Gordy, Emory (Jr.)

Musician career

Emory Gordy was born at Christmas in Atlanta , Georgia ^[2] . From four years old he played the piano , from six - on the trumpet ^[2] . Being in high school, he mastered ukulele , banjo , guitar and euphonium ^[2] . During this period, he honed his musical skills, playing bluegrass in string ensembles , dixieland in jazz bands and more popular material in a garage band ^[3] . While studying mathematics at the University of Georgia , Gordy played in a student orchestra on a horn ^[2] . Ultimately, at the age of 18, he switched to bass and three years later decided that he wants to connect life with this instrument ^[2] . His first bass was the Gibson EB-0 ^[3] .

In 1964, Gordy, as a substitute, accompanied Tommy Rowe to dancing in Atlanta, where he attracted the attention of local producer Joe South , who soon began to invite a bass player to a record session ^[3] . According to Gordy himself, it was South who taught him everything that he can do in the studio ^[2] . When South introduced him to music publisher Bill Loveri , Gordy got the chance to record with Razzie Bailey , Mac Davis , Freddy Weller and Tommy Rowe ^[4] . As a bass player and band leader, he toured with Lou Christie , Rufus Thomas and The Tams. ^[5] In 1965, Gordy moved to New York , where he briefly played with Otis Redding , and in 1970 he moved to Los Angeles ^[5] . There he gained additional experience, collaborating with Debbie Reynolds and Liberace as a sound engineer and producer ^[3] . During this period, Gordy also demonstrated composing talent, becoming a co-author of the 1969 hit “Traces” by Classics IV (in the future he returned to writing, co-writing the songs “Cheap Whiskey” for Winona , “When I Reach the Place I'm Goin '” for Martina McBride and several Patti Loveless tracks) ^[6] .

The next stage of his career was a tour with Neil Diamond in 1971. During the tour, Gordy played a total of nine different instruments (including bass, guitar, mandolin , vibraphone and various percussion ), noting on Diamond's live album Hot August Night (1972) ^[5] . In 1972, he worked as a bass player in the studio with Elvis Presley on the hits “ Separate Ways ” and “ Burning Love ” ^[5] . Gordy subsequently joined his TCB Band ^[7] . Together with other members of this group, guitarist James Burton and drummer Ron Tutt , he participated in the recording of Graham Parsons' album Grievous Angel (1974) ^[7] . During these record sessions, Gordy was spotted by Emmila Harris , who, starting a solo career in 1975, invited him to her group The Hot Band ^[5] . Working in this ensemble until 1977 and later collaborating with the singer as a guest musician, he played on her popular albums Luxury Liner (1976), Blue Kentucky Girl (1979) and Roses in the Snow (1980) ^[5] . At the same time, Gordy recorded in the studio with Tom Petty , Billy Joel and The Bellamy Brothers ^[5] .

In 1978, Gordy joined The Cherry Bombs , which accompanied Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash in parallel. ^[3] Among his colleagues on this ensemble were pianist Tony Brown and guitarists Vince Gill and Richard Bennett ^[8] . Tired of touring with two artists at once, he left the band in 1979 and joined the John Denver band, working with the singer both on tours in the USA , Europe and Australia , and in the studio in Nashville , where he provided bass parts for his two albums ^{[ 7]} . Gordy returned to The Cherry Bombs in 1981, but already in 1982 left again, deciding to become a producer ^[7] . During his career as a musician, he also played on the albums of Eric Andersen , Jonathan Edwards , Chris Hillman , Albert Lee , Lyle Lovett , Mickey Newbury and Ricky Scaggs ^[9] .

Producer Career

In 1984, Tony Brown invited Gordy to work at the MCA Nashville label's Artist and Repertoire (A&R) division ^[8] . There, Gordy became an extremely sought-after producer ^[10] . Previously, he had already helped take the first steps towards Vince Gill's stellar status on his mini album Turn Me Loose (1984) for RCA Nashville ^[7] . Now, together with Brown, he produced Steve Earle's extremely successful album Guitar Town (1986) and his next work Exit 0 (1987), and already alone - the album Southern Flavor (1988) by Bill Monroe's bluegrass ^[8] . In addition, during that period he oversaw the recordings of Aaron Tippin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore ^[7] . The meeting with Patti Loveless became fatal for Gordy - at first he became her producer, and in 1989 - her husband ^[10] . At the same time, under his direction, Earl Thomas Conley recorded several country hits No. 1: “What She Is (Is A Woman In Love)” (1988), “We Believe In Happy Endings” (1988, a duet with Emmylou Harris ), “What'd I Say” (1988) and “Love Out Loud” (1989). In parallel, Gordy produced the singles The Bellamy Brothers , including "Old Hippie" (1985) and "Kids of the Baby Boom" (1987) ^[9] .

After Loveless left MCA Nashville in 1992 and then underwent a complex operation on her vocal chords, Gordy helped her get back on track (already on the Epic label) with the albums Only What I Feel (1993) and When Fallen Angels Fly (1994) , the last of which won the CMA Awards in the category "Album of the Year" ^[11] . In parallel, in the mid-1990s, Gordy promoted a return to high positions on the charts of the Alabama group ^[9] . In 1996, he took over as senior vice president of the label Rising Tide Records , where he oversaw the recordings of Delbert McClinton , Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Matraki Berg ^[8] . Two years later, the company left the music business and Gordy became an independent producer, working on his wife's Bluegrass disc Mountain Soul (2001), as well as George Jones' albums ^[10] . In 2009, Loveless, under the direction of Gordy, recorded the Mountain Soul II project, which brought both the Grammy Award in the category “ Best Bluegrass Album ” ^[11] .

Despite the status of one of the most influential producers of Nashville , Gordy tries to avoid excessive attention to his person, except when he has to accompany celebrities on stage ^[7] . Being sometimes closed to the point of seclusion, he does not like to give interviews and discuss his successes, preferring instead to work on new projects and improve his own skills ^[12] . To date, Gordy has basically completed his career and lives in his hometown of Atlanta , Georgia . Nevertheless, sometimes he travels to Nashville , where he works in the studio as a session musician, and also accompanies his wife during her performances at the Grand Ole Opry ^[1] . Gordy's main and most favorite instruments are the Fender Jazz Bass and Fender Precision Bass (both 1960 release) guitars, as well as the originally eight-string Hagström bass guitar remade into four strings ^[13] .

• CMA Awards in the category "Album of the Year" (1995) - for the production of the album When Fallen Angels Fly Patti Loveless (1994) ^[14] .
• Grammy Award in the nomination " Best Bluegrass Album " (2011) - for the production of the album Mountain Soul II Patti Loveless (2011) ^[15] .
• ACM Awards in the category "Bass Player of the Year" (1986)
• ACM Awards in the nomination “Bass player of the year” (1987) ^[16] .

Since 1989, Gordy has been married to Patti Loveless , who is 12 years younger than him and whose recordings he produced ^[17] . In order to avoid unnecessary hype and gossip, they first kept their relationship a secret, disclosing the fact of marriage only in 1991 ^[18] . Since 1996, Gordy underwent four major surgeries - three due to problems with the abdominal organs (as a result, his gall bladder and spleen were removed) and one due to lung collapse ^[18] . After that, he and Loveless moved from Nashville to his native state of Georgia (northwestern neighborhood of Atlanta ) in order to restore health and be closer to children from his first marriage ^[19] .

• Carlin, Richard. Gordy, Emory, Jr. // Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary . - Taylor & Francis, 2003 .-- P. 155. - 526 p. - ISBN 9780415938020 .
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Emory Gordy, Jr. // The Encyclopedia of Country Music . - Oxford University Press, 1998. - P. 205-206. - 665 p. - ISBN 9780199770557 .
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Emory Gordy, Jr. // The Encyclopedia of Country Music . - Oxford University Press, 2012. - P. 590-591 (by URL). - ISBN 9780199920839 .
• Escamilla, Brian. Emory Gordy, Jr. // Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music . - Gale / Cengage Learning, 1996. - Vol. 17. - P. 95–97. - 344 p. - ISBN 9780787600983 .
• Grand Ole Opry; Oermann, Robert K. It Takes Two // Behind the Grand Ole Opry Curtain: Tales of Romance and Tragedy . - Center Street, 2008. - P. 113-116 (URL). - 204 p. - ISBN 9781599951843 .
• Miller, Zell. Emory Gordy, Jr. // They Heard Georgia Singing . - Mercer University Press, 1996. - P. 119-121. - 364 p. - ISBN 9780865545045 .