Victor Stephan Vogel, of Hungarian and Austrian descent, known as Vic Vogel, was born in Montreal on August 3, 1935, as the child of Mathias Vogel and Emilia Zutl. His father played accordion and violin. Vic watched his older brother Frank as he studied piano (Frank later became a professional bassist) and learned to play on his own. He also taught himself to play trombone, tuba, and vibraphone as well as arranging. By the late 1950s he was playing in numerous orchestras. In 1960 he conducted his first ensemble at the Montreal night club Chez Paree. He went on tour with the orchestra Les Doubles Six de Paris in 1961 and with a CBC band in 1966.

He is a colourful musician who easily switches between playing jazz and pop and accompanying symphony orchestras. He has been musical director for a number of variety shows. At CBC radio he conducted his own bands, including the Vic Vogel Big Band, which was formed in 1968 and continued intermittently until 1978.He regularly appeared during the Montreal International Jazz Festival, occasionally accompanying American musicians. He composed and arranged the music for the opening ceremonies for the Man and his World world's fair Expo 67, the Olympic Games held in Montreal in 1976, the Canada Games in 1985, as well as for the 1981 and 1985 Grey Cup football game half-time shows. The opening theme and songs for the Olympic Games were arranged using excerpts from music by André Mathieu. His other compositions include musicals for the Théâtre des variétés, program themes for CBC-TV and CTV, and film soundtracks. He has also created arrangements for jazz soloists and symphony orchestras.

Vic Vogel died in Montreal on September 16, 2019.