Gooding

Gooding, a multi-instrumentalist celebrated for his studio mastery, fused funk, jazz, rock, neo-classical, and electronic components in singular fashion, marking him among the boldest creators during the opening years of the twenty-first century. Raised in Ann Arbor, MI, he honed his abilities through an obsession with Kiss alongside his parents’ vast record holdings, already experimenting on a drum kit by age four. When his family shifted to Wichita, KS, by seventh grade, the twelve-year-old connected with classmate Jesse Reichenberger, launching a partnership that would yield hundreds of live performances across subsequent years. At thirteen Gooding began capturing his first tracks and drew regional notice as a guitar prodigy. His debut cassette, City Lights, appeared in 1989 and sold an unprecedented 150 units within his high school; the successor Perspective Views surpassed that figure. After a national guitar publication spotlight, he offered private lessons to fund an eight-track recorder and mixing console, establishing Sixth Sense Studios. By 1993 he had enrolled at college in Lawrence, KS, where he joined multiple funk, reggae, and blues jam ensembles, issued the initial Safety Orange album alongside Reichenberger and MC Chief Justice, and completed his solo effort Winter’s Return. Praised early for the sonic intricacy of his textures, Gooding abandoned studies at twenty-two to concentrate on independent releases and studio operations while scoring student films. In summer 1997 Sixth Sense Studios formalized as a label, issued an obscure local-artist compilation, then shuttered when Gooding returned to Wichita to launch S3 Records and soon deliver Factory Blue. Following roadwork, Collection Number 1 inaugurated a run of limited-edition experimental sets featuring cross-genre improvisations; he also recorded another project with MC Chief Justice as the Outer Lords. The limited LP Disarray surfaced in 1999, followed less than twelve months later by the widely praised 3X. Forming a live unit that placed Reichenberger on drums, the group undertook extensive tours through major American markets; grassroots buzz grew as selections from 3X appeared on programs such as MTV’s The Real World. Spring 2002 brought the Michigan native’s Life Itself.