Roxy Gordon Explained

Roxy Gordon
Birth Date:March 7, 1945
Death Date:February 7, 2000
Nationality:American
Occupation:Poet, Novelist, Musician, Activist
Birth Place:Ballinger, Texas

Roxy Lee Gordon (March 7, 1945  - February 7, 2000) was an American poet, novelist, musician, multimedia artist, and activist.[1] Described as a "progressive country witness and outlaw poet,"[2] Gordon often used spoken vocals accompanied by music that mixed Native American rhythms with country and Western themes and musicians working in Texas.

Background and education

Gordon was raised in Talpa, Texas, and lived there later in his life.[3] He identified as being of white, Choctaw, and Assiniboine ancestry. A report from Texas Monthly alleged that he was a "pretendian", concluding that he had no Native American heritage. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has stated that Gordon was not enrolled with the tribe. Gordon's son John Calvin has stated that he has found no evidence that his father had Choctaw heritage.[4]

Publishing

In the late 1960s, his wife Judy and he lived in Lodge Pole, Montana, where he published the Fort Belknap Notes, a newsletter of the Fort Belknap reservation. In the 1970s, they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and ran a country-music magazine, Picking up the Tempo. Gordon was also involved in the American Indian Movement and helped find a local chapter in Dallas. His writing was featured in Rolling Stone and the Village Voice[5] and he ran a small publishing company called Wowapi.[6]

Writing

In addition to music and spoken word, Gordon published six books and more than 200 poems, articles, and short fiction; he also coauthored two plays with Choctaw poet and author LeAnne Howe.[7] From July 1992 to February 2000, Gordon published over 100 articles for the Coleman Chronicle & Democrat-Voice. Gordon had a following in England[8] as well as the U.S., and his circle included singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt and others who respected poetic narratives.[9]

Works

His works include:[10] [11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Southern Lit Presents: Roxy Gordon The New Southern Fugitives. TNSF. 2018-08-22. en-US. 2020-03-02.
  2. Book: Jasinski, Laurie E.. Handbook of Texas Music. 2012-02-22. Texas A&M University Press. 978-0-87611-297-7. en.
  3. Book: Seventh Generation: An anthology of Native American plays. D'Aponte, Mimi, Theatre Communications Group. 1-55936-147-6. First. New York. 38886676. 1999.
  4. Web site: His Art Was Real. His Native American Heritage Wasn’t. . . 2024-04-03.
  5. Web site: Some things he did. Liles. Jeff. 2000-05-11. Dallas Observer. 2020-03-02.
  6. Web site: Roxy Gordon on Native American Authors. 2012-08-14.
  7. Web site: GORDON, ROXY LEE [FIRST COYOTE BOY] The Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)]. 2014-08-07. tshaonline.org. en. 2020-03-02.
  8. Greaves. Brendan. 2018. What I Learned from Gay Country, Communist Disco, and a Choctaw Poet's Sermon on Immigration. Southern Cultures. en. 24. 3. 6–29. 10.1353/scu.2018.0029. 149594173. 1534-1488.
  9. Polish Gypsy with Ghost. Chapbook and vinyl single, 1993.
  10. Book: McClinton-Temple. Jennifer. Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature. Velie. Alan. 2015-04-22. Infobase Learning. 978-1-4381-4057-5. en.
  11. Web site: Roxy Gordon Memorial Page. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20040404090536/http://www.lonestarwebstation.com/roxygordon.html. 2004-04-04. 2012-08-14.
  12. Davis, R. M. (1986). Roxy Gordon: "breeds" (book review). Studies in Short Fiction, 23(3), 333.