Mark Goffeney | |
|---|---|
 Goffeney plays with Maná in 2017
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| Born |
May 22, 1969
San Diego, California, United States
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| Died | March 2, 2021 (aged 51) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Children | 3 |
| External video | |
|---|---|
 Mark Goffeney on Real People w/ Byron Allen on YouTube
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Mark Goffeney (May 22, 1969 – March 2, 2021) was an American musician from San Diego, California, known as "Big Toe" because, being born without arms, he played guitar with his feet. He was bassist and vocalist for the 'Big Toe' band and played the principal role on Fox Television's Emmy-nominated commercial 'Feet'.
Early life
Goffeney's mother was British. Starting at age 4, Goffeney appeared on telethons for March of Dimes and Variety Club charities. He interviewed celebrities such as Magic Johnson, Henry Winkler and Prince Charles.
Initially cast to be the son of David Hasselhoff's character on The Young and the Restless but a corporate board decided a character with no arms would be too controversial so he was let go. He felt disheartened by this and decided to concentrate on music.
He played trombone in the school band briefly, and then his father brought home an old guitar he had found at a garbage dump. Goffeney asked a guitar-playing neighborhood friend for instructions. 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.
He started a heavy metal band in high school and acted like a 'punk', in his own words. He married AnnMarie Alburg in 1988 and had three children shortly after high school. They were divorced for many years but reunited years later after Mark raised the children on his own.
He attended Grossmont Adult School and Grossmont College.
Adult career
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 Aerosmith.
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" that aired during the Super Bowl in 2000 and 2001.
Goffeney performed 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.
'Big Toe' appeared on The Next Great American Band on Fox TV and 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.
"Big Toe" CD
In 1999, PSB Records signed the band to a CD deal on the condition that Goffeney work with Steve Dudas, former producer for Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne 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 Reader's "Best of the Best".
Death
On March 2, 2021, both Goffeney and his ex-wife AnnMarie were found dead in their home in El Cajon. A spokesman for the El Cajon Police Department said there were no signs of foul play. Their daughter, Amanda Goffeney, posted on the official Big Toe web site that the cause was Fentanyl addiction.
See also
Further reading
- Mark Goffeney on Big Toe website
- 'Guitarist with no arms faces reality TV' By Larry Knowles, Vyuz San Diego, September 11, 2006
- 'The World at His Feet: Mark Goffeney' on ABILITY Magazine.