José González (singer)

José González
José González performing at NOS Primavera Sound in Porto, Portugal, in 2015.
Background information
Born	(1978-07-31) 31 July 1978 (age 38)
Origin	Gothenburg, Sweden
Genres	Indie folk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Classical guitar, Vocals, Bass guitar
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Imperial, Parasol, Mute, Peacefrog
Associated acts	Junip, Zero 7
Website	www.jose-gonzalez.com

José Gabriel González (born 31 July 1978) is an Argentinian-Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden. González is also a member of the Swedish band Junip, along with Tobias Winterkorn.

In 1976 the González family, of academic psychologist father, mother, and older sister, then an infant, fled Argentina, after an ultra-conservative military junta seized power in March 1976, the beginning of the "Dirty War". José was born two years later, 1978, in a suburb of Gothenburg, Sweden. He commented, "It's a very small town. It has about a half-million people living there. It's a pretty good music city by the ocean. It rains a lot there, but it's beautiful in the summertime." González grew up listening to Latin folk and pop music and has named Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez as a favourite artist. He said the first concert he went to was "The Wailers. I got their autographs and everything. I was about 12 or so. At the time, my favourite music was Bob Marley and Michael Jackson."

The first band he played in was Back Against the Wall, a Gothenburg hardcore punk band influenced by Black Flag, The Misfits and the Dead Kennedys. He later played bass guitar in another hardcore band, Renascence, between 1993–1998. Between 1997 and 1998 José played guitar with rock band Only if You Call Me Jonathan.

In June 2003 González released his debut solo release, a two-track 7" single. The single was discovered by Joakim Gävert, co-founder of the then fledgling label Imperial Records who then signed González as their first official artist. In October he released his debut album, Veneer, in Europe. The album was subsequently released in the UK on 25 April 2005, and in the United States on 6 September 2005. The album was made while González was studying for a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Gothenburg, which he has not completed due to a lack of time since his musical career has taken off.