In 1991, Rolling Stone called John Gorka “the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement.” Already active on the folk scene, his first album “I Know” produced by Red House Records in 1987 was critically acclaimed. This led to a record contract with Windham Hill and later High Street Records for five albums. He returned to Red House Records in 1998, producing another eight albums. He joined forces with Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson in 2010 to form the folk group Red Horse. As of 2024, he has produced 15 albums, two DVDs, and one compilation album, in addition to the album with Red Horse mentioned earlier. He is active on the folk scene, performing on tour in the US and internationally, and at various venues including the Kerrville Folk Festival where he first got his start in 1984.

Many well known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN. His song “Where No Monuments Stand” is featured in the documentary “Every War Has Two Losers,” about activist and Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford (1914-1993)

“Gorka is widely heralded for the sophisticated intelligence and provocative originality of his songs.”
– The Boston Globe