From August 2026 The Mary Erskine School and Stewart’s Melville College will be one co-ed school for 3–18-year-olds, called Erskine Stewart Melville.

Interview with Todd Gordon, Class of 1976, Professional Singer, Composer and Radio DJ

Todd left DSMC in 1975 after having a challenging time due to family circumstances.  He took a job that gave him some focus for a little while and spent his time following his passion of music outside of work.  A chance encounter with Ella Fitzgerald turned his life and career around and 20 years after this, he started to perform and became a professional singer.  Since then he has opened for famous singers such as Dionne Warwick and featured regularly at major jazz festivals and concerts.  He has released albums, set up a concert promotion business and hosts a weekly radio show – Todd’s Turntable.  He has also been commissioned to write and present tribute programmes for the BBC, honouring Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra amongst others.

Date

30 Jan 2025

Category

All

School Area

All

When you were at school, did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to do next?

From the age of six or seven, if anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my automatic response was an architect or an airline pilot. Later, I remember a careers officer suggesting that perhaps the Civil Service with its security would be a good option. But following my parents’ acrimonious separation and divorce, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. In the early 1970s, one of the remedies was to prescribe me several valium a day! Unfortunately, this set of circumstances led to chronic absenteeism during which time my academic performance – which had always been good – started to nosedive. It was around this time that I genuinely felt I’d blown it and had “FAILURE” tattooed on my forehead.

Did any of your teachers help to inspire your plans?

Generally, the teaching staff at the time were both sympathetic and supportive. My favourite subject was English and John Robertson (who can only have been in his early twenties at the time) was certainly inspirational. Although I’d been a staunch Beatles’ fan from early childhood, around my tenth birthday, I discovered the music of Frank Sinatra and the Great American Songbook. It became my passion; indeed, one of my classmates even nicknamed me Bing (as in Crosby who was a popular singer from the late 1920s through to the mid-1970s when he even duetted with David Bowie). I can vividly recall Mr Robertson staging a lively class debate on ‘pop’ versus ‘popular’ music, and he also encouraged my appreciation of well-written lyrics. But never did I even dream of becoming a singer or performer. Even when home alone and singing along to records, I’d clam up like a shell as soon as anyone was nearby.

Tell us about your early career, what direction did you choose to go in and how did you motivate yourself?

Unfortunately, my absenteeism had reached a peak when my father, understandably, decided to stop paying the fees. The plan was for me to be admitted to the Andrew Duncan Clinic and get myself “sorted out” then resume my education. But when the time came, there wasn’t an available bed in the unit so, aged 16, I went job hunting. I was offered a menial, clerical job which I took and, although I found the work less than stimulating, my fellow staff were salt-of the-earth and gave me confidence that I could use this job as a stepping stone. And then Ella Fitzgerald – one of my musical heroes – came to town!

Tell us about your meeting with Ella Fitzgerald and how she inspired you?

My encounter with Ella Fitzgerald was life-changing. It’s a long story and a full version of it can be found on my website (www.toddgordon.com). As a shy, withdrawn adolescent, November 2nd 1975 was probably the most pivotal moment in my life, and it made me realise that if you put your mind to something, there’s no telling what can be achieved.

How did you keep your passion for music alive and what led to you starting to sing professionally so long after meeting Ella Fitzgerald?

I think a love of music is in my DNA and buying records was an enduring pastime for me. On reaching 30, however,  I decided that with each birthday I’d take up a new hobby. It started with swimming lessons, then diving, followed by ballroom dancing. The year after that it was professional singing lessons and that was me hooked. By this time I was enjoying a successful career running the Scottish wing of an international company organising exhibitions, conferences and events. So singing was purely a hobby – a serious one, but still a hobby. The company held an annual training weekend and for entertainment they’d hired a karaoke machine. Although I’d taken quite a lot of singing lessons by then, I needed some considerable encouragement to get up onstage as I’d never sung in public until that night. To everyone’s surprise – including mine – it went very well and the performing bug bit me. On returning home I started to join local musicians in jazz bars and small clubs and it really took off. From there, I just kept elevating my goals until, in 2003, I was booked to open for Dionne Warwick who was touring the UK. I felt I’d never get another chance like that so took the decision to give up my day job and, I am happy to say, never looked back. It wasn’t the most lucrative career move I ever made but I would still do the same all over again given the chance. It was rewarding in so many other ways.

How do your collaborations come about? Do you seek out these opportunities, perhaps via an agent, or is your name at the top of producer’s minds?

Very seldom do things fall into your lap. I believe that being tenacious, polite, and trying to see the client’s or other person’s point of view will stand anyone in good stead. Being adaptable and innovative can also work wonders. Working in the exhibitions business, one was selling an intangible – literally space in a venue – so it was vital to give a potential exhibitor or visitor the kind of information that would instil confidence when making a decision to participate. And I found many of those skills were transferrable when trying to establish myself as a professional singer and concert promoter.

What has been the most challenging part of your career so far and how did you overcome that challenge?

Finding a job or indeed sector that I wanted to make my career was a challenge. My options were very limited because of a lack of formal qualifications, so I took every opportunity that came my way, treating each job as a rung on my career development ladder. Doing so took me in directions I’d never imagined: working in the exhibitions industry for example. I’d never thought of seeking out a company organising events but, after spotting an advert for a sale position, I found myself starting a career that spanned 22 years staging events across a wide range of business sectors.

How do you balance multiple roles at once? Do you ever have a conflict of interests or timings and how do you resolve these?

I think that is down to temperament and remaining focused. I’ve always been someone who can spin several plates and actually thrive on a variety of tasks or projects.

What advice would you like to give to current pupils when they are considering their future?

Whether one has good qualifications or not, I believe it’s important to harness your passions and be open to – and actively seek out – opportunities which expand your horizons and propel you forward. I am now semi-retired and life has come full circle: quite by chance another career opportunity presented itself. On the back of my singing career and knowledge of the music I love, I was invited to write and present shows on BBC Radio which in turn led to me recording a weekly radio show – Todd’s Turntable – which is currently syndicated to more than 60 stations around the world. Sometimes, opportunities do come from the most unexpected places.

 

photo credit to William Ellis

 

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