The Nicki Gonzalez Band

For Nicki Gonzalez, being a musician was more than a choice, it was a vocation. The fourth of five children of Filipino/Spanish descent, she is continuing a musical legacy that has thrived in her lineage for generations. Her paternal great-grandfather, Juan S. Hernandez, is a renowned classical composer of symphonic orchestral music in his native Philippines. His daughter, Carmela Hernandez-Gonzalez was a concert pianist. Nicki Gonzalez jokes that the music gene “skipped a generation” with her father, Vincent, but he made up for it when he met and married Mary Lou Perez, an accomplished cabaret singer in the mid-60’s Manila supper club circuit. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez immigrated to the United States in 1968 and started a family. All five of their children, now grown, are professional musicians.

Not long after high school graduation in 1992, she jumped immediately into a professional music career. Her first gigs were as lead vocalist in a society band, juggled with the front-woman spot in her brothers’ nine-piece funk band, The Magic Pocket Company. They were a hit in the Washington, DC bar/club scene but the maintenance on a nine-piece ensemble was more than they were ready for. When The Magic Pocket Company disbanded, Nicki Gonzalez started her own ensemble; a simple acoustic guitar, bass and vox trio called The Nicki Gonzalez Band and entered a local songwriting contest. She won. Two years later, in 1999, The Nicki Gonzalez Band, now a five-piece with strings smart pop ensemble influenced by jazz, folk, and soul influences, recorded their self-titled, debut CD of all original material.

Proficient in Portuguese and Spanish Gonzalez has recorded music for various artists in both languages. The Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) awarded her the “Wammie” for “Latin Vocalist of the Year” in 1999 – just two years after she entered the DC jazz scene. They reprised the honor in 2002 naming Nicki Gonzalez “Jazz Vocalist of the Year.” The Nicki Gonzalez Band, was also recognized by The Washington Area Music Association in 2001 for Best Pop Group. Gonzalez has since had the honor of performing our National Anthem three times for the Washington Wizards NBA team and twice for DC’s women’s pro-soccer team, the Washington Freedom. The Nicki Gonzalez Band played three sold-out shows at the legendary Blues Alley and were the headlining act at the 2002 Crosstown Jam. They’ve performed at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and opened at the 2003 USTA Tournament.

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Watch Past Performances

1/27/04: The Nicki Gonzalez Band

The Nicki Gonzalez Band, a five-piece smart pop ensemble, serves up what The Washington Post calls “a colorful and sometimes seamless weave of pop, jazz, Latin, soul, blues and world beat textures.”

The Nicki Gonzalez Band

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7/30/00: The Nicki Gonzalez Band

The Nicki Gonzalez Band performs funky six-piece folk, reggae, and jazz.

The Nicki Gonzalez Band

The Nicki Gonzalez Band performs funky six-piece folk, reggae, and jazz.

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The Nicki Gonzalez Band

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