September 27th, 2022
MANKATO, Minn. – Folk artist John Gorka will perform on Thursday, October 6 at 7:30 pm in the Elias J. Halling Recital Hall of the Earley Center for Performing Arts, 320 Maywood Ave.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
John Gorka continues to tour, playing festivals, theaters and clubs all over North America and Europe. Gorka says, “I love playing music and am grateful that I’ve gotten to do this for a living for so many years.”
Originally from New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Though his coursework at Moravian College was focused in Philosophy and History, music began to attract him. Soon he found himself living in the basement of the Godfrey Daniels club and acting as the venue’s MC and soundman. Before long he was performing his own songs, mostly as an opener for visiting acts. He soon traveled to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for major singer-songwriters) became a powerful source of education and encouragement.
In 1984 he won the New Folk Award and then in 1987 the young Minnesota-based Red House Records released Gorka’s first album, I Know. In 1989, he signed with that label’s imprint, High Street Records. He released eleven critically acclaimed albums and also toured internationally. In 2010, he released another album with Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson called Red Horse. This album received high praise from both critics and fans. It was on the Billboard Folk Charts and one of the most played albums on folk radio.
Concert admission is $10 in advance, $12 day of show. Minnesota State Mankato students are admitted free with a valid MavCARD. Those who wish to purchase tickets online should go to https://link.mnsu.edu/musictickets or call the Performance Series office, (507) 389-5549.