John “Poppa” Gordy (1904–1961)

John “Poppa” (or “Papa”) Gordy was a popular Dixieland jazz leader who recorded with Chet Atkins and opened for Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi. Gordy bridged the gap between ragtime and jazz with his signature piano style.

John Thomas Gordy was born on October 20, 1904, in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) to Thomas Lucian Gordy and Lillian Eleanor Mulvey. Gordy demonstrated an early fascination with the piano, playing ragtime and New Orleans–style jazz.

During his twenties, he followed a traditional jazz band around the country. He befriended many fellow piano players, and sometimes played piano with jazz bands.

On February 2, 1928, he married Margaret Ruth Poe in Garland (Miller County). Their son, John Thomas Gordy Jr., would later play professional football for the Detroit Lions from 1957 to 1967.

By the mid-1930s, Gordy had developed into an exceptional rhythm piano player for jazz and country bands. He played at a variety of venues from hotels to high school dances. He played on a few recordings, though he did not receive credit for them.

In 1946, Jim Bulleit founded Bullet Records in Nashville, Tennessee, and Gordy joined him as a session pianist. Gordy played with artists like the duo Homer and Jethro (Henry D. “Homer” Haynes and Kenneth C. “Jethro” Burns) and Chet Atkins, who would go on to become famous country singers. He also played piano for the Atkins’s shows.

In the latter half of 1948, Gordy became known as “Poppa” (or “Papa”) John because of his signature “Salty Dog Rag” style. It was soon copied by many country artists. Gordy’s style bridged the gap between the easygoing Nashville style and the more polished jazz arrangements of Lou Busch.

He later migrated to RCA Records at the urging of Atkins. On September 26, 1956, he was one of the opening acts at the Mississippi Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo, Mississippi, when Elvis Presley returned to his birthplace as a twenty-one-year-old superstar to establish the Homecoming Tour.

In 1955, Gordy also recorded an album that integrated songs from his previous recordings. In 1957, he recorded a second album. On February 5, 1961, he died in Nashville at the age of fifty-six. His final record compilation was released after his death that year.

For additional information:
Clark, Jim. “The First Tupelo Elvis Show Was Aug. 1, 1955.” Lee County Courier, April 20, 2016. http://www.leecountycourier.net/news/the-first-tupelo-elvis-show-was-aug-1-1955/article_066baca7-2779-5340-891a-e21fc21dd462.html (accessed July 26, 2024).

“John Gordy.” Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/artist/1293310-John-Gordy#:~:text=%22Poppa%22%20John%20Gordy%20 (accessed July 26, 2024).

Ninfa O. Barnard
Pine Bluff, Arkansas

A version of this entry was previously published on the website ExplorePineBluff.com and is reprinted here, in a slightly altered form, with permission.