RAMON GOOSE

 

Ramon Goose (born 16 January 1975) is an English guitarist, singer and producer, known for his work with the West African Blues Project and the hip hop blues band NuBlues, for his mastery of the slide guitar, and for producing albums for American blues artists. As a solo artist he has toured across the world performing concerts (including performing at Buckingham Palace) and released several albums to critical acclaim.

Goose was born and raised in Colchester, Essex, England, influenced by blues, jazz and African music (citing artists such as Ry Cooder and Davey Graham as major influences to his style). He started out with British band NuBlues as guitarist, chief songwriter and producer. With NuBlues he made the album Dreams of a Blues Man (released on Dixiefrog Records in Europe, 21st Century Blues Records in the United States, and published by Metisse Music) and has toured all over Europe, with Eric Burdon, the Blind Boys of Alabama and others; performed with James Brown's bandleader Pee Wee Ellis; and worked with Chris Thomas King. After a short stint with American bluesman Eric Bibb, in 2006, Goose went on to produce, perform on and co-write critically acclaimed albums for other blues artists. His production for Mississippi blues artist Boo Boo Davis was voted Top Ten Blues Album in a MOJO magazine poll in 2006, and his production of Billy Jones (based in Arkansas) — both on Black and Tan Records — also received accolades from critics.[who?] Recent projects have included an album with Senegalese musician Diabel Cissokho, and production of the second NuBlues album, Snow on the Tracks. Goose ended 2009 with a tour with his own band, including four performances at maximum security prisons to test his new material, which he released on the album Uptown Blues in 2011.[needs update] He has continued touring with his world music/blues band (including Cissokho) and performing with artists such as Daby Touré (from Mauritania), Noumoucounda Cissoko (from Senegal), Atongo Zimba (from Ghana) and the Algerian oud virtuoso Yazid Fentazi and English/Urdu singer Najma Akhtar.

In 2010, Goose formed a side project, the West African Blues Project, to further explore the link between blues and African music (a track of this project is featured on Rough Guide to African blues (World Music Network). In mid 2011, Goose met musician Jim Palmer backstage at WOMAD festival. where Palmer was performing with Baaba Maal. Joining with Modou Toure, Goose and Palmer formed the band Coconut Revolution; an album is expected in early 2013 from Coconut Revolution. In 2012, Goose started working on the Desert Rock, a unique musical project which evolved after he travelled to the Sahara and Dakar, combining his love of Berber and Mandinka rhythms and melodies with blues rock. In the summer of 2014 Goose showcased his new band, World Scatterings, which consists of a cast of musicians from around the world, drawing on elements of blues, folk and African music rhythms. In 2014 Goose will release his new album, Blues & Spirituals, on Acoustic Music Records. In 2016, Goose accepted the opportunity to perform at Buckingham Palace. The same year, he toured with The West African Blues Project across UK and Europe. Goose released, Long Road To Tiznit, which was recorded in Marrakech and London, on 25 August 2017.