Robert Gordon at the Bowery Electric

At the age of nine in Bethesda, Maryland, Robert Gordon was so inspired by the Elvis Presley song "Heartbreak Hotel" playing on the radio that he decided then to pursue a career as a rock and roll musician. Gordon debuted as a singer at age 15 at a summer camp singing Jackie Wilson’s "Lonely Teardrops." In his late teens he sang in several local bands, recording for the first time at age 17 with the Confidentials, which after several lineup changes became the Newports. Gordon married at age 19, and fathered two sons. In 1970, the family moved to New York City, where he opened a clothing store. In the mid-seventies Gordon became the lead singer of the Tuff Darts, which became a popular rock and roll band in the local punk rock circuit. Just as the band was about to break, Gordon went solo, recording rockabilly songs  initially with Link Wray and then Chris Spedding. Bruce Springsteen wrote "Fire" for Gordon and played keyboards on it, but the Pointer Sisters quickly covered the song and that version eclipsed the Gordon version. Gordon eventually had a moderate hit with Marshall Crenshaw's "Someday Someway" in 1981. Gordon's 11th and most recent album is 2014's I'm Coming Home.

Returning to the Bowery Electric, just one block north of CBGB's, where Gordon got his New York start, Gordon brought his longtime bassist, Rob Stoner, plus guitarist Barry Ryan and drummer Phil Cimino, all veterans of the local music scene. Gordon laid on the floor a large sheet with titles of 26 songs, but was not planning on doing them in order; the first song, a cover of Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," was oddly among the last on the list. Similarly, the entire set was played loosely, with Gordon occasionally responding to requests from the fans, and the band was a team of professionals capable of jumping into any song with a moment's notice. Style-wise, Gordon drew his parameters, and so the band confidently confined itself within classic rock and roll margins. Gordon's baritone was as smooth, muscular and masculine as it was in his early days, and he sang the bad boy boogie songs convincingly. This was fine roots rock and roll all the way.