Winter 2024

tions around the country run by people who weren’t being told what to play and were just having a good time playing what they wanted and liked.” He thought that if he could organ- ize them, it would create a powerhouse to get alternative voices into the community. Gordon’s company, Thirsty Ear Communica- tions, produced several media properties, one of which was “Words and Music,” interviews that Gordon conducted with major artists such as David Bowie, Bon Jovi, Sting and Hall and Oates. They consisted of vinyl recordings of the musician providing commentary while their music played. It was a win-win. “These were a promotional and marketing technique for record companies and free programming for the sta- tions we sent them to all over the nation.” From here, the entrepreneur worked with some of the giants of the late 20th century music business, including MTV (“Left of the Dial” about up-and-coming artists) and the legendary Dick Clark. “I pitched him on doing a music and news show, “A Day to Remember,” leading up to the millennium. I had exclusive access to the BBC archives for that and it ran for several years.” Newsweek magazine tapped Thirsty Ear to produce a pop culture show called “Newsweek FM” that fea- tured many stars, including Richard Branson, Stephen King and Sean Connery during the Bond years. Gordon’s Thirsty Ear record label produced hundreds of titles and garnered a Grammy nod plus Record Label of the Year in several music magazines. Gordon produced an exclusive North American premier of the all- C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 149 Photo: Courtesy of Peter Gordon Thirsty Ear Recordings started life as a co-venture with Columbia Records and later became an independent label. The record label produced hundreds of titles in a wide range of genres and garnered a Grammy nod. During his several decades long career in the music business, Gordon worked with Duran Duran and many other top recording acts. Today, he has turned his focus on performing and recording his own music. Photo: Ebet Roberts/Getty Images