(Editor’s note: Meet one of the six finalists of the Press Play Songwriter Contest. All six will perform Sept. 16 on the global stage of Arts in the Heart of Augusta)
About 15 years ago, Paul Gordon was at a crossroads.
He’d met with a manager in Nashville, Tenn. who’d handled some pretty well-known names including Soundgarden and Meatloaf. That manager liked what he heard and presented Gordon with an opportunity to break into a career in music.
But the break came with a price tag too high for Gordon to pay.
“I could say goodbye to my family for two years,” he said.
He would’ve been on a grueling road tour during that time.
At the time, Gordon had young children, and leaving his family behind wasn’t an option, he said.
But that hasn’t stopped Gordon from writing music and trying to get his songs in front of people.
The songwriting bug actually bit him in an unusual way. It came about as a competitive spark between him and his younger brother, Andrew.
Music had played a big role in Paul Gordon’s life. He looked up to his older brother, Jim, so when Jim Gordon took guitar lessons, Paul Gordon wanted to as well.
The songwriting came into play in the 1990s when Andrew Gordon announced he’d written a song.
“I thought if he can do it, I can do it,” Paul Gordon said. “We got into a competition.”
Andrew and Paul Gordon were also part of a band together in the early 1990s.
Paul Gordon’s music is part “James Taylor meets Neil Young,” he said. There are other influences. One style he’s always enjoyed is grunge.
Gordon has written a lot of songs over the years – many of them he considers marketable to the music types in Nashville, and maybe one day he’ll make it back there. His children are grown now, and he’s single. So he may take a shot at it.
When considering what song to submit to the Press Play contest, Gordon said he left the ultimate decision up to his daughters.
Gordon will be among the six finalists to appear at Arts in the Heart of Augusta Friday to vie for the top prize of $500.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
