About




Gabriel "Gab" Padilla was born in Quebec City to a French Canadian mother and a Senegalese father, whom he has never met. Being the descendant of two musical parents, he was exposed to music at a very young age. Later, his mother married a Peruvian man which landed Gab with the spanish last name: Padilla. Spending the first ten years of his life in Limoilou, a borough in Quebec City filled with immigrant families, he uncovered various African and Latin American cultures, as well as the New York influenced hip hop culture of the 90s.

At nine years old, his mother gifted him his first guitar and showed him the few chords that she knew as well as a twelve bar blues. The blues instantly captivated young Gab. Upon this discovery to his new passion and talent for the blues guitar, his mother enrolled him with a local guitar teacher who introduced Gab to Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, amongst other great blues and rock n roll artists. His love for Rock n Roll guitar was unravelling. At ten years old, his family relocated to a small town in the mountains of British Columbia where Gab was surrounded by Folk, Classic Rock, and Country music. Over the years this continued to feed his love for Rock n’ Roll, although, for him, nothing could ever top the blues.

At the age of fifteen, Gab Padilla decided to move back to Quebec City to pursue his career in music. Upon his parents agreeing to let him go, he packed up his suitcase and guitar, and went on to pursue his dream. Being newly inspired by the likes of Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, and Bob Marley , he began collaborating with local artists and performing at local outings in his community. This helped him to quickly start making a name for himself in the underground music scene and within a year, Gab had played at notable venues such as "Le Capitole de Québec" and "Le Petit Champlain". Despite his momentum, he soon realized that Quebec City was not where he wanted to pursue his long term dream, and after spending two years back in his hometown, Gab decided to move back to B.C. to enroll in a Contemporary Music program at Selkirk College. Gab reckons learning a lot through his college experience, though he spent most of his time rehearsing in practice rooms as opposed to attending classes. It was there that he first learned to play the Blues “properly", he quotes, and to "play solos." His guitar teacher had spent years on the road with Russell Jackson, a well known bass player who had played with the legendary B.B. King. The two became friends and instead of following the regular curriculum, Gab Padilla convinced his teacher to show him everything he knew about the Blues.

After spending a year in the Contemporary Music program, Gab decided to leave school and start performing gigs. He put a band together with former school mates and started touring the Southern Alberta bar scene. Gab spent the next year attending every Blues jam possible, hosting jams and open mics, and always performing at every opportunity he had. Located in Banff, Alberta, at the time, Gab spent a lot of time with travellers from around the world, which he recalls as "finding his tribe". Having a guitar or a mandolin constantly strapped around his neck, Gab often found himself entertaining crowds outside bars and events and it didn’t take long for him to realize he could make good money doing so. This new discovery led him to start busking full time. Gab then spent the next four years travelling from city to city around Canada and the United States, entertaining crowds outside and inside of bars and venues, while still never seizing his hunt for a blues jam. It was during this time that he wrote most of his material.

Currently based in Montreal, Gab Padilla works as a musician with his band, and DJs in local bars, clubs, and events. He recently released his first EP which can be heard on his website, as well as various online music platforms. He is working hard to release as much music as possible in the years to come.