Robert Gordon died Tuesday at the age of 75. He was one of the first to revive rockabilly and was a familiar face on the New York punk rock scene in the 1970s, his record label announced. No reason was given for his death, but his family has just launched a GoFundMe campaign to support him in his fight against acute myeloid leukemia.
“Cleopatra Records would like to express its deepest regrets to his family and friends. We enjoyed working with Robert and will miss his strong baritone voice and dedication to his music,” wrote label vice president Matt Green.
Robert Gordon, Rockabilly-Revivalist Singer, Dies At 75
The label will release Gordon’s final album, “Hellafied,” on Nov. 25. It features him and British guitarist Chris Spedding again.
In the 1970s, it would have been easy to think of Gordon as a sort of “Happy Days” returnee. He had a souped-up haircut and liked to wear 1950s clothes.
But Robert Gordon was different from other neo-rockabilly revivalists because he had a deep, romantic voice, was a great curator, and worked with great guitarists like Spedding, Link Wray, and Danny Gatton. Brian Setzer’s Stray Cats adopted the sound he liked and took him to the top of the charts in the early 1980s.
Gordon was born on March 29, 1947, in Bethesda, Maryland. He was a big radio and record fan who liked Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and, of course, Elvis Presley. In his teens, Gordon sang in local bands such as the Confidentials and the Newports. To avoid the Vietnam draft, he joined the National Guard, married at 19 and had two children.
Gordon and his family moved to New York City in 1970 to open a clothing store. As bands such as Blondie, Television and the Ramones performed at CBGB, he turned his attention to the city’s growing punk scene. Gordon joined the New York pop-punk band Tuff Darts and sang lyrics like “I’d rather slash my wrist and cut my throat than spend the night with you” in the song “Slash,” which was included on the Atlantic label compilation Live at CBGB in 1976.
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Gordon released Rock Billy Boogie in 1979, which reached number 106 on the Billboard 200. This was followed by 1980’s Bad Boy and 1981’s Are You Gonna Be The One. The single “Someday, Someway” from Are You Gonna Be The One reached #76 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1982, Gordon tried his hand at acting. He starred alongside Willem Dafoe in the outlaw biker film The Loveless. Gordon is also featured with his band in a 1981 sketch on the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV. In this sketch, he is mistaken for astronaut Gordon Cooper and has to perform with his band.
Since then, Gordon has released nearly 20 albums, including live albums and albums released in other countries. He also continues to tour. His last live performance was in February.
Danny B. Harvey of the 69 Cats wrote on Facebook, “RIP to my dear friend Robert Gordon.” “I got into rockabilly through your music, and it was an honor to play guitar and produce on your last project. Everyone who has ever met you agrees that you were one of a kind, and after you were made, they broke the mold. Say hello to Link for us. Screw Rockabilly for Life and Rockabilly Forever.”
Steve Conte, a musician, began a lengthy Facebook post by saying, “RIP RG. Sad news: Robert Gordon, a major figure in rockabilly, has passed away. That voice is no more. His versions of classics like “Rockabilly Boogie,” “Black Slacks,” “Red Hot,” “The Way I Walk,” and “It’s Only Make Believe” will never be played live again, but we still have the records.”
Conte said Gordon was one of his “favorite New York City singers.” He also said Gordon asked him to replace guitarist Spedding in his band a few years ago. But in early September, Gordon’s tour manager, Bill Moser, called to tell him that Gordon was suffering from an aggressive form of leukemia. And this was after he had just had major heart surgery and was just getting better.
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