Emilio de Gogorza was born in Brooklyn, New York, and brought up and trained musically in Spain. He returned to the USA in his early 20s. He sang in many languages, including French, Italian and English, as well as Spanish. Owing to pronounced near-sightedness, he did not appear on the operatic stage but became a renowned concert and recital artist instead.

Gogorza recorded prodigiously for the Victor Talking Machine Company. His records display the intelligence and sensitivity of his singing, as well as a polished vocal technique. Victor released many recordings not only under his own name but under various aliases such as Carlos Francisco and Herbert Goddard. He used these pseudonyms for records issued on Victor’s lower priced black label instead of the premium priced Red Seal label for which he usually recorded. He also worked early A&R jobs for Victor. He helped persuade other well-known opera singers to record for the company, including Enrico Caruso who signed with the label in 1904. Gogorza and Caruso made only one published recording together, a Spanish song entitled “A la luz de la luna” (“By the light of the moon”) in 1918. In 1928, Gogorza recorded the song again, with tenor Tito Schipa.