In karaoke bars, some people are more eager to sing than others. For one Lansing man, his passion for karaoke has led to him reaching a remarkable milestone.
Those who attend community musical theatre performances in Lansing have probably seen Gordon Clark. He’s been in a couple dozen shows, usually in the background but singing with gusto.
Musical theatre entered his life when he got a role in a Lansing production of Oliver in 2001. One evening, a group of cast members went to a local karaoke night, and Clark tagged along. As a group, they sang "Summer Nights" from Grease, and he was hooked.
He’s become a familiar face in both the theatre and karaoke scenes since then, with most folks just calling him Gordo.
Over time, Clark noticed that while many people had a handful of go-to songs, he liked to try new material.
I thought, well, maybe I know more songs than the average person. Wouldn’t it be fun just to kind of write them down?
“I thought, well, maybe I know more songs than the average person. Wouldn’t it be fun just to kind of write them down?” he explained.
"The first time I just took a pen to paper, I came up with about 100 to 120 different ones that I’d done, and ... that was the germ. That was my first list.”
That list has grown over the years, and a couple of months ago, Clark announced to his friends that he would celebrate his 68th birthday by singing the 3,000th different title of his karaoke career.
With a list that long, coming up with new songs has become challenging. The task has been aided by online music streaming services and a mobile trivia game he plays called SongPop.
Clark says music has always been a part of his life.
My mother was a performer. My dad was a performer, and so it was just natural that I was going to be onstage someday.
"My mother was a performer. My dad was a performer, and so it was just natural that I was going to be onstage someday, and I was. It kind of mirrors my journey, and it kind of just says 'Here I am. This is why I’m here. Now sing along with me, y’all!'”
So, what would song number 3,000 be? He wouldn’t say in advance, only hinting that his choice spoke to him in a profound way.
On the day after his birthday in mid-June, several dozen of Gordo’s friends gathered for karaoke at One North to celebrate.
A lot of them are theatre types with musical experience, and many of them sang. When Gordo was called up to the microphone, the secret was revealed. Song number 3,000 would be "Thank You For the Music" by ABBA.
Glasses were raised, Gordo’s friends sang along and afterwards, there were hugs and a few tears.
Some of his friends wrote special lyrics to songs in his honor. His sister Amy, who sings a fair amount of karaoke herself, serenaded Gordo with "He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother."
The next day, Gordo said he was still on cloud nine. As for picking "Thank You For the Music," he says the lyrics show how much music means to him. It isn’t one of ABBA’s biggest hits, though it is featured in the jukebox musical Mamma Mia! He had been a little concerned that people might not have recognized it.
I have a lot of old material that I either sing well and would love to sing again, or I was so bad the first time that I want to make it right the next time!
"A few people said, 'No, I hadn’t heard it before.' But then, I had another person say 'This is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, and we just thought it was perfect.' It was executed beautifully, and that made my heart glad," he said.
With number 3,000 in the books, Clark says he’ll keep singing, though he feels less of a need to add new titles to his list.
“I have a lot of old material that I either sing well and would love to sing again, or I was so bad the first time that I want to make it right the next time! So, I have a lot to do coming up.”
After all, there’s always 3,001.
