- Top L-R: Connie Watrous
and Al Gomes with
Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson
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- Red Hot Chili Peppers
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- The Jefferson Award for Bandwagon
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- Grammy Award-winning
'The Smile Sessions' Box Set
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- The Beach Boys' Grammy Award for
'The Smile Sessions'
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- 'Beach Boys Way'
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- 'Beach Boys Way' Plaque
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- Viola Davis winning
her Grammy Award
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Al Gomes is an American music producer, music industry strategist, and songwriter from Providence, Rhode Island. Al has been in the music business for over 40 years, is the co-founder of Big Noise, was part of the team that launched the
career of multi-platinum Grammy Award winner Christina Aguilera, and
ran the successful strategic and publicity campaign that won music icons The Beach Boys
their first-ever Grammy Award.
In 1990, Al co-founded Big Noise,
an award-winning international music firm that specializes
in artist development, complete project management, promotion
and publicity, and music industry outreach.
Al has assisted with the release
of 900+ recordings of diverse musical genres by superstar
and independent recording artists. He has managed many of
the projects from concept to completion including helping
the artist set a budget for each project, choice of the
artist's material and producer, hands-on A&R direction in
the studio, art direction of the recording package, and
the marketing and distribution of the release. Al also assists
with the branding of an artist, image, their business strategy
and decisions, and the overall direction of their career.
Al and his team's creative work and marketing campaigns
have landed contracts for Big Noise artists with record companies
and management firms. His artists have also received high profile
media exposure through radio, television, and press.
As a long-time member of The Recording Academy (The
Grammy Awards), Al has submitted dozens of artists for Nomination
Consideration, resulting in six Grammy Award Wins and ten
Grammy Award Nominations for his artists. Al has also served
on the Grammy Nomination Craft Committees for Best Recording
Package and Best Box Set.
Al was part of the team that helped launch Christina
Aguilera's career. After Aguilera was discovered by his
good friend and colleague Steve Kurtz, Al served as Director
of Online Entertainment and Marketing for Aguilera and her
company, Three Wishes Productions, Inc. from 1998-2003,
working as her publicist and webmaster ('Best Sites of the
21st Century' - Entertainment Weekly), as well as being
her biographer and archivist, and serving on her promotion
and marketing team. In addition, Al produced two singles
for Aguilera ('Holiday With Christina' and 'What A Valentine
Wants') and executive produced a #1 dance remix of her single
'What A Girl Wants' for RCA/BMG Records. More Info
- Watch Christina Aguilera's
First Interview -
He also conceived and produced American Idol's Katharine
McPhee's iTunes Christmas single 'A Gift to You / O Come
All Ye Faithful' for RCA Records. Katharine performed the song for the President of the United States. Al also served as a regional judge for American Idol.
Al has also worked with The Beach Boys, Red Hot
Chili Peppers, Chicago, Viola Davis, Dionne Warwick, Jim Brickman, Bela
Fleck, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Little Anthony and the
Imperials, Gregory Porter, Jay Geils, Paul Doucette (Matchbox
Twenty), Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze), Freddy Cole, Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman, Bill Harley,
multi-platinum producer Shelly Yakus, actor/directors Andrew
McCarthy, Tiffani Thiessen, William Shatner, and many great
independent artists.
Al's work has earned him gold and multi-platinum awards from the
Recording Industry Association of America.
He has produced 19 award-winning CD compilations including CDs for First
Night Boston and the National Association of College Broadcasters (which
featured R.E.M., Anthrax, Primus, Cowboy Junkies, Henry Rollins, Cracker,
Eve's Plum, Luscious Jackson, and Mazzy Star). The NACB CD received Print
Magazine's annual 'CD Design Award.'
He also produced the original motion picture soundtrack
CDs for the directorial debuts of actors Andrew McCarthy
('News for the Church') and Tiffani Thiessen ('Just Pray,'
which featured Paul Doucette from Matchbox Twenty and Grammy
Award winner Lori McKenna). Al also produced two music documentaries,
1988's 'The Rash Christmas Special' and 2005's 'Billy Gilman:
The Making of Everything and More.'
Inspired by Bob Geldof's Band Aid charity single
and Live Aid concert, Al conceived the Bandwagon
Project and executive produced and co-wrote the
benefit recording 'Three Sides of Hunger' (featuring platinum
recording artist John Cafferty, Belly's Gail Greenwood,
and a 150-person celebrity chorus consisting of musicians,
journalists including MTV Networks executive producer Bill
Flanagan, TV broadcasters, politicians, and activists),
and two sold-out televised concerts which elevated awareness
of the plight of the poor in America and raised thousands
of dollars for American agencies that aid the hungry and
homeless. For his efforts, Al went on to win the coveted Jefferson
Award from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foundation for
Outstanding Public Service, joining fellow
recipients Oprah Winfrey, President Jimmy Carter, Bob Hope, Paul Newman, and Harry Belafonte. View
YouTube clip
Al has composed songs with many award-winning and renowned
songwriters including four-time Emmy Award Winner Sean Callery
('24,' 'Medium,' 'La Femme Nikita'), John Cafferty ('Eddie
and the Cruisers'), Jimmie Crane (Elvis Presley, Doris Day),
Mike Viola ('That Thing You Do,' 'Walk Hard'), David Minehan
(Paul Westerberg, The Neighborhoods), and Chris Dominici
(National Geographic Network, Fox Sports), among others.
Al and his collaborators' songs have been covered by over
a dozen artists. Full
Songwriting History
In 2013, music icons The Beach Boys hired Al (along
with his partner Connie Watrous) to run the successful publicity
campaign that helped win the band their very first Grammy Award
ever for 'Best Historical Album' for their box set 'The
Smile Sessions.' In the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers' 50-year
career, The Beach Boys had never won a Grammy Award from
the voting members of The Recording Academy. That all changed
on February 10, 2013 at the 55th Annual celebration when
music history was finally made. Beach Boys founder Brian
Wilson and box set producers Alan Boyd and Dennis Wolfe
accepted their Grammy Awards with words of thanks to The
Beach Boys, extended family, and Al. The news sent ripples
around the world. The New York Times declared, 'The Drought
is Over!'
- Watch the Acceptance Speech -
On August 9, 2017, Al and Connie conceived, produced and MC'd a
commemoration ceremony on-stage with The Beach Boys which honored the 40th
Anniversary of the band performing for the largest concert audience EVER
assembled in the history of the State of Rhode Island - over 40,000 fans
on September 2, 1977 at the Narragansett Park Race Track in Pawtucket, RI.
Al and Connie were also successful in getting the stretch of street
where the concert stage stood forever renamed as 'Beach Boys Way.'
- Watch the Commemoration Ceremony -
In 2016, Al was inducted into the Rhode Island College Hall of Fame, joining past honorees including Academy Award winner
Viola Davis, Grammy Award nominee Peter Boyer, and actor Brian Howe (NBC's
'Will & Grace'). Video | Photo | Info | Wikipedia Page
In 2019, Al, Connie Watrous, and Esther Watrous created a new course at Rhode Island College based on Al's college experience and career path.
In 2023, Al and Connie, along with two-time Emmy Award Nominee Tim
Labonte, ran the For Your Consideration strategic and outreach campaign
that helped acclaimed actress Viola Davis win her Grammy Award for Best
Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for the narration of her
autobiography 'Finding Me.' This Grammy Award win gave Davis the
prestigious status of EGOT, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony
Award, making her one of only a few creative artists in history to achieve
this honor. This was Al's sixth Grammy Award win for one of his artists
that includes The Beach Boys, Gregory Porter, Ricky Kej and Wouter
Kellerman, and Bill Harley. Watch Viola Davis win her Grammy Award