Julie Gold

by Craig HarrisJulie Gold was working as a secretary for HBO in New York when a telephone call from Nanci Griffith changed her life. An aspiring singer/songwriter, Gold had been waiting for her big break when a tape of her song, "From a Distance," was sent to Griffith by singer/songwriter Christine Lavin. Griffith was so impressed by the song that she called Gold seeking permission to cover it on her album, Lone Star State of Mind. Griffith's recording was only the first of numerous renditions of Gold's tune. In addition to Bette Midler's 1990 interpretation, which received a Grammy award as Song of the Year, the song has been covered by an eclectic range of artists including James Galway, Jack Jones, Patti LaBelle, Cliff Richard, Donna Summer, Phil Coulter, Kathy Mattea, the Byrds, Judy Collins, the Fujees, Andrea Marcovicci, Patti Lupone and the Texas Boys Choir. In addition to an award from BMI signifying over two million radio airplays, the song was adopted as an anthem in Ireland and received a Minute Man award from the U.S. Army for inspiring troops during the Persian Gulf War.
A graduate of Temple University of Philadelphia, Gold came to New York in 1978 with hopes of becoming a singer/songwriter. Although she had solid management, steady gigs and a powerful repertoire, she failed to make much progress until becoming involved with the Greenwich Village singer/songwriter scene that spawned the Songwriters Cooperative and the Fast Folk Music Magazine. Performing at open mikes, Gold was befriended by such future stars as John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin and Christine Lavin, who became her mentor.
Gold replaced Patty Larkin in Lavin's singer/songwriter revue Four Bitchin' Babes in 1991. She remained with the group through the recording of their second album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me: Don't Mess with My Hair...Volume 2, singing lead and playing piano on her compositions, "Try Love," "(Fun To Be) Perfect," "Good Night, New York"and a new version of "From a Distance."
In December 1997, Gold appeared with comedian Julie Halston in a show, Julie2, presented at the Eighty Eight in New York's Greenwich Village. She recently completed a musical show, The Perfect Day, that she hopes to produce in the near future. Gold's debut solo album, Dream Gold, was released in April 1998 and featured her original demo recordings of "Goodnight, New York" and "From a Distance." Try Love followed two years later.