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SALMON FEST 2017: David Gogo and Paul Black bring rockin’ blues to Salmon Festival

Some of the best blues will be on the stage Saturday night at Salmon Fest as David Gogo and Paul Black take turns entertaining festival goers between 6–10 p.m.
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David Gogo of Nanaimo brings his blues rock sound to Port Alberni.

Some of the best blues will be on the stage Saturday night at Salmon Fest as David Gogo and Paul Black take turns entertaining festival goers between 6–10 p.m.

David Gogo’s groove-fueled blend of blues and rock is the basis for a singular and storied music career. His songs have been featured in film and television and are regularly played on blues radio programs the world over. He has earned numerous Canadian blues accolades, including five JUNO nominations, a Western Canadian Music Award, a CBC Saturday Night Blues Award, and multiple Maple Blues Awards.

A Vancouver Island favourite, he has 30 years of performing and hundreds of thousands of tour miles under his belt. He’s played on stage with Johnny Winter, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Albert Collins and Bo Diddley. He has opened for George Thorogood, ZZ Top, The Tragically Hip, Buddy Guy, Charles Bradley, Robert Cray, and Jimmy Vaughan among many others. Gogo can swap road stories for as long as you can listen!

Vicksburg Call is Gogo’s 14th release and is poised to add even more acclaim to his already impressive inventory. Undoubtedly a rockin’ blues album, it was recorded at Rick Salt’s brand new studio in Gogo’s hometown of Nanaimo. Gogo was inspired to make use of a wider range of guitars from his extensive collection on this album and experimented with his newly acquired Gibson Les Paul and a Martin D 35 that had him playing and writing outside of his usual approach.

Since the release of Gogo’s 2013 album, Come On Down, several of the blues greats that he has had the good fortune to call friends and colleagues have passed into “legend” status, Johnny Winter and B.B. King top among them.

“There were many sad days, but also tears of joy when I think back at fond memories from my time on the road. Relationships can also have their ups and downs as the years pass by, and many of my new songs deal with this”, reflects Gogo.

Gogo’s warm, rugged, seasoned vocals, and his extraordinary, virtuosic guitar talents are sure to make Saturday night at SalmonFest a memorable one.

Born and raised in Terrace BC, Paul Black received his first guitar at 16 but didn’t pick it up until he was 18 – and he hasn’t put it down since. Raised on gospel and country, Paul played in rock bands until the defining moment when his cousin gave him tickets to see Stevie Ray Vaughn.

From then on it was nothin’ but the blues.

After moving south to Victoria, Black, with his slow-burning, soulful sound, has been featured with the likes of Etta James, Robert Cray and Robin Trower on the North American syndicated show Blues Deluxe out of Arlington Texas.

An avid singer-songwriter, Black has gone on to win the Vancouver Island Original Music Competition and seized first place in the province-wide Shaw Star Discovery Competition. He has jumped onto the International scene winning first place in the Song of the Year competition for his song About You, beating out thousands of entries for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

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Paul Black played in rock bands until he saw Stevie Ray Vaughn in concert. Now he’s known for his soulful blues sound, with a hint of rock. SUBMITTED PHOTO