(Vince Hoffard - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - Southern Illinoisan)

In the genre of folk music , there are many superstars. Names like Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Kathy Mattea, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Pete Seeger dominate the industry. It would be fair to stick the "legendary" tag on any of these individuals.

 

When compiling data for 2008, it's quickly apparent that a name familiar to Southern Illinois music fans can be added to that list. The Gordons have become a major player on the national level with the release of its latest project, "Our Time."

 

Powered by a recording with nine popular cuts, the Sparta-based duo finished with the No. 10 album for the year.

 

"We're ecstatic," says low-key front man Gary Gordon. "To get in the Top 100 is almost impossible, when you consider the vast number of records released every year. It's a real honor to be ranked so high."

 

It took The Gordons six years to follow up the release of "Time Will Tell Our Story." During that period, the duo created many musical gems as songwriters, drawing on true-life experiences of love and redemption and hope after loss on songs like "I Can't Settle Down," "Blackjack Davey" and "After All This Time."

 

The new album also included an interpretation of the standard "Shady Grove" and Norman Blake's haunting "Lincoln's Funeral Train."

 

"We knew almost immediately that we had done something special," Gary said. "Usually, an album will have three or four solid songs, but the world of folk music played every cut on the record. We started receiving letters from all over the world saying how people were inspired by the songs or the impeccable production."

 

There is deep emotional attachment to every track, but none greater than "A Child's Song," which Gary wrote and recorded the day his mother died.

"It was a real gift from above," he said.

 

The top 10 ranking of the album was based on airplay from 200 radio stations in various markets. Crunching the numbers ever further results in The Gordons walking away as No. 32 in overall popularity, and the single, "I Can't Settle Down," was ranked at No. 31 for the year.

 

The Gordons formed in the 1970s, when they began touring the Midwest with a guitar, banjo, fiddle and upright bass. Gary would pick lead guitar and dobro. His wife, Roberta, added autoharp. They would share lead vocals and provide harmony when necessary.

 

Through the years, there have been many variations of the band, but two things have remained constant. There is always clean and uncluttered picking, and the vocals are top-shelf. The subtle influences of Guy Clark and Doc Watson are present, but the duo draws from unlimited individual talent to create a sound equal to any other on the market.

 

Gary said satellite radio has played an important role in pushing The Gordons to new heights.

 

"I received an e-mail from a person listening to 'Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon,' and they heard our song 'All My Tears' played in between a song by Miles Davis and John Coltrane," he said. "It floored me."

 

The huge success of the last album has created a big dilemma for The Gordons . They own Alligator Music in Sparta. They have a store manager, so pursuing music full-time would not be a problem. But last year, Gary opened Inside-Out Studio in Sparta, and business has been booming. Customers have come from Florida, California and Tennessee.

 

"The success of our last record has been good for me as a producer. People hear the quality and get an idea of what we can do for them in the studio. As a result, I've got to work on a lot of records," he said. "That would be tough to do if we were gone all the time."

 

Right now, in tough economic times, Gary said there are no plans to buy a big bus and hit the road as a full-time musical act. Instead, he's going to hunker down with his wife and record another album this year.

 

"Our manager says it's a necessity," he said, adding there is no deadline for completion.

 

The Gordons plan to be active at local festivals and fairs this year, but no live shows are on the immediate schedule. They will play in Memphis for five days in February.