Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, Bob Gorrell attended the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1977.  After two years as staff artist at the Ft. Myers News-Press in Florida, and three years in North Carolina at the Charlotte News, he arrived at the Richmond News Leader in Virginia during 1983. 

Gorrell moved to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1992, and served there as editorial cartoonist until resigning in January 1998 to concentrate on syndicated editorial and comics page features.  From October 2001 through January 2004, Gorrell was Editorial Cartoonist for AOL News.  That platform gave Gorrell one of the nation’s largest daily audiences from among AOL’s 33 million subscribers.  After over forty years of drawing political commentary, Gorrell officially retired after the 2024 Presidential election.

In addition to his editorial cartooning, Gorrell partnered with fellow cartoonist Gary Brookins to produce the comic strip Cobwebs, and the comic panel Muddle America. Gorrell also contributed uncredited writing for the comic strips Shoe and Dustin.

Winner of the 1997 National Press Foundation’s Berryman Award as Editorial Cartoonist of the Year, Gorrell has received numerous other accolades.

Cartoons by Bob Gorrell  have been cited for excellence by the Fischetti Editorial Cartoon Competition, the Overseas Press Club of America, the Mencken Awards, and the Dragonslayer Editorial Cartoon Competition.  Gorrell won first place for editorial cartooning in seven Virginia Press Association Awards competitions. During his cartooning career, Gorrell was a member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and the National Cartoonists Society.

Since his retirement from cartooning, Gorrell has turned his creative efforts to lyrics and songwriting.  A member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, he is collaborating with numerous talented writers and artists as he explores this new outlet.