John Gorka & Tracy Grammer

John Gorka and Tracy Grammer kick off the Kent Folk Festival.
$21.00 advance/$26.00 at the door. All seats reserved!

From New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Though small, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s, John was was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident MC and sound man, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs – mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him – Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin – had become his peers.


We are pleased to have Tracey Grammer as well!

“Tracy Grammer is a brilliant artist and unique individual. Her voice is distinctive, as is her mastery over the instruments she plays.”
- Joan Baez

“[Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer have] become a treasured part of my music collection... Flower of Avalon presents more songs by Dave Carter, with Tracy at the helm as artist, interpreter, co-producer and the beating heart at the center of it all. Her pure voice conveys the simple truths of these songs; her gifts as a musician are like that of a painter who is a master of chiaroscuro, offering light and shadow at every turn.... I was honored and humbled by the invitation to sing on this record.“
- Mary Chapin Carpenter

“Tracy Grammer has that elusive quality of being able to speak directly to another person's heart - instantly bypassing all of the usual infrastructure - the moment she starts singing. She's great.“
- Richard Shindell

“A gracefully gifted multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer.“
- Pasadena Weekly

“One of the finest pure musicians anywhere in folkdom.”
- The Boston Globe