David Gogo (born March 18, 1969), is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader who is currently signed to the independent

Cordova Bay Records Cordova Bay Records is an independent record label in Victoria, British Columbia. The label operates in conjunction with Cordova Bay Music Publishing under the parent company Cordova Bay Entertainment Group. The company was founded by Michael Bur ...

label. He was formerly signed to EMI Records. Between 1994 and 2014, he released 12 solo albums. As of 2014, his touring band includes a Hammond organ/piano player, an electric bass player (with a five-string bass) and a drummer. David Gogo is the cousin of Trooper keyboardist Paul Gogo and singer/songwriter John Gogo.

History

Gogo was born in Nanaimo,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, and received his first guitar at the age of five. At the age of 15, he met Stevie Ray Vaughan backstage at the Royal Theatre in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

and was encouraged by the blues legend to pursue a career in blues. By the age of 16, he was getting regular work as a musician. Gogo formed a band called The Persuaders, which eventually opened for blues performers such as

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

and

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

. After a European tour supporting

The Fabulous Thunderbirds The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American blues band formed in 1974. Career After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records and later signed with Epic Recor ...

, Gogo signed a solo record deal with EMI Records. He soon after performed at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

with the likes of

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

, Otis Rush and Blues Traveler. He also guested on

Tom Cochrane Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music H ...

Mad Mad World ''Mad Mad World'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock singer Tom Cochrane, originally released in 1991 in Canada and in the United States on February 17, 1992. The first single from the album, " Life Is a Highway", became a hit in late ...

album while working on material for his upcoming debut album. The album ''David Gogo'' received a nomination for a Juno Award. Despite its many successes, Gogo's debut album was never released in the United States, and Gogo made the decision to leave EMI Records in order to pursue his passion for the blues. His next album, ''Dine Under the Stars'', was released in Europe by French label Dixiefrog Records. He also signed with Canadian Independent label Ragged Pup/Cordova Bay Records. Several successful European tours and American blues festival appearances followed, as well as the albums ''Change of Pace'' (a rock-oriented blues album) and ''Bare Bones'' (an acoustic blues album) in 2000. Gogo was named Musician of the Year at the 1999/2000 West Coast Music Awards. ''Halfway to Memphis'' was released by Cordova Bay Records and Dixiefrog Records (Europe) in 2001. The first single from the album, ''Skeleton Key'', a blues-inspired rendition of the song "

Personal Jesus "Personal Jesus" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), in 1989. It reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the ''Billbo ...

" by Depeche Mode, was released in the summer of 2002. Gogo's version of ''Personal Jesus'' earned him an award for Guitarist of the Year at the

Maple Blues Awards The Maple Blues Awards are Canada’s blues awards, "honouring the finest in Canadian blues". They are the only comprehensive national best in blues awards program. The program's goal is to promote blues music across Canada, and to recognize out ...

for 2002. The special ''Live At Deer Lake: Official Bootleg Series - Volume 1'' is a live recording of songs mostly found on ''Skeleton Key''. The recording was made for broadcast on

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

's Rock 101 by blues DJ Norm Casler (Storman Norman) at the 2002

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

Blues Festival in Deer Lake Park. Due to popular demand, the recording was released as an album in 2003. The album was nominated for a 2004 Juno Award in Canada. Gogo's eighth album, entitled ''Vibe'', is a compilation of original songs written with Tom Wilson,

Craig Northey Craig Northey (born February 9, 1962) is a Canadian musician and film and TV composer. He is one of the founding members of the band Odds, which released four albums between 1991 and 1996. They were best known for the radio singles " It Falls Apa ...

(

Odds Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. Odds also have ...

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...

) and

John Capek John Joseph Capek is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, producer. Biography John Capek was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). on 27 November 1947. He is the son of Fred Capek, a concert pianist and Mechanical Engineer, and ...

. ''Vibe'' was released in 2004 and showcases Gogo's vocal strengths and guitar skills on songs such as "I'll Do Anything" and "300 Pound Shoes".

Jeff Healey Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " A ...

made a guest appearance with a guitar solo on "She's All Right". In 2004 Gogo also made a guest appearance on Bob Walsh's album ''Bob Walsh Live – A Canadian Blues Rendez-Vous''. He also received his second Guitarist of the Year award at the

in 2004. In 2006, Gogo released another acoustic blues album as part of his Bootleg Series. ''Acoustic: Official Bootleg Series - Volume 2'' features the rich tones of Gogo's 1930 National Steel guitar as well as his 1915

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

and a modern-day

12-string A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

. ''Acoustic'' was nominated for a Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year. In 2008, Gogo's music was featured in the

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

movie, ''

Kill Switch A kill switch, also known as an emergency stop (E-stop), emergency off (EMO) and as an emergency power off (EPO), is a safety mechanism used to shut off machinery in an emergency, when it cannot be shut down in the usual manner. Unlike a normal ...

''. Gogo's tenth album was recorded in his own home in

Nanaimo, British Columbia Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "Hub City," which was ...

with the sights of the 160-acre Christmas tree farm and forest that make up the Gogo family compound to inspire him. ''Different Views'' was produced by Juno-nominated producer Russell Broom (

Jann Arden Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She is famous for her signature ballads, "Could I Be Your Girl" and " Insensitive", which is her biggest hit to date. Early life and educat ...

, Sam Roberts, The Dudes) with guests Shaun Verrault (

Wide Mouth Mason Wide Mouth Mason is a Canadian blues-based rock band, consisting of Shaun Verreault (Lead Vocals, Guitar) and Safwan Javed (Percussion, Backing Vocals). Former bassist Earl Pereira was also co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason. The band hails from S ...

), roots diva Carolyn Mark, and jazz great Phil Dwyer. ''Different Views'' was released in July 2009. In June 2011, David Gogo released his eleventh album, titled ''Soul Bender'', named after the Fulltone guitar pedal of the same name. ''Soul Bender'' is a combination of original songs and covers, including "The Changeling" by

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

and "The Way You Make Me Feel" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. The album was nominated for JUNO Award (Blues Album of the Year), a SiriusXM INDIES Award (Blues Recording of the Year), and won "Blues Recording of the Year" at the 2012 Western Canadian Music Awards. Gogo's next project was a Christmas album, titled ''Christmas With The Blues''. It was released on November 13, 2012 and features seven blues-inspired standards and two originals and is a blend of traditional blues with a few hints of roots, gospel and rock ‘n roll. Sitting in on the recording were Canadian musicians Bill Hicks, David Vest, Phil Dwyer, Shawn Hall, Tina Jones, and Camille Miller. Despite living on a Christmas Tree Farm, Gogo wasn't originally enthused about the idea of making a Christmas album, but while listening to some old Christmas classics from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, he discovered a lot of blues-based songs that are the basis of this album. In July 2013, David Gogo released his 13th album, ''Come On Down''. The aptly titled album features twelve diverse tunes; six reinvented yet classic covers and six originals inspired by a pilgrimage he did along the "Blues Trail" in Memphis, Mississippi and Alabama. Musicians including Rick May, David Vest, Shawn Hall ( Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer), Billy Hicks, and Tina Jones appear on the album. The album was nominated for a Juno award in the category of Blues Album of the Year. In September 2015, David Gogo released his 14th album, "Vicksburg Call." The album features ten songs; six originals and four covers, and was recorded with producer Rick Salt in Nanaimo, British Columbia. "Vicksburg Call" was recorded with David Gogo's backing band, featuring Bill Hicks on drums and Jay Stevens on bass. The album also features guest appearances by Shawn Hall ( Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer) and Kim Simmonds (

Savoy Brown Savoy Brown (originally Savoy Brown Blues Band) were an English blues rock band formed in Battersea, south west London, in 1965. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where t ...

Discography

Solo

*1994 ''David Gogo'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

) *2000 ''Dine Under the Stars'' (Ragged Pup/

) *2000 ''Bare Bones'' (Ragged Pup/Cordova Bay Records) *2000 ''Change of Pace'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2001 ''Halfway to Memphis'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2002 ''Skeleton Key'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2003 ''Live At Deer Lake: Official Bootleg Series Vol. 1'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2004 ''Vibe'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2006 ''Acoustic: Official Bootleg Series Vol. 2'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2009 ''Different Views'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2011 ''Soul-Bender'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2012 ''Christmas With The Blues'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2013 ''Come On Down'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2015 ''Vicksburg Call'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2018 ''17 Vultures'' (Cordova Bay Records) *2021 ''Silver Cup'' (Cordova Bay Records)

Compilation inclusions

*2006 '' Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years'' ( CBC)

Awards and accolades

Juno Awards

The

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

are presented by the

Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is a non-profit organization responsible for promoting Canadian music and artists. It administers the Juno Awards, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the MusiCounts music education cha ...

. , - , , , David Gogo , , Best New Solo Artist , , , - , , , David Gogo ''Live at Deer Lake'' , , Blues Album of the Year , , , - , , , David Gogo ''Acoustic'' , , Blues Album of the Year , , , - , , , David Gogo ''Soul Bender'' , , Blues Album of the Year , , , - , , , David Gogo ''Come On Down'' , , Blues Album of the Year , , , -

Maple Blues Awards

The

are Canada’s blues awards, "honouring the finest in Canadian blues". They are the only comprehensive national best in blues awards program. The program's goal is to promote

blues music Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

across Canada, and to recognize outstanding achievement. The Maple Blues Awards have been presented by the Toronto Blues Society since their inception in 1997. , - , 2002 , , David Gogo , , Guitarist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5", 2003 , , David Gogo , , Entertainer of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Guitarist of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Songwriter of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo ''Skeleton Key'' , , Recording of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", 2004 , , David Gogo , , Entertainer of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Guitarist of the Year , , , - , 2005 , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , 2009 , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , 2010 , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", 2011 , , David Gogo , , Guitar Player of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , 2012 , , David Gogo , , Guitar Player of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", 2013 , , David Gogo , , Guitar Player of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3", 2015 , , David Gogo , , Guitar Player of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Electric Act of the Year , , , - , , David Gogo , , Entertainer of the Year , ,

Canadian Indie Awards

The INDIE Music Awards happen every March in Toronto as part of

Canadian Music Week Canadian Music Week (or CMW) is an industry conference and music festival held over ten days in Toronto and Ontario, Canada. History Canadian Music Week began in 1981 and has grown to become one of Canada's largest and most influential media a ...

. , - , 2008 , , David Gogo ''Acoustic'' , , Blues Album of the Year , , , - , 2012 , , David Gogo , , Blues Artist of the Year , ,

Western Canadian Music Awards

The

Western Canadian Music Awards The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) are an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from B ...

is an annual awards ceremony for music in the western portion of Canada, that originated in its current form in 2003. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of five Member groups from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Yukon. , - , 2007 , , David Gogo ''Acoustic'' , , Outstanding Blues Recording , , , - , 2012 , , David Gogo ''Soul Bender'' , , Blues Recording of the Year , , , - , 2014 , , David Gogo ''Come On Down'' , , Blues Recording of the Year , ,

Great Canadian Blues Award

The

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

Saturday Night Blues ''Saturday Night Blues'' is a Canadian radio program, which airs Saturday nights on CBC Music. Hosted by Holger Petersen, the program airs a mix of blues concerts, recordings and interviews with blues musicians. ''SNB'' first broadcast on CBC Radi ...

established The Great Canadian Blues Awards in 1990. The program presents an annual Great Canadian Blues Award to the year's best Canadian blues musician. At the time it was created, the Great Canadian Blues Award was the only official recognition for Canadian blues artists. This award pre-dates the blues Juno, the Maple Blues Awards, and many other regional awards. , - , 2004 , , David Gogo , , Best Canadian Blues Musician , ,

West Coast Music Awards

The West Coast Music Awards were an annual music awards ceremony, presenting awards to musicians from

and the

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

. In 2003, the West Coast Music Awards combined with

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, and

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

to form the

. , - , 2000 , , David Gogo , , Musician of the Year , ,

References

External links

Official David Gogo web site David Gogo MySpace pageMaple Music Biography of David Gogo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gogo, David Canadian blues guitarists Canadian male guitarists 1969 births Musicians from British Columbia Living people People from Nanaimo