‘The Distance’ song mastermind, late Greg Brown receives tributes

Greg Brown, the original guitarist and co-founder of ’90s genre-blenders CAKE, has died at 56 due to a brief illness.

The band took to Instagram earlier this week to confirm the news. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Greg Brown’s passing after a brief illness,” their statement read.

“Greg was an integral part of CAKE’s early sound and development. His creative contributions were immense, and his presence – both musical and personal – will be deeply missed. Godspeed, Greg,” they concluded, processing the grief of losing their pal.

Brown co-founded CAKE in 1991 alongside singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, drummer Frank French, and bassist Shon Meckfessel.

Following the self-release of their debut album, Motorcade of Generosity in 1994, the band went on to sign with Capricorn Records and release their breakthrough album, Fashion Nugget, in 1996, which went platinum by the grace of one of the band’s most popular songs, The Distance.

The hit, which was written solely by Brown, also includes some of his most prolific guitar work.

“He took to it right away, and I didn’t really understand what he saw in it so much,” Brown said of McCrea's immediate positive reaction to the song in a 2021 Billboard interview.

“I liked the way it sounded and everything, but I thought Frank Sinatra was a much stronger choice for the single. But the record label chose it and it worked out,” he further added at that time.

Former Weezer bassist, Matt Sharp, took to social media to remember his close friend and collaborator, “Greg Brown, my shyest, most gentle and delicate friend has passed away.”

The musician continued, “It’s beyond my capacity to put together the right words to describe his beautiful, beautiful soul. Our partnership, however brief, had lifetime’s worth of love, tenderness and heartbreak.”

“We had a mutual understanding of each other’s imperfections and a mutual admiration for how we both tried to not let those imperfections get the best of us and stop us from moving forward,” Sharp concluded on Greg Brown’s demise.