JUDE GOLD
GUITARIST • GUITAR JOURNALIST • GUITAR EDUCATOR
Lead guitarist of the iconic rock group JEFFERSON STARSHIP, Jude has played five continents, 20 countries, and all 50 United States with the band. Before that, JUDE toured with other headliners, including singer/TV star KRISTIN CHENOWETH, guitar virtuoso GREG HOWE, bass extravaganza BX3 (featuring bass legends STUART HAMM, BILLY SHEEHAN, and JEFF BERLIN), world-renowned deejay MIGUEL MIGS, and JGB (which featured four original members of the Jerry Garcia Band).
Fun fact: Rock Hall-of-Famer GRACE SLICK co-wrote a song (“It’s About Time”) with Jefferson Starship lead singer CATHY RICHARDSON and JUDE. Hear it on the 2020 Jefferson Starship EP, MOTHER OF THE SUN.
JUDE also has released solo music of his own, including originals — like the full-contact rock odyssey, “Salamander” — and inspired reworkings of classics such as “Going Down” and “Funkytown.” About the latter song, guitar hero Joe Satriani raved, “Jude Gold’s ‘Funkytown’ is killin’! Only Jude could pull this off technically and make it fun to listen to as well.”
Experienced at performing live on national television, JUDE has played lead guitar on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, HOLLYWOOD EXTRA, CNN’s PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT, WGN CHICAGO’s national morning show, and the AMERICAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.
Hired-gun performances by Jude have included concerts with the OAKLAND SYMPHONY (featuring DJ SPOOKY), rock radio hero EDDIE MONEY, FISHBONE frontman ANGELO MOORE, and legendary Nigerian high life singer KING SUNNY OKOSUN. JUDE’s session work has spanned everything from a wild rock lead on a 2 LIVE CREW song to moody solo acoustic guitar work on the soundtrack to the Academy-Award-nominated documentary, DAUGHTER FROM DANAANG.
With a music degree from the University of California at Berkeley, JUDE is also, when time allows, a devoted guitar educator. In early 2009 he became Director and Chair of THE GUITAR PROGRAM at MUSICIANS INSTITUTE (formerly GIT) in Hollywood, California, before leaving the post in 2012 to join JEFFERSON STARSHIP.
JUDE is also a longtime guitar journalist, having been an editor for GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE since 2001, where he has written cover story interviews with SLASH, BRAD PAISLEY, PAT METHENY, JOHN PETRUCCI, GUTHRIE GOVAN, JOHN 5, ZAKK WYLDE, NEAL SCHON, and others.
Keep up with JUDE by listening to his popular podcast, NO GUITAR IS SAFE — “The guitar show where guitar heroes plug in.” Already over 125 episodes deep, the show finds JUDE trading licks and inspiration with every great guitarist from JOE SATRIANI, MIKE STERN, JENNIFER BATTEN, MIKE SCOTT, ACE FREHLEY, and Def Leppard’s PHIL COLLEN to KIRK FLETCHER, the Cult’s BILLY DUFFY, ZAKK WYLDE, MOLLY TUTTLE, TOMMY EMMANUEL, Maroon 5’s JAMES VALENTINE, and Jude’s longtime friend and collaborator GRETCHEN MENN. In November of 2020, Jude was thrilled to have his first-ever guitar hero — the man who first inspired JUDE to pick up an electric guitar — on the show: legendary funk hero and Grammy-winning super-producer NILE RODGERS.
