James Gordon (Canadian musician)

James Gordon is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known as a founding member of Tamarack.^[1] He has also released more than 20 solo albums.

James Gordon
James Gordon performing at the Hillside Festival, which he co-founded in 1984.
Occupation	singer-songwriter
Known for	Tamarack, "Frobisher Bay", Hillside Festival
Political party	Ontario New Democratic Party
Spouse	single
Children	Evan Gordon, Geordie Gordon
Website	http://www.jamesgordon.ca
Notes
Folk Era Records

Musical career

As a prolific songwriter, James Gordon is known for such diverse songs as "Sweaters for Penguins" and "Frobisher Bay".^[2] 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.^[3] His songs have been covered by other musical artists such as the Cowboy Junkies ("Mining for Gold") and Melanie Doane.^{[citation needed]}

He has toured internationally in North America, the British Isles, Southeast Asia, and Cuba.^[4]

He is a co-founder of Guelph's annual Hillside Festival and was its first creative director, from 1985 to 1988.^[5][6] He also founded (and was the artistic director of) the Canadian Songwriters' Festival,^[5] 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.^[5]

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.^[7] He ran again in 2014 but once again lost to Liz Sandals.

Municipal

James Gordon declared his candidacy^[8] 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^[9] such as touring his one-man show, "Stephen Harper: The Musical".^[10] Gordon was re-elected in 2018 Ontario municipal elections. Gordon announced his retirement from municipal politics in June 2022.^[11]

Discography

Tamarack

James Gordon performing at Hillside Festival in 2008. His sons, Evan and Geordie, are behind him.

• 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)
• 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 )

Folk operas (musicals)

James Gordon performing at Hillside Festival in 2008.

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 ^[12]
• Tryst and Snout (2007)^[13]
• Stephen Harper: The Musical (2013)^[14]

Cinema

• "Mining for Gold" on the soundtrack of the film Silver City (2004)^{[citation needed]}
• Two Steps and a Glass of Water^{[citation needed]}

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 2
Candidate	Votes	%	Δ%	Expenditures[a]
Andy Van Hellemond (X)	3,266	27.50	-1.56	$2,012.04[15]
James Gordon	2,990	25.17	–	$5,450.18[16]
Ray Ferraro	2,615	22.02	+0.80	$2,458.07[17]
Martin Collier	1,314	11.06	–	$3,662.99[18]
Sian Matwey	1,109	9.34	–	none listed
Chris Keleher Sr.	583	4.91	–	$270.13[19]
Mark Paralovos (withdrawn)[b]	–	–	–	$100.00[20]
Total valid votes/Expense Limit	11,877	100.0		$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
includes expenses not subject to spending limit withdrew nomination 4 September

2014 Ontario general election: Guelph
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Liz Sandals	22,014	41.52	-0.91
	Progressive Conservative	Anthony MacDonald	11,048	20.84	-4.76
	Green	Mike Schreiner	10,230	19.29	+12.36
	New Democratic	James Gordon	9,385	17.70	-6.18
	Communist	Juanita Burnett	178	0.34	+0.04
	Libertarian	Blair Smythe	170	0.32	-0.33
Total valid votes			53,025	100.00
	Liberal hold		Swing		+1.92
Source: Elections Ontario[21]

2011 Ontario general election: Guelph
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Liz Sandals	19,815	42.43	+1.68
	Progressive Conservative	Greg Schirk	11,954	25.60	+0.86
	New Democratic	James Gordon	11,150	23.88	+10.03
	Green	Steve Dyck	3,234	6.93	-12.52
	Libertarian	Philip Bender	305	0.65
	Communist	Drew Garvie	139	0.30	-0.1
	Independent	Julian Ichim	100	0.21
Total valid votes			46,697	99.56
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots			206	0.44
Turnout			46,903	50.27
Eligible voters			93,308
	Liberal hold		Swing		+0.41
Source: Elections Ontario[22]