Tony Gagarin

Music has remained a constant force in the life of contemporary blues and folk artist Tony Gagarin, despite limited recognition and financial reward. He first picked up flute and guitar at seventeen while playing in rock groups. Exposure to John Lee Hooker’s opening set for Santana during the early seventies left such an impression that the sheer force of the veteran’s solo delivery convinced Gagarin to focus exclusively on acoustic solo work. Several years of dues-paying followed, during which he busked on New York City streets and played small clubs up and down the Eastern Seaboard. He also pursued formal instruction at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. A meeting with folk musician Kate Wolf at the New England Folk Festival prompted him to travel west with her; he chose to remain in California and settled in Sonoma County in 1977. Regular appearances at The West of Laguna in Sebastopol brought him into contact with Nina Gerber, who became a frequent collaborator. Gerber and an array of other northern California musicians appeared on Gagarin’s debut album, One Lifetime's Not Enough, released in 1998 on Jackalope Records. The recording spotlights his singular approach, merging blues and folk traditions while employing an assortment of timbres produced on six-string, twelve-string, and dobro guitars.