Guitarist Jeff Golub Dies at 59

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Suffered from rare brain disorder that led to blindness and loss of functions

By Jeff Tamarkin

Jeff Golub, a guitarist who crossed seamlessly between jazz,
blues and rock, died in New York Jan. 1, following a lengthy illness. He
was 59. His management confirmed Golub's death in an email. The precise
cause of death have not yet been reported but Golub had experienced a
series of physical setbacks in recent years that ultimately caused him
to no longer be able to perform. First, Golub gradually lost his
eyesight in June 2011 due to the collapse of an optic nerve. The
following year, he fell onto the subway tracks in New York and was
dragged by a train, but was rescued by onlookers and escaped unscathed.
He was later diagnosed with more serious, at first unidentified, issues
later determined to be a rare and incurable brain disorder called
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Fans contributed tens of thousands
of dollars toward his medical expenses via crowd-funding websites and
an auction.

Jeff Golub, who was born in Copley, Ohio, April 15, 1955, played his
first gig in 1967 at age 12 and turned professional during the following
decade. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and worked in singer
James Montgomery’s band while in Boston. In 1980, after moving to New
York, Golub joined the band of rock singer Billy Squier, with whom he
toured and recorded extensively. Golub released his first solo
recording, Unspoken Words, for Gaia Records in 1988.
Golub released more than a dozen albums in all as a leader and three
with the Avenue Blue Band, and spent several years (1988-95) in the band
of singer Rod Stewart. He also collaborated with dozens of artists as a
sideman, including Ashford and Simpson, Alphonse Mouzon, Kirk Whalum,
Mindi Abair, Everette Harp, Peter Wolf, John Waite, Vanessa Williams,
Gato Barbieri, Bill Evans, Rick Braun, Tina Turner, Dar Williams, Brian
Culbertson, Gerald Albright, Henry Butler, Jon Cleary, Marc Cohn,
Richard Elliot, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth, Jeff Lorber and Peter
White. Golub was also a member of Dave Koz and the Kozmos, the house
band of The Emeril Lagasse Show.
Golub’s final album, made with keyboardist Brian Auger, was Train Kept A Rolling, its title inspired by Golub’s subway incident.
A tribute concert featuring many of the artists with whom Golub
collaborated will take place Jan. 21 at B.B. King's Blues Club in
Manhattan.

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snobb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 28449	Post Options Post Reply Quote snobb Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Guitarist Jeff Golub Dies at 59 Posted: 04 Jan 2015 at 1:20pm
	Suffered from rare brain disorder that led to blindness and loss of functions By Jeff Tamarkin Jeff Golub, a guitarist who crossed seamlessly between jazz, blues and rock, died in New York Jan. 1, following a lengthy illness. He was 59. His management confirmed Golub's death in an email. The precise cause of death have not yet been reported but Golub had experienced a series of physical setbacks in recent years that ultimately caused him to no longer be able to perform. First, Golub gradually lost his eyesight in June 2011 due to the collapse of an optic nerve. The following year, he fell onto the subway tracks in New York and was dragged by a train, but was rescued by onlookers and escaped unscathed. He was later diagnosed with more serious, at first unidentified, issues later determined to be a rare and incurable brain disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Fans contributed tens of thousands of dollars toward his medical expenses via crowd-funding websites and an auction. Jeff Golub, who was born in Copley, Ohio, April 15, 1955, played his first gig in 1967 at age 12 and turned professional during the following decade. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and worked in singer James Montgomery’s band while in Boston. In 1980, after moving to New York, Golub joined the band of rock singer Billy Squier, with whom he toured and recorded extensively. Golub released his first solo recording, Unspoken Words, for Gaia Records in 1988. Golub released more than a dozen albums in all as a leader and three with the Avenue Blue Band, and spent several years (1988-95) in the band of singer Rod Stewart. He also collaborated with dozens of artists as a sideman, including Ashford and Simpson, Alphonse Mouzon, Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair, Everette Harp, Peter Wolf, John Waite, Vanessa Williams, Gato Barbieri, Bill Evans, Rick Braun, Tina Turner, Dar Williams, Brian Culbertson, Gerald Albright, Henry Butler, Jon Cleary, Marc Cohn, Richard Elliot, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth, Jeff Lorber and Peter White. Golub was also a member of Dave Koz and the Kozmos, the house band of The Emeril Lagasse Show. Golub’s final album, made with keyboardist Brian Auger, was Train Kept A Rolling, its title inspired by Golub’s subway incident. A tribute concert featuring many of the artists with whom Golub collaborated will take place Jan. 21 at B.B. King's Blues Club in Manhattan.