Biography

Yehoram Gaon, informally spelled Yoram Gaon, was born on the 28th of December 1939 in Jerusalem to a Sephardic Jewish family.

Gaon his talents were discovered in school and later put in the spotlight when he performed as a member of the Israeli Army Entertainment Unit (Lahakat Hanachal). After the army, Yehoram joined Israeli singing group The Roosters (Hatarnegolim), and later The Yarkon Bridge Trio (Shlishiyat Gesher Hayarkon), both of which have enjoyed huge popularity. In The Yarkon Bridge Trio he performed along with Arik Einstein and Beni Amdorsky. All three became stars in the Israeli popular culture.

Yehoram Gaon has produced almost fifty albums, including of Ladino music and has performed extensively in Israel and abroad. He has won the hearts of Israeli music and theatre lovers of all ages and backgrounds. He is probably best loved for his superb voice, he moves from a soft, caressing croon to strong, dramatic passages with great ease and panache. Yehoram Gaon has won every conceivable music award available in Israel. His songs (too many to recount) have become a permanent part of Israeli music history, engraved in the hearts of all those who grew to love them as part of the Israeli experience. Some of these songs include Od Lo Ahavti Di, Eretz Eretz Eretz, Ba Pardes L'ad Ha'Shoket, and Kol HaKavod.

Gaon's recognition also caused many Israeli composers and song writers to personally ask him to perform their songs. He is the most known singer of Naomi Shemer's I Have Not Loved Enough Yet (Od Lo Ahavti Dai). Additionally, Gaon performed his touching song The Last War during the signing ceremony for the peace accords between Jordan and Israel and in the presence of President Clinton, King Hussein and the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

As an actor, Gaon started his career by starring in the musical film Kazablan. There he performed the songs Kol HaKavod (Congratulations), and Yesh Makom (There is a Free Spot), which are associated with him to this day.

Because of the film's success, Gaon became a sensation and was invited to act in other films. His most notable starring role was in the Israeli film Mivtza Yonatan (Operation Thunderbolt), where he played Jonathan Netanyahu.
He also starred in his own auto-biography feature, called Ani Yerusalmi (I'm a Jerusalemite). Yehoram Gaon also starred in several TV series, such as Krovim Krovim, which was the first Israeli sitcom.

He hosted the Israel Broadcasting Authority documentary series for the Jubilee Year, entitled, T’kuma. In 1998 he resigned from the show, claiming it glorified Arab terrorists.

Yehoram Gaon had his own TV show called Shishi BeGaon (Friday with Gaon) on Israeli Channel One. The show ran for many years and was very successful in Israel. Currently Gaon hosts a weekend talk show on commercial Channel 2.

In addition to his work in performing arts, Gaon has recently entered the political arena. In 1993 he was elected to the Jerusalem City Council and has worked extensively for the city, primarily in the area of cultural and municipal arts. He has indicated that he may well be interested in pursuing a political career, but retains his interest in promoting Israel, together with its popular and folk music.