Sound and sight: Jack Gaughan – Guitarist, Songwriter, Producer

A new generation of exciting young musicians and songwriters is emerging throughout the Huntsville music scene. Skilled, talented, fully trained, and equipped with all that modern music technologies afford, these young players are producing a new sound and approach to performing and collaborating that will impact the future. 

Songwriters like Briar Summers, Sawyer Lance, Jack Nickalls, and Jack Gaughan, to name a few, are transforming the listening landscape with a fresher, hipper, thrilling way for listeners and audiences to experience made-in-Huntsville music.  

Jack Gaughan, a virtuosic guitar player and vocalist, is on the leading edge of the creative, modern music being recorded and performed throughout Muskoka. Not only is he an advanced, stylistic guitarist capable of enhancing any genre demanded of him, but he is also a fully developed composer, engineer, and producer. 

As a recent graduate of Humber College with a Bachelor of Music, Jack has completed a decade-long journey to become a professional in the music industry. With his qualifications, experience, and education, he is able to fully pursue a career in music while living and working in Huntsville.  

Jack Gaughan started guitar at age nine with a “first act guitar” gifted to him by his grandparents. Although he started lessons on piano, his earliest memories are of being called to guitar. Fortunately, Jack soon found Tobin Spring, a local performer and teacher, to give him lessons. Jack flourished and easily mastered a basic repertoire. Not only was Tobin Spring a fine teacher, but he quickly became an integral part of Jack’s learning process and a partner to jam and explore with. The relationship with Tobin Spring proved invaluable—a teacher, mentor, and trusted collaborator. 

“After my first lesson, I came home, and I already had the first song down. I already had Smoke on the Water down. And from there, I was just hooked. I was really hooked,” Jack described his first encounter. His relationship with Tobin Spring was foundational and pivotal to the approach Jack has taken with music throughout his development—seeking out the best mentors to learn from. 

By age thirteen, Jack was already playing as a solo performer and with school bandmates, finding suitable like-minded local players to discover, practice and perform with. He knew from that early age, that he wanted to become a professional musician.  

To become a skilled musician takes more than talent or dexterity on a chosen instrument. The complex mathematics and theory that make up the science of harmony require an inordinate amount of study to master. Jack’s persistence and his keen drive to learn led him to some exceptional experiences, particularly in high school where a teacher introduced him to the school’s recording process.  More importantly, Jack was involved in several musical and band settings that propelled his capacities as a guitarist. 

“The high school had this band called The Song Project. So that went on for quite a few years before I got to high school. And we joined that band in high school. It’s kind of like an R&B funk band— The Song Project. And that was super crucial for my development as, specifically, an electric guitar player.   

Like, there are so many numbers and letters in that chord (funk guitar chords). And, you know, eventually, I caught on quick… I remember that moment vividly in my mind. That was a crucial growing moment for me and a pivot for me. And then, from there, I decided, you know, probably pretty young, that I wanted to go to music school, that I really wanted to further my education in that way. I just loved it; I fell in love with music so much, I wanted to really kind of take it to the edge and see how much I could learn about the art form,” Jack recalls. 

Preparing for his first year at Humber College, Jack studied with the renowned Canadian jazz guitarist Lorne Lofsky, allowing Jack to enter the enrichment stream, an enormous challenge and opportunity. During his advanced studies, he worked with fellow musicians and professors of the highest stature, which forced him to grow and adapt. His education impelled him toward more exacting and demanding levels of musicianship. It also prepared him for professional-level work in engineering, production, and recording. Jack honed his skill, especially the intricacy of finger-style playing, both on acoustic and electric guitars. 

The Dream by Jack Gaughan

While at college, Jack rediscovered his love of folk music and decided that would be the area he would focus on as a performer and a songwriter. His proficiency in jazz gives him a wider palette to colour his material with. As a vocalist, his training provides range and stamina, and he applies his technique to enhance the lyrics and narration of his storytelling. He prefers to write character-driven songs at this point, but he delves carefully into the compositional and production elements of songwriting to bring his characters and songs to life, giving his audiences hidden joys to relish in his presentations.   

Beyond being an extraordinary guitarist and singer, Jack is also a gifted session player. In fact, this has added to his potential as a working musician. With the advent of digital recording, Jack is able to provide tracking to sessions and recording projects worldwide. His innovative and artistic temperament is well utilized on several recordings, including his own, but his notable contributions to Huntsville’s Briar Summer’s new album, “Resonance,” admirably display his prodigious talents.  

Perfume (Live) by Jack Gaughan

With his skilled guitar career established, Jack is also deep into his craft as a songwriter. A few singles have already been released and are available on streaming platforms and Bandcamp. He is hard at work on preparing his new debut album, which will be released soon. Meanwhile, he is popular and busy playing venues throughout Muskoka. 

Don’t miss out on Doppler!

Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!

Click here to support local news