Al Gomes

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 45 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 helped music icons The Beach Boys make music history. 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 800+ 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, press, and music industry nominations and awards. 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. 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, 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. As a long-time member of The Recording Academy (The Grammy Awards), Al has submitted dozens of artists for Nomination Consideration, resulting in five 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. 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 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. Al has composed songs with many award-winning and renowned songwriters including two-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. In 2013, music icons The Beach Boys enlisted 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!' 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.' In 2016, Al was inducted into the Rhode Island College Hall of Fame, whose past honorees also include Academy Award winner Viola Davis, Grammy Award nominee Peter Boyer, and actor Brian Howe (NBC's 'Will & Grace'). 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. Al's many projects in 2021 with his partner Connie Watrous included the two serving as creative consultants for the commercially successful and acclaimed Beach Boys box set 'Feel Flows' (Mojo Magazine named it 'Reissue of the Year'), executive producing the release of Dionne Warwick's new single, and creating an all-new tribute and charity video for James Michael Tyler ('Friends') - Al's work continues into 2022 and beyond.