Gigi Gonaway

Gregory "Gigi" Gonaway is an American drummer and percussionist, born in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been making music since the 1970s and has played drums on recordings with artists including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Natalie Cole, and Steve Winwood. Gonaway has toured extensively with Mariah Carey and Clarence Clemons.

He was a protégé of Narada Michael Walden's in the 1980s and 1990s and worked at Tarpan recording studio with Walden on most of the major label acts he produced. Walden was an established music producer and drummer, and took Gonaway under his wing as he said he reminded him of himself when he was a young drummer just starting out. Gonaway attributes much of his success to Walden.

Early years Gonaway's father, Eldridge Gonaway, was an attorney and city developer. His mother, Lois (née Warrior), is a retired registered nurse.

Gonaway began playing drums at age ten. His parents relocated from Arizona to the San Francisco Bay Area in California, where he attended a Catholic high school, Saint Mary's College High School. There, he learned to read, write, and arrange music under the guidance of Bob Barrett. He also played in the school's jazz band.

Gonaway's first band was called Sapphire, which played the nightclub scene in Oakland. Later he formed the jazz fusion band Iz Kidz, which performed regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area.

While performing in Iz Kidz, in Oakland, California, Gonaway was introduced to Narada Michael Walden, who took an interest in his drumming skills. Shortly afterwards, Walden hired him at his recording studio. Walden would later open Tarpan studio in San Rafael, California. Part of Gonaway's job was running errands and providing transportation to recording artists to and from the recording studio. Before long, Walden was teaching him how to create beats on the drum machine and letting him play drum tracks on albums with Aretha Franklin and George Benson.

Session work and touring Walden mentored Gonaway in many areas of his musicianship, including becoming a more diverse drummer, developing programming skills, and understanding the importance of production in the studio. Eventually, Gonaway was participating in Walden's recording projects for projects including recording artists Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Kenny G, and George Michael.

Mariah Carey In early 1990, Mariah Carey and producer Walter Afanasieff formed the original Mariah Carey band, which included Gonaway, Randy Jackson, Vernon Black, Ren Klyce, Dan Shea, Peter Michael Escovedo and engineer Dana John Chappelle. Gonaway's first televised performances with Carey were on The Arsenio Hall Show, and later her controversial appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, on which she discussed her racial makeup. Gonaway toured with Carey from 1990 to 2005.

The Aaron Hendra Project Gonaway began playing drums with singer-songwriter Aaron Hendra in 2009, in a group which would later be named the Aaron Hendra Project.

Hendra is married to reality TV actress Tiffany Hendra of The Real Housewives of Dallas. Tiffany organized a charitable event on at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas, at which Gonaway performed with the Aaron Hendra Project at the Light Up Tomorrow event, to raise fundsto build state-of-the-art, off-grid solar farms in various East African orphanages, schools, and facilities. The project was built and managed by Sam Childers, the "machine gun preacher," through the Angels for East Africa organization. The live performance aired on Season 1, Episode 7 of The Real Housewives of Dallas.

Hendra and Gonaway also appeared in the romantic comedy film Slightly Single in L.A. in 2013, performing live as the Aaron Hendra Project.

Film appearances Gonaway appeared in the Whitney Houston music video for "I Get So Emotional", playing percussion in 1987, and in Mariah Carey's MTV Unplugged live recording as the drummer in 1992. Aaron Hendra and Gonaway appeared in the quirky romantic comedy Slightly Single in L.A. in 2013, and on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Dallas in 2016, performing live as the Aaron Hendra Project.

Product endorsements Drum Workshop (DW) Remo Drumheads Vic Firth Paiste

Discography 2017 - Scorpio - Blaine Long - drums 2016 - Elvis Monroe - Elvis Monroe - drums 2014 - Face the Music - Nils Lofgren - drums 2013- Octobersong - The Aaron Hendra Project - drums 2012 - Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin 1980-1998 - Aretha Franklin - percussion 2009 - The Collection 2009 - Whitney Houston - electronic percussion 2007 - Best When Lived (Life Is) - Greg Johnson - producer, drums, percussion 2006 - Destination You - Linda Imperial - drums, percussion 2005 - Favorites 1990-2005 - Nils Lofgren - drums 2004 - Kathi McDonald - Kathi McDonald - drums 2004 - Very Best of George Benson: The Greatest Hits of All - George Benson - drums, cymbals, and percussion 2003 - The Greatest Hits of All - George Benson - drums, cymbals, and percussion 2002 - Life and Love - Philip Bailey - drums, writer 2000 - The George Benson Anthology - George Benson - cymbals, electronic percussion 1998 - Best Kept Secret - Positive ID - drums, percussion 1998 - Phoenix Rising - The Temptations - cymbals 1998 - VH1 Divas Live - drums 1997 - Junction Seven - Steve Winwood - MIDI drums, percussion 1995 - Chill - Lenny Williams - producer, arranger, drums, percussion 1995 - The Best of George Benson (Warner Bros.) - George Benson - cymbals 1994 - Greatest Hits: 1980-1994 - Aretha Franklin - percussion 1992 - MTV_Unplugged - Mariah Carey - drums 1991 - Time, Love and Tenderness - Michael Bolton - timbales 1991 - Retrogroove Artifact - Rhythmtown Jive - percussion 1991 - Silver Lining - Nils Lofgren - drums 1990 - It's Supposed to Be Fun - Lou Rawls - percussion 1989 - Stay With Me - Regina Belle - drums - gold record 1989 - D'Atra Hicks - D'Atra Hicks - cymbals 1989 - Good to Be Back - Natalie Cole - cymbals 1989 - Night with Mr. C - Clarence Clemons - cymbals, percussion, performer, primary artist 1989 - So Happy - Eddie Murphy - percussion 1989 - Through the Storm - Aretha Franklin - percussion, cymbals 1989 - Pia Z - Pia Zadora - cymbals, percussion 1987 - Whitney - Whitney Houston - percussion 1986 - Aretha 1986 - Aretha Franklin - percussion, vocals (background) 1986 - Duotones - Kenny G - drums, percussion 1986 - Frantic Romantic - Jermaine Stewart - percussion, electronic drum fills 1986 - While the City Sleeps - George Benson - synthesizer, drums, cymbals, percussion, drum fills 1985 - Hero - Clarence Clemons & the Red Bank Rockers - percussion 1985 - Who's Zoomin' Who? - Aretha Franklin - percussion 1980 - Aretha 1980 - Aretha Franklin - percussion 1980 - Life Is Good - Jimmy Mac - drums