DAVID GOGO

DAVID GOGO PICKED UP HIS FIRST GUITAR AT AGE FOUR AND HASN'T PUT IT DOWN SINCE. ORIGINALLY INSPIRED BY SEEING ELVIS PRESLEY ON T.V., GOGO SOON REALIZED THAT HIS MUSICAL TASTES WERE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF HIS CONTEMPORARIES. THIS WAS CONFIRMED ON HIS SIXTH BIRTHDAY, WHEN HE WENT INTO HIS ROOM AND SMASHED THE 8 TRACK COPY OF SHAWN CASSIDY'S "DA-DOO-RON-RON" THAT HIS GRANDMOTHER HAD GIVEN HIM, AND CRANKED UP HIS FATHER'S SCRATCHED COPY OF "BOOGIE WITH CANNED HEAT". SOMEHOW THE DISTORTED STRAINS OF HENRY "SUNFLOWER" VESTINE'S GUITAR CHANGED HIM FOR GOOD. GOGO KNEW HE HAD A JOB TO DO.

BY THE TIME HE WAS SIXTEEN, GOGO WAS PLAYING LOCAL BARS IN HIS HOMETOWN OF NANAIMO, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA ON WEEKENDS, AND ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE WEEK. HE WAS A MEMBER OF STAGE BANDS AND JAZZ COMBOS WHICH WON SEVERAL GOLD MEDALS IN NATIONAL COMPETITIONS THROUGHOUT CANADA. HE SOON DISCOVERED THE INFLUENCES BEHIND PEOPLE SUCH AS JIMI HENDRIX, ERIC CLAPTON, AND THE BEATLES, AND BEGAN SEEKING OUT ALBUMS BY MANY BLUES GREATS SUCH AS HOWIN' WOLF, MAGIC SAM AND OTIS RUSH. THUS BEGAN A PERSONAL QUEST FOR THE BLUES. ALTHOUGH STILL UNDERAGE, GOGO WOULD TRAVEL TO VANCOUVER TO SEE AS MANY BLUES SHOWS AS POSSIBLE. HE MANAGED TO GET BACKSTAGE DURING MANY SOUNDCHECKS WITH GIFTS OF LOCAL SMOKED SALMON. OF COURSE HE WAS WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS! HE EVENTUALLY BECAME FRIENDS WITH MANY ARTISTS INCLUDING ALBERT COLLINS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, AND HIS HERO, STEVIE RAY VAUGN.

AFTER GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL, GOGO FORMED "THE PERSUADERS", A TIGHT FOUR PIECE BLUES BAND THAT SOON BECAME VERY POPULAR ON THE WESTERN CANADIAN BAR CIRCUIT. THE PERSUADERS OPENED FOR MANY GREAT ACTS SUCH AS JOHNNY WINTER, JOHN MAYALL, ALBERT COLLINS AMONG OTHERS. THEY ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO VICTORIA RADIO STATION Q-100'S "ROCKTORIA" CD, WHICH GARNERED THE BAND TWO NOMINATIONS AT THE WEST COAST MUSIC AWARDS.

THE WORD WAS OUT AND SOON GOGO WAS AWARDED WITH A MAJOR LABEL RECORDING DEAL WITH EMI. DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS THE PERSUADERS TOURED EUROPE WITH THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS AND GOGO WAS PERSONALLY INVITED TO BE A GUEST PERFORMER AT THE RENOWNED MONTREAUX JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL IN SWITZERLAND. HE PERFORMED ON STAGE WITH BLUES TRAVELLER, OTIS RUSH AND MR. B.B. KING. GOGO ALSO CONTRIBUTED GUITAR PLAYING TO SEVERAL RECORDING PROJECTS MOST NOTABLY, TOM COCHRANE'S MULTIMILLION SELLING "MAD MAD WORLD"

1994 SAW THE RELEASE OF GOGO'S EPONYMOUSLY TITLED DEBUT ALBUM ON EMI. WHTH A NEW POWER TRIO UNIT READY TO GO, THE BAND HIT THE ROAD FOR EDTENSIVE TOURING OF CANADA AND THE U.S. , INCLUDING SEVERAL DATES SUPPORTING JOE SATRIANI. LATER IN THE YEAR THE BAND TRAVELLED TO GERMANY FOR A NATIONAL TOUR WITH JOHN MAYALL AND THE BLUESBREAKERS. AFTER MUCH RADIO AIRPLAY AND SEVERAL TELEVISION APPEARENCES GOGO WAS NOMINATED BY THE CANADIAN ACADEMY OF RECORDING ARTS AND SCIENCES FOR A JUNO AWARD FOR "BEST NEW ARTIST"

CURRENTLY WRITING MATERIAL FOR HIS NEXT ALBUM. GOGO HAS ASSEMBLED A CRACK NEW BAND THAT IS READY, WILLING AND ABLE TO KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!!!