Gordon T. Ledbetter has long had a passion for opera and the early history of sound recording, with a special interest in John McCormack. He is the author of two books on the Irish tenor, with his latest biography “The Great Irish Tenor” was released by TownHouse Press in 2004.
For Zampano Productions, he wrote and presented a documentary on the life of McCormack that makes up part of the critically acclaimed DVD box set, “John McCormack, Icon Of An Age – The Anthology”. The set includes his introduction to the hitherto unknown letters of McCormack to baritone, J.C. Doyle, published for the first time. Included are four CDs encompassing some of McCormack’s finest recorded repertoire with a commentary by Gordon, along with four unpublished recordings and five by his children.
Gordon broadcast extensively on Radio Éireann, Lyric FM and the BBC and lectured frequently in the United States. He wrote and presented a documentary for BBC Radio 4 on the black contralto, Marian Anderson, which won a Sony best classical music programme of the year award.
The following recording is of a talk Gordon gave to the students of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2017. It’s a wonderful journey through popular songs and classical repertoire to reveal why McCormack was adored by both the general public and the more demanding classical enthusiasts.
John McCormack Society 