cities as a carpenter and teacher. It was there that he found a thriving folk music scene and began performing. Dissatisfied with the images generally portrayed of people who work on the water, he began to write songs based on the experiences of those he knew - real people whose language was honest, whose feelings were credible. These early works, songs like "Bay of Fundy", began to get attention, as did his rich voice and fluid guitar work.