John Gorka belongs on the list of greatest musicians who currently call Minnesota home. In addition to writing beloved ballads like "Love Is Our Cross to Bear" and "Blue Chalk," the 66-year-old baritone has harmonized with Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith and Suzanne Vega.

But Gorka, who lives near Stillwater, is far from a household name. That's partly because of the declining popularity of folk music. It's also because he keeps a low profile, saving his quick wit for performances, which include a stop Saturday at the Parkway in Minneapolis.

Gorka, who is preparing to put out his 16th studio album later this year, spoke last week via Zoom from New Jersey, where he had played the previous evening.

Q: I'm sure when you started off, there was this romance about being out on the road. Is that still there?

A: I like long-distance drives where I can let my mind go. Sometimes it leads to songs. Then you've got to see if you remember what you came up with.

Q: How else do you entertain yourself?

Elizabeth Flores, The Minnesota Star Tribune
John Gorka, one of Minnesota's most famous folk artists, has flown under the radar despite being one of the most respected musicians in his genre.

A: Sometimes rental cars have satellite radio. That's fun. I like audio books a lot.

Q: What's the last one you listened to?

A: I'm in the middle of Doris Kearns Goodwin's "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s." I lived through that time, but I didn't pay that much attention. I remember being kind of against [Lyndon] Johnson because of the Vietnam War, but my third- and fourth-grade teacher told us he was doing a lot of good. I was just in Ann Arbor, and I mentioned to the audience that was where the idea for the Peace Corps was born. It was also the site of the Great Society speech.

Q: I feel like folk singers and comedians who play clubs in small and big cities have a better understanding of our country than those who live in their bubbles.

A: In the places I play, there's not a lot of distance between you and the audience. There's no pretending. But I'm by myself so much of the time, in my own head. My overall goal is to make people feel less alone. That's what music did for me.

Q: What artists gave you comfort when you were growing up?

A: A lot of them start with the letter "J." Jackson Browne, Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, John Prine. He was able to write humor without making it a jokey song.

Q: Your voice blends so beautifully with others. Who is on the wish list of collaborators?

A: Oh, I think if I said it, then it would surely not happen.

Q: OK, pick someone who has passed away.

A: That's better. Steve Goodman would be one. I never got to meet him, but I made eye contact with him backstage at a folk festival in 1983. I wish I had met Gordon Lightfoot and [folk legend] John Stewart.

Q: You've lived in Minnesota since 1996. When did you start feeling like you were one of us?

A: Maybe when I started saying my O's differently.

Q: What are advantages to being based in Minnesota rather than L.A., New York or Nashville?

A: There's a certain amount of civility in Minnesota. I wonder if it's because you don't know who you'll have to depend on when weather is life-threatening. It's a good idea to be nice to everyone.

Q: Have you written any songs about Minnesota?

A: Let's see. I must have something. [starts scrolling on his computer]. Oh, "Temporary Road." I wrote that the first time I saw people drive trucks on the river in the wintertime. I never saw that when I was living in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Q: Where do you hang out when you're back?

A: Mostly at home. I don't hang out that much. I keep to myself.

Q: What's date night with your wife?

A: Costco. We did recently eat at Olio in Bayport. It was very nice.

Q: Ever go to the movies?

A: Sometimes. I wanted to see "A Complete Unknown" in the theater, but we ended up watching it on TV.

Q: What did you think?

A: They kind of played fast and loose with the facts. The people who inspired him in Greenwich Village like Tom Paxton and Dave Van Ronk were kind of glossed over. And the whole thing with Pete Seeger. He wasn't mad because Dylan was playing electric. He was mad at the sound system. He thought the audience couldn't understand the words to "Maggie's Farm."

Q: You've covered a lot of Dylan songs. Do you have a favorite?

A: "Girl From the North Country." Maybe because I married a girl from the North Country.

Q: Have you ever met Dylan?

A: No. I'm fine meeting him just musically. That's all I need.

An Evening With John Gorka

When: 7:30 p.m. Sat.

Where: Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $25-$35, theparkwaytheater.com