Legendary rockabilly crooner Robert Gordon will return to the Turning Point on Sunday, making one of his regular appearances at the cozy Piermont venue that has hosted everyone from Bo Diddley and Johnny Copeland, to Hot Tuna and Roger McGuinn.
If you’ve ever had a chance to see him you know he puts on a fun show, and has not lost the voice that made him the talk of the music world in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he was in his heyday.
Gordon started his career as the front man for the ‘70s New York City punk band Tuff Darts, then took his classic baritone voice into a solo career that produced fan favorites like “Rock Billy Boogie” and a cover of Billy Lee Riley’s “Red Hot.”
His throw-back rockabilly act was a success in the midst of the punk and New Wave eras, so give him credit for keeping it alive against an avalanche of more current music. And he made it work as the top modern rockabilly guy before Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats.
Gordon ran into some bad luck in recent years, including a near-fatal mugging in the Big Apple, but recovered just fine and continues to play throughout the globe. Last time I saw him at the Turning Point a few years back he was accompanied by former Bob Dylan bassist Rob Stoner, who is as connected in the industry as you’re likely to find.
So this show is recommended, and the Turning Point is a very small club, so you’re never far from the music.
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