Vicente Gómez (8 July 1911 – 23 December 2001) was a Spanish guitarist and composer.

Biography

Gómez was born in Madrid, where he learned his trade in a tavern owned by his father, located in the red-light district of Madrid. He worked there until he was 25 when he visited Russia. He was involved in politics and opposed to General Franco. He visited Cuba and Mexico, and he was discovered while making a radio show in Mexico. He worked in New York and toured South America. In 1943, he became a U.S. citizen and served in the American army. In 1950 he performed in the Cary Grant film ''

Crisis A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...

'' as the guitarist Cariago in an uncredited performance. In the 1950s, he signed with American

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, he composed for Hollywood films, and then he retired to compose and teach. Gómez's students included

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

and the wife of

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...

Musical compositions

Original theme for guitar and orchestra, soundtrack of the film '' Blood and Sand'' (1941), played by the composer himself. "Verde luna" (''Green Moon''), rumba Bolero, also featured in ''Blood and Sand''. It was recorded by

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

and his orchestra featuring Victoria Cordova and

John Serry Sr. John Serry Sr. (born John Serrapica; January 29, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voice ...

in 1949. and also recorded by the Italian accordionist Beppe Junior in 2003 for his album ''Liscioterapia'' (Europlay, CD 0189).

Legacy

The archives of Vicente Gomez, which document his music library collection, his original compositions, teaching career, and his days in the U.S. Army, which includes scores, photographs, sound recordings, are held at the University Library at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

References

External links

Vicente Gómez recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Vicente 1911 births 2001 deaths Composers for the classical guitar Decca Records artists Musicians from Madrid Spanish male guitarists 20th-century Spanish guitarists 20th-century Spanish male musicians United States Army personnel of World War II Spanish emigrants to the United States