| Al Gorgoni | |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation: | musician, songwriter, record producer, composer, arranger. |
| Instrument: | guitar |
Al Gorgoni (born 1939) is an American guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer, known for his work as a studio musician during the 1960s and 1970s.
Growing up in Philadelphia, his family moved to The Bronx where he took up the guitar at age 14.[1]
His first recording sessions took place in 1959, playing on demo recordings with Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, and Phil Spector.[2] Gorgoni eventually moved into proper sessions, appearing on hit singles such as "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis, "Sherry," "Walk Like A Man" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" by The Four Seasons, "Leader of the Pack" by The Shangri-Las, and "Chapel of Love" by The Dixie Cups.[3] Other hits featuring Gorgoni's playing are "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel, "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison, "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees, "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian, "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies, and "Brand New Key" by Melanie.[4]
Gorgoni worked with many other artists including Joan Baez, Blood Sweat & Tears, Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Richard and Mimi Fariña, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Astrud Gilberto, Herbie Mann, Laura Nyro, James Taylor, and B.J. Thomas.[5] This article contains only a partial list of credits.
With Herbie Mann
With Barry Mann
With Al Kooper
With Kai Winding
With Simon & Garfunkel
With Carole Bayer Sager
With Janis Ian
With B.J Thomas
Gorgoni, Martin and Taylor (Buddah /Legacy, 1972)