Biography:
Musical artist San Gordon has taken more forks in the road than most! Her world view lens has been pressed and molded by years of musical, cultural, geographical, and internal shifts.
San started playing guitar at age nine and wrote her first song soon after. Early years were spent playing music by ear in a variety of bands, duos, and solo ventures in performance venues from Provincetown, MA to Vancouver, B.C.. Her first CD of originals, "Life So Fine" was released in 1996.
From 2006 to 2014 she honed her skills as the lead guitarist in a Vermont wedding band, playing everything from Frank Sinatra and Rolling Stones to Lady Gaga and Beyonce. At age 40; after having written hundreds of songs, she decided to study music in earnest, and that path culminated in 2017 with a Masters degree in Music from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Her original songs have memorable melodies and clever lyrics. Stellar arrangements and her own skillful guitar playing and vocals, define San's music as soulful and intellectually compelling; from mysterious, darker ballads, to Americana; sultry, danceable Bossa Novas and cool jazz.
Like many composers she has taught music professionally, found stable employment as a church and local musician, and is a committed lifelong learner and educator. In 2017 she created a college syllabus for her course, "Significant Women in Jazz," a socio-historical chronology from the roots of jazz to present time.
All Songs written and arranged by San Gordon ©1996-2024
Published by Gypsy Mojo Music
Additional vocalists and musicians courtesy of Musiversal.com
An eclectic mix of song styles with one commonality: All San Gordon originals--The Queen of Bluesy Jazzy Pop-Rock! Timeless tunes, stellar performances and arrangements, featuring some of Vermont's finest musicians.
Whether it's a a party, wedding, bar, festival, brunch, cocktail hour; or senior event, San has the experience and versatility to provide the right music and set the right tone. With a repertoire that ranges from from Beatles to Bacharach, Billie Holiday to Beyonce, her goal is to enhance your event and entertain!
Since 1985 she has lived and performed in from Vancouver, B.C. to Provincetown, Massachusetts in a 1950's rock and roll show band. In Portland, Oregon, Boston, Austin, and Kansas City, she performed her own original music; Burlington, Vermont she was lead guitarist for 8 years in a well known wedding band, Shakedown. She is now performing in San Diego, California, where she makes her home.
1970's-2020's:
Taylor Swift, , Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jason Mraz, The Rolling Stones, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Chappell Roan, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Dire Straits, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Crowded House, Squeeze, Van Morrison, Chaka Kahn, Michael Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones, The Cranberries, Rhianna, Green Day, Pink Floyd, and more!
1950's-1960's: Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Motown/Soul, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Dionne Warwick, Bacharach, The Ronettes, The Shirelles, Buddy Holly, and Carl Perkins.
American Songbook: It Had To Be You, Just One of Those Things
East of the Sun, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Night and Day, Moon River, My Favorite Things, Fly Me To The Moon, All Of Me, Route 66, Girl From Ipanema, Sunny Side of the Street, and many Holiday Classics.
San earned her living for many years as a miniature mobile maker. Her themes included cats, dogs, feesh, tiny multi-racial "Mermaids of the world"; all hand-sculpted from a colorful, polymer-based clay. Her work was sold in galleries across the globe, from 1989-2000, and has been featured in the Whitney Museum gift shop and both the San Francisco and New York public libraries.
Madeline Kunin, the former governor of Vermont, was given a "Purple Women of the World" mobile as a parting gift from her staff, which she noted in her book, "Living a Political Life." San's craft was a strong presence in the women's culture of the 1990's. Cartoonist/author Alison Bechdel drew one of San's mobiles as part of the decor hanging over a cartoon bathtub, in one of her graphic paperbacks.
Currently, San is using her visual artistry in combination with her music to make video montages
Music Videos