General News

FROM BRUSH AND STONE - OUT NOW !

The long awaited CD collaboration between Gordon and Rick is now available to puchase from Voiceprint.
The first 1000 copies sold include a bonus limited edition DVD. This CD is sure to sell well, so make sure you order your copy straight away and don't miss out.

For more details and to buy the CD, visit the micro website http://www.brushandstone.com/ or see the Latest Releases and Discography sections of this site.

For all you guitar collectors out there, with the release of From Brush and Stone there are for sale at GUITAR JUNCTION two instruments used on that very album. They are as follows: A custom one off FYLDE classical guitar made by Roger Bucknall himself, along with a wonderful guitar made by the late Rod Button.

I used both these instruments on the tracks By Angle Tarn which featured the Button, and the FYLDE was used on Caesar Augustus as well as Maddie Goes West on the Drifter album. If you want some serious GG recorded history in guitar terms these two instruments will be of interest. For more information visit www.guitarjunction.co.uk

Be Well all my fellow guitarists.


Gordon writes about From Brush and Stone:
Well, it's finally been released!

It has been a long wait bearing in mind that it was completed a while back BUT, I hope you will all think it has been worth the wait.

The main question on everyone's lips is "Will Gordon and Rick be touring with the album".

In all honestly I can't answer categorically what will happen on this front, and it is completely down to Rick's plans for the future. As will all know, Rick has drastically cut back on his live work, and quite frankly you can't blame him what with his many health problems, and at the end of the day a quality of life is FAR more important than anything else I'm sure you will all agree.

I CAN tell you that the record company have taken on board a very good PR company to work on the album's promotion and this will take the form of (I assume) radio and TV interviews press releases, reviews, etc. and I shall do my very best in ALL areas to make myself available for whatever is needed to promote what I think is a historic recording.

Everything is up and running in terms of online purchasing, and of course the first 1000 featuring the free DVD has got to be a must for the collectors out there!

Watch this space folks.


Gordon's Dream Advertising Campaign

GG friend and fan Bob Wilson had to take a day off work due to snow forcing closure. He tells us he was bored, so he came up with a "Dream Advertising" campaign for Gordon. Its a pity we don't get snow more often if it gives him such inspiration ! See the results for yourselves in the gallery here. Thanks Bob - brilliant !







Raymond Burley Private Concerts.

This is great news for all you lovers of superb classical guitar playing and of course fans of the great man.

Ray has decided that he would like to dip his toe into the "Private Concerts" area of work. I told him how much I enjoy doing these private shows, and after a little persuasion he has decided to give it a go. One meets some lovely people, and it's great to share in their special occasion, and the bottom line is it's FUN!

Visit Ray's website for details for all those who would like to have one of THE great classical guitarists of our time  perform in the luxury of their own home or venue of their choice...........

Be Well.

Gordon.

John Martyn R.I.P

Four years ago in Northern Ireland I appeared on the same bill as my old friend John Martyn. On that night he was the recipient of a Lifetime achievement award. Four years later at the same festival in the same hall I too received the self same award!

Going back four years, I can only share with you the essence of the evening we spent together after the gig at a nearby pub reminiscing over old times and our misspent youth. It was SUCH a good time that we had like two long lost brothers, catching up on old friends and faces from the past. The following day when I gave him a hug goodbye I could feel the tears welling up, maybe we both knew it would be the last time we would see each other, who knows? Maybe it was the fact that you can't get those years back and it was a special, exciting and hopeful time in both our young lives way back then in the late 60's!

John was a strange character but he and I always got on well and he said that he always liked me, maybe that was because I think he knew that I saw through his larger than life image, and there was no need to prove himself to me, and there was an incredible amount of mutual respect going on. I even used to perform one of the songs from his London Conversation album, ironically not one penned by him but another writer. The song was entitled 'Sandy Grey'. He often requested one of my early tunes 'Blythe Hill' and he would sit in rapturous silence while I played it. I knew what an incredible talent he was so this was praise indeed in my book. I'm sure there is a touch of John's influence somewhere in 'Lucifer's Cage' but I can't swear to it because everything was such a melting pot of ideas way back then.

If he never wrote anything else apart from 'May You Never', his place in the whole scheme of things was set in stone.

He was an incredibly charismatic performer, a unique and gifted guitarist and his song-writing genius was without doubt.

The first time I met him was on a singers night at the Half Moon in Putney. He was dressed entirely in denim and was bare foot at the time, he had this incredible mane of golden curly hair and this infectious ready smile. He blew everyone away that night that's for sure including me.

We shared a lot in common in as much as we met at a time when we had both released our first albums in 1968, we shared a mid week residency at Les Cousins and appeared at many of the same gigs together, we even had the same agent for a short while, Sandy Glennon who also represent Sandy Denny and a whole host of people way back then. John like all of us had his own demons to live with, he more than most. He was in his own way a pretty insecure guy, God knows why; he had EVERYTHING going for him! He also had a cruel sense of humour but somehow you could forgive him anything, and to be honest you wouldn't want to mess with him, he was a BIG guy. I mentioned this to him at our last meeting and he said "don't be daft I always liked you".

I remember visiting him in the late 70's with my first wife Maureen and our children Jamie and Sadie. John and his then wife Beverly and their children were living in this huge old rented house just outside Hastings. Beverly was such a lovely gentle person and John was - well - John. He was pretty edgy at the time, and to break the ice he suggested we ought to at least have a little jam together. He led me through to his music room and we jammed along to one of my tunes 'Roots' but sadly John turned his amp up so loud I couldn't  hear myself think let alone play so it was pretty much a waste of time really. It was just one of those strange memories that stay with one, and I was SO looking forward to us sharing some music together, I can only guess that he wasn't comfortable with the idea but should make some sort of gesture, he also kept making a point of saying that he had to ring Eric Clapton about something!

When we left, John was like a big uncle to my children giving them both some pocket money the way uncles do. I was VERY touched by that and he was a completely different animal to the one I (tried) to jam with several hours earlier. I remember that he was totally captivated by my little girl and kept calling her "princess". She was very beautiful, and still is of course.

The few memories shared here are only the tip of a small iceberg and I shall finish this brief tribute with a few words he said of himself well over 35 years ago.

"I was born a freak and I'll die a freak"

I think John knew himself better than anyone else did and that's for sure.

For all his idiosyncrasies I'm glad I knew him.

RIP our John.