Rich Gootee, also known as GBO (Great Bearded One), is an American songwriter, singer, and musician from Indiana. His musical trek began at the age of 11 in front of a black and white TV in February of 1964. While watching the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, his life was changed forever. Realizing his newfound passion, he was all in. He cut yards, raked leaves, and delivered newspapers until finally saving $50 to buy his first electric guitar. The local music store became his second home where he sought to learn all he could about playing Rock & Roll.

It wasn’t long before Rich and three friends from the neighborhood came together to form their first rock band, The Four Fifths, which included classmate John Hiatt (recognized today as one of America’s most respected and influential singer-songwriters).

From his early garage band years in the 60’s, he progressed to the night club and concert scene with the formation of the band Good Seed, a popular and influential country-rock act in the Midwest. Good Seed released four albums and multiple singles while touring throughout North America during the 70’s and 80’s. In addition to writing songs for Good Seed (and other artists including The Wright Brothers 1982 Warner Brothers album), he wrote produced and sang commercial music spots for local and major companies including Sherwin-Williams, Mitsubishi, Delta/Peerless, and the John Deere Corporation.