Best remembered for his mid-'70s smashes "Lonely Boy" and "Thank You for Being a Friend," pop singer/songwriter
was born in Burbank, California on August 2, 1951. The son of composer
. A noted arranger as well as a skilled multi-instrumentalist,
swiftly emerged as one of the most sought-after session musicians on the West Coast scene, and his résumé -- including dates with
-- reads like a who's-who of the singer/songwriter movement.
In 1970,
Gold released his self-titled solo debut; its follow-up,
What's Wrong with This Picture?, was his commercial breakthrough, notching an international hit with "Lonely Boy." "Never Let Her Slip Away, " from 1978's
All This and Heaven Too, also reached the British Top Five, but the album's most enduring moment remains "Thank You for Being a Friend, " the blockbuster ballad later remade as the theme song for the hit sitcom
The Golden Girls. However, 1980's
Whirlwind stiffed, and
Gold was cut loose from his contract with Asylum. After spending the early part of the decade touring with
Ronstadt, he teamed with
10cc alumnus
Graham Gouldman to form
Common Knowledge, recording a self-titled LP in 1984.
Gold and
Goldman then rechristened their duo project
Wax UK, notching a minor hit in 1986 with "Right Between the Eyes." "Bridge to Your Heart" was a British smash in 1987, but after 1989's A Hundred Thousand in Fresh Notes,
Wax UK disbanded.
Returning to his solo career in 1991,
Gold issued his first effort in over a decade,
Home Is Where the Heart Is, before immersing himself in production work for artists ranging from
Nicolette Larsen to
Stephen Bishop to
Eikichi Yazawa. In 1995, he reunited with
Bonoff,
Edwards, and
Waldman in a new incarnation of
Bryndle, releasing an eponymous LP before
Gold's move to Connecticut forced him to leave the group soon after. 1996 saw the release of a new solo effort,
...Since 1951, as well as
Halloween Howls, a record for children.
Leftovers, a collection of unreleased material, followed in 1998. After producing country singer
Lisa Angelle's self-titled debut in 2000,
Gold released his own collection of country songs,
The Spence Manor Suite. 2003's Wax Bikini collected rare material from
Gold's days in
Wax, and in 2005, Collectors' Choice Music reissued his first four solo albums with bonus tracks. The 2008 album Copy Cat was a new recording but heavy on covers (especially Lennon/McCartney). Copy Cat would be the last solo album released during his lifetime. After battling cancer.
Andrew Gold died in his sleep at his home in Encino, California on June 3, 2011. He was 59 years old.
–
Jason Ankeny, Rovi