Mark Goffeney
Encyclopedia
Mark Goffeney is an American
musician from San Diego, California
, known as “Big Toe” because, being born without arms
, he plays guitar
with his feet. He is lead guitarist and vocalist for the 'Big Toe' band and played the principal role on Fox Television's Emmy-nominated commercial 'Feet'.
in the school band, and then his father brought home an old guitar he had found at a garbage dump. Goffeney asked a guitar-playing neighborhood friend for instruction. The guitar had only four strings.
With his friend's help, Goffeney developed his own technique, learning guitar and bass
. He would lay the guitar on the ground, supporting the neck with whatever he could get his feet on. He would strum with his left foot and make chords with his right.
.
Goffeney has achieved ongoing success as a performer, speaker and television personality. He has been recognized for his work internationally and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1999 for his principal role in the Fox Network commercial "Feet".
Goffeney has been performing internationally also, performing, for example, on "Lippe blöfft" (ARD TV in Germany) as an opening act for LeAnn Rimes
. The station forwarded over 100 emails received the day following the show from viewers wanting Goffeney's CD. To date, CDs have been mailed to fans in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
An Ability magazine profile describes him his way:
Goffeney and 'Big Toe' also appeared in StarTomorrow
, an online-only musical talent search premiered on NBC
and NBC.com on July 31, 2006 competing with 92 bands head-to-head competition on a weekly basis. 'Big Toe' made it to the semi-finals of the competition.
and Ringo Starr
, to refine the songs for the band's self-titled album. At an interview Goffeney recalled him to be very professional, and that at the time Dudas let him know "in no uncertain terms" that he needed to listen to him.
The "Big Toe" CD is a collection of Mark Goffeney's original songs. It was featured in the San Diego Readers "Best of the Best".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician from San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, known as “Big Toe” because, being born without arms
Phocomelia
Phocomelia is an extremely rare congenital disorder involving the limbs . Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire coined the term in 1836....
, he plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
with his feet. He is lead guitarist and vocalist for the 'Big Toe' band and played the principal role on Fox Television's Emmy-nominated commercial 'Feet'.
Background
Born in San Diego, Goffeney was raised in a musical family. By age nine he was attempting to create his own music despite his handicap, but choosing an instrument proved to be a challenge. For a while he played tromboneTrombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
in the school band, and then his father brought home an old guitar he had found at a garbage dump. Goffeney asked a guitar-playing neighborhood friend for instruction. The guitar had only four strings.
With his friend's help, Goffeney developed his own technique, learning guitar and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. He would lay the guitar on the ground, supporting the neck with whatever he could get his feet on. He would strum with his left foot and make chords with his right.
Adult career
By early adulthood, Goffeney was committed to a career in music. In 1992 he founded the band "Big Toe" with another guitarist, and by the end of the 1990s had successfully completed his first CD, titled Big Toe, sponsored by PSB Records and produced by Steve Dudas, the former producer for AerosmithAerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
.
Goffeney has achieved ongoing success as a performer, speaker and television personality. He has been recognized for his work internationally and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1999 for his principal role in the Fox Network commercial "Feet".
Goffeney has been performing internationally also, performing, for example, on "Lippe blöfft" (ARD TV in Germany) as an opening act for LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
. The station forwarded over 100 emails received the day following the show from viewers wanting Goffeney's CD. To date, CDs have been mailed to fans in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
An Ability magazine profile describes him his way:
Several years and many record sales later, Goffeney is no longer an amateur performer. He has appeared on television as an actor and a musician, and has spoken to audiences all over America advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. He played the principal role on FOX's Emmy-nominated commercial Feet. The advertisement, aired during the 2000 and 2001 Super Bowls, was for the NFL website, and it told the story of a character named Roger who was so obsessed with the website that he did everything else with his feet—including changing his baby's diaper.
Goffeney and 'Big Toe' also appeared in StarTomorrow
Startomorrow
StarTomorrow was an online-only musical talent search created by NBC and music executive Tommy Mottola produced by 25/7 Productions in association with CenterStaging and Rehearsals.Com.-History:...
, an online-only musical talent search premiered on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and NBC.com on July 31, 2006 competing with 92 bands head-to-head competition on a weekly basis. 'Big Toe' made it to the semi-finals of the competition.
"Big Toe" CD
In 1999, seven years after he and a friend established the 'Big Toe' band, PSB Records signed the band to a CD deal on the condition that Goffeney work with Steve Dudas, former producer for Aerosmith, Ozzy OsbourneOzzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, to refine the songs for the band's self-titled album. At an interview Goffeney recalled him to be very professional, and that at the time Dudas let him know "in no uncertain terms" that he needed to listen to him.
The "Big Toe" CD is a collection of Mark Goffeney's original songs. It was featured in the San Diego Readers "Best of the Best".
External links
- Big Toe Rocks official website
- Big Toe on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Mark Goffeney on NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...