Gano was born in Connecticut to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano. The Gano family moved to Wisconsin in 1973, when his father opened an American Baptist church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Rev. Gano, an accomplished actor, also formed a community theater group in Oak Creek, and Gordon appeared in many of its productions, notably "Sing Out, Sweet Land" in 1976. His father played guitar, and exposed his son to a wide array of musical genres, including country and western, show tunes, and gospel. The liner notes to the Violent Femmes's compilation album Permanent Record describe Gano as "a devout Baptist".