About

Singer/songwriter Jon Gorey has performed in pubs, subways, cafes, and clubs all over the world, from Seattle to Stockholm, since 1997, including packed full-band shows in New York City and his hometown of Boston. Some say his 2004 anthem ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ which was played on local radio and at Boston-area bars (including the famous Cask n’ Flagon, where the song was recorded live prior to Opening Day in 2004), helped the historically heartbreaking Red Sox win their first World Series title in 86 years.

Jon is a songwriter first and foremost – the charismatic, booming baritone actually came much later. “The whole reason I wanted to learn an instrument as a teenager was just so I could write songs,” he says. “That was all I was really aiming to do.” But once he began performing in subway stations and on city street corners, trying to be heard over screeching trains and the urban din, his trademark powerful voice emerged.

At the same time, a busker was born. “That’s a role I identify with more than any other,” Jon says. “Street performance is where art, travel, and human relationships all intersect. And it’s so honest. There are no microphones or amplifiers to get in the way.”

Jon is also a longtime freelancer for the Boston Globe, where his travel, opinion, and real estate writing has earned him multiple national awards. He is currently a staff writer for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and the author of Home Buying 101, published by Simon & Schuster, which has sold more than 25,000 copies. More important than any of that, he’s a loving dad committed to doing whatever he can to create a more just, joyful, loving, and sustainable world.