Ramon Goose
Goose at the NuBlues Jazz Festival, Frankfurt, Germany, 28 October 2008
Goose at the NuBlues Jazz Festival, Frankfurt, Germany, 28 October 2008
Background information
BornColchester, Essex, England
GenresBlues, blues rock, world music, acoustic, blues rock, country blues, African music, African blues
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer, music instructor
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, n'goni
Years active1990–present
LabelsARC Music, Metisse Music, Acoustic-Records, 21st Century Blues Records, Discovery Records, Dixiefrog Records, Black and Tan Records
WebsiteRamon Goose.net

Ramon Goose (born 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. He has also written the first-ever instructional book for the n'goni, a string instrument used by the people of Mali, Senegal, Gambia, and other West African countries.

Biography

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. Recent projects have included an album with Senegalese musician Diabel Cissokho,[1] 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. 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 released the 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. After visiting and performing in Havana, Cuba in 2023 Ramon formed his new Latin/Cuban/African influenced band, Los Compadres, and also continues to tour with his blues outfit The Ramon Goose Trio.

Band lineup

Ramon Goose Trio
  • Ramon Goose, lead guitar, vocals
  • Ndene Ndiaye, percussion, drums
  • Akos Hazsnos, bass guitar
Los Compadres
  • Ramon Goose, lead guitar, vocals
  • Ndene Ndiaye, percussion, drums
  • Amadou, bass guitar
  • Shanti, Trumpet
  • Samir Nacer, Percussion

Discography

Goose playing slide guitar on a resonator guitar, 2006, Germany. Courtesy: Christian Sahm

Solo

  • Mansana Blues, with Diabel Cissokho (2010), Dixiefrog Records[2]
  • Uptown Blues (2011), Music Avenue Records
  • Blues and Spirituals (2014), Acoustic Music Records
  • The West African Blues Project, with Modou Toure (2015), ARC Music
  • Long Road to Tiznit (2017), World Music Network/ Riverboat Records
  • Melencolia II E.P. (2021), Tekni Records

With NuBlues

  • Dreams of a Blues Man (2004), Dixiefrog/21st Century Records[3]
  • Snow on the Tracks (2008), Dixiefrog Records

Albums produced by Goose

  • Boo Boo Davis, Drew, Mississippi (2005), Black and Tan Records
  • Billy Jones, My Hometown (2006), Black and Tan Records

Select special appearances and compilations

  • Putumayo Presents African Blues, various artists (2012)
  • West African Blues Project, various artists (Rough Guide to African Blues (3rd ed.), World Music Network, 2014)
  • Rethink,[4] Billy Hill and Ramon Goose (Rough Trade, 2015)

Books authored by Goose

  • Learn The Ngoni, A Beginners Guide to Learning the N'goni, Desert Road (2018)

Guitars and amplifiers

  • Ramon uses ESP Navigator Series Guitars. Chapter Guitars (based in London) built him the 'African Guitar'.
  • Ramon uses Custom by Cougar Mystic Blues ampliers and Bill Krinard Filmosound Projector Amplifiers

References

  1. ↑ Diabel Cissokho and Ramon Goose, Southbankcentre.co.uk. Retrieved March 2011
  2. ↑ Ramon Goose, Musicbrainz.org. Retrieved March 2011
  3. ↑ Murray, Charles Shaar, NuBlues: Dreams of a Blues Man May 2004. The Observer. Retrieved March 2011.
  4. ↑ "Fusion Reviews". Songlines (115). March 2016.
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