Born in Toronto, Canada, to a Portuguese father and a French-Canadian mother, Gomes began playing guitar in his early teens and was drawn to the blues sounds of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. While hoing his skills in the blues bars at night, Gomes earned a Master's Degree from the University of Toronto in the 'Racial Evolution of Blues'. He relocated to Chicago in the late '90s to learn from the blues masters. During his brief stint as a sideman for Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Gomes put together his own group and won the first annual Buddy Guy’s Legends “Best Unsigned Blues Band” competition.