Julie Gold

Last updated

Julie Gold
Julie Gold - 5-31-2009.jpg
Julie Gold performs at the M'korstock event at Congregation M'Kor Shalom synagogue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in May 2009
Background information
Born (1956-02-03) February 3, 1956 (age 67)
Havertown, Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1978–present
Website juliegold.com

Julie Gold (born February 3, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her musical composition "From a Distance," which became a hit for Bette Midler and won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991.

"From a Distance" has millions of airplays. It has been recited into the Congressional Record by Senator Barbara Boxer, recorded internationally and translated into many languages. It has been illustrated as a children's book and machined into music boxes. It has been quoted in books, calendars, greeting cards and the wake-up call for the astronauts in the Mir space station the first time Americans worked with Russians in space. A wide range of recording artists have covered it, including Jewel, Elaine Paige, Cliff Richard, the African Children's Choir, Judy Collins, the Byrds, Fairport Convention, Kathy Mattea and Donna Summer.

Nanci Griffith, the first to record "From a Distance", also recorded Gold's songs "Heaven", "Southbound Train", "Good Night New York" and "Mountain of Sorrow". Other artists who performed Gold's songs include Patti LaBelle, Patti LuPone, Lea Salonga, and Andrea Marcovicci. Her song "Thanks to You" was featured in the 1993 film Andre , and "Dream Loud" was featured in the 2002 film Unfaithful .

Gold wrote the lyrics to the 1992 image campaign song commissioned by WNBC entitled "We're 4 New York", alongside Edd Kalehoff, who also penned the jingle and the news theme.

Gold was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania and later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1974 and from Temple University in 1978. She appeared as a featured performer in many Philadelphia area coffee houses and entertainment venues, including the Main Point and Bijou Cafe. From 1990 to 1994, she was a member of Four Bitchin' Babes, with Christine Lavin, Megon McDonough and Sally Fingerett.

Gold's maternal grandparents and mother were Jewish immigrants from Russia in the 1930s. Her paternal Jewish grandparents came from Romania. Her Orthodox mother and Conservative father were a founding couple in Philadelphia's Reform Temple Beth Elohim. Her Jewish background has influenced her songs. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patti Smith</span> American musician, author and poet (born 1946)

Patricia Lee Smith is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and author whose 1975 debut album Horses elevated her as an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement of the 1970s. Smith has fused rock and poetry in her work. In 1978, her most widely known song, "Because the Night", co-written with Bruce Springsteen, reached 13th on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and fifth on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Kahn</span> Estonian-American architect (1901–1974)

Louis Isadore Kahn was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. While continuing his private practice, he served as a design critic and professor of architecture at Yale School of Architecture from 1947 to 1957. From 1957 until his death, he was a professor of architecture at the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofra Haza</span> Israeli singer (1957–2000)

Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer, songwriter and actress, commonly known in the Western world as "the Madonna of the East", or "the Israeli Madonna". Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Haza at number 186 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Anderson</span> African-American contralto (1897–1993)

Marian Anderson was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Cline</span> American country music singer (1932–1963)

Patsy Cline was an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labelle</span> American funk rock band

Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and Trenton, in New Jersey: the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, then later changing their name to the Blue Belles. The founding members were Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patti LaBelle</span> American singer and actress (born 1944)

Patricia Louise Holt, known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Godmother of Soul".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Merchant</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1963)

Natalie Anne Merchant is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before leaving to begin her solo career in 1993. She has since released nine studio albums as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patti Page</span> American country-pop singer (1927–2013)

Clara Ann Fowler, better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female artist of the 1950s, selling over 100 million records during a six-decade-long career. She was often introduced as "the Singin' Rage, Miss Patti Page". New York WNEW disc-jockey William B. Williams introduced her as "A Page in my life called Patti".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Purvis</span> American abolitionist

Robert Purvis was an American abolitionist in the United States. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and was likely educated at Amherst Academy, a secondary school in Amherst, Massachusetts. He spent most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1833 he helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society and the Library Company of Colored People. From 1845 to 1850 he served as president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and also traveled to Britain to gain support for the movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nona Hendryx</span> American musician (born 1944)

Nona Bernis Hendryx is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade". In 1977, Hendryx released her self-titled debut solo album, a commercial failure that resulted in Hendryx being released from her recording contract. In the early 1980s, Hendryx sang with experimental funk group Material, achieving the hit "Busting Out".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patti Scialfa</span> American singer

Vivienne Patricia Scialfa is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Scialfa has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984 and has been married to Bruce Springsteen since 1991. In 2014, Scialfa was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.

"From a Distance" is a song by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold, initially penned in 1985. Gold's friend Christine Lavin introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album Lone Star State of Mind. A successful cover version by Bette Midler was released in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Dash</span> American singer (1945–2021)

Sarah Dash was an American singer. She first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash was later a member of Labelle, and worked as a singer, session musician, and sidewoman for The Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Thompson</span> American author, singer, dancer, actress, and choreographer (1909–1998)

Kay Thompson was an American author, singer, vocal arranger, vocal coach, composer, musician, dancer, actress, and choreographer. She became famous for creating the Eloise children's books and for her role in the movie Funny Face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina Spektor</span> American musician

Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian-born American singer, songwriter, and pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azalia Snail</span> American singer-songwriter

Azalia Snail is an American avant-garde singer-songwriter and musician. She is a multi-instrumentalist active in neo-psychedelia, psychedelic folk, and indie rock, played a prominent role in the 1990s lo-fi music scene, and was dubbed the "Queen of Lo-Fi". She is one half of the duo LoveyDove.

Jennie Elizabeth Eisenhower is an American actress, director, and realtor. She has performed in theater productions Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, being nominated for seven Barrymore Awards and winning two of them. She has played minor roles in several feature films. She is a great-granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower and granddaughter of Richard Nixon, both presidents of the United States.

Emma Katherine Walton Hamilton is a British-American children's book author, theatrical director, and actress. She is an instructor in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton, where she serves as Director of the Southampton Children's Literature Fellows program and the Young Artists and Writers Project (YAWP). She is the daughter of singer and actress Dame Julie Andrews and set/costume designer Tony Walton.

References

  1. Scott R. Benarde (July 2003). Stars of David: Rock 'n' Roll's Jewish Stories. p. 332ff. ISBN   1-58465-303-5.