Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician widely known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American folk punk band Violent Femmes.
Gano was born in New York City to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano, and grew up in Connecticut. The Gano family moved to Wisconsin in 1973, when his father opened an American Baptist church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Rev. Gano, an accomplished actor, also formed a community theater group in Oak Creek, and Gordon appeared in many of its productions, notably "Sing Out, Sweet Land" in 1976. His father played guitar, and exposed his son to a wide array of musical genres, including country and western, show tunes, and gospel. The liner notes to the Violent Femmes's compilation album Permanent Record describe Gano as "a devout Baptist".
In 1979 the Gano family moved to nearby Hales Corners, where his father took over an existing American Baptist congregation. At this time Gordon began attending Milwaukee public school—Rufus King High School, from which he graduated in 1981. After graduating from high school, he worked briefly as an encyclopedia salesman.

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