Gordon Gano

Gordon Gano
Gano in concert with Violent Femmes, 2006
Background information
Birth name	Gordon James Gano
Born	(1963-06-07) June 7, 1963 (age 53) Connecticut, United States
Origin	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Genres	Alternative rock, post-punk
Occupation(s)	Musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, violin
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Slash Records, Reprise, Elektra, Mushroom, Beyond, Yep Roc

Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician. He is best known for being the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American alternative rock band Violent Femmes.

Gano was born in Connecticut to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano. The Gano family moved to Wisconsin in 1973, when his father opened an American Baptist church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Rev. Gano, an accomplished actor, also formed a community theater group in Oak Creek, and Gordon appeared in many of its productions, notably "Sing Out, Sweet Land" in 1976. His father played guitar, and exposed his son to a wide array of musical genres, including country and western, show tunes, and gospel. The liner notes to the band's compilation album Permanent Record describe Gano as "a devout Baptist".

Older siblings from his parents' previous marriages living in the NYC area exposed the young Gano to such influences as The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Patti Smith, Jonathan Richman, and The B-52's. Gordon's garage band days began with covers of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and moved through Grateful Dead (Hunter/Garcia) songs to Lou Reed and Velvet Underground songs by 1979. Gordon began writing his own songs in the mid '70s, influenced by the vocal stylings of Lou Reed, the story-telling of Hank Williams, Sr. and the poetics of Patti Smith's "Babelogue". Given his acting background, Gordon wrote many of his songs for characters, whom he would portray while performing the associated song.

In 1979 the Gano family moved to nearby Hales Corners, where his father took over an existing American Baptist congregation. At this time Gordon began attending Milwaukee public school—Rufus King High School, from which he graduated in 1981. After graduating from high school, he worked briefly as an encyclopedia salesman.