Joe, Gordon Bok must have been having a real off night when you heard him. Too bad.

I've heard him twice, first in Bellingham, WA, then a couple of years later, in Seattle. While he was in Seattle, on the evening before his concert, a bunch of us got together with him on a houseboat on Lake Union (just north of Seattle city center) and swapped songs. He was very outgoing and friendly. He and I swapped guitars for a song or two—he had a Santos Hernandez classic with him—and after playing my Japanese-made classic a bit, he said, "Beautiful, warm sound. It has bells in it." And it was great to hear that voice up close (like dark chocolate). The following evening at the Museum of History and Industry auditorium, he laid down a superb concert. Great program, great voice, and great guitar work.

Don Firth