That's the way it usually goes for Gold. The Philly soul vet - whose storied history includes a '60s stint with Todd Rundgren's band, Woody's Truck Stop, a '70s gig as a member of the legendary Philadelphia International Records house band MFSB, and an '80s detour writing songs like "Teeny Little Super Guy" for Sesame Street - is used to being in the background.
Gold isn't up for any Grammys this year. But he's the man behind the curtain on six different projects that have garnered a total of eight nominations. And he is a direct link from the Sound of Philadelphia to the contemporary hip-hop and R&B acts looking for a taste of Philly soul sophistication.
His lush handiwork can be heard on Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman (up for album of the year and contemporary R&B album), and on Al Green's Lay It Down and Boyz II Men's A Journey Through Hitsville U.S.A. (both up for R&B album).
He contributed to Kirk Franklin's The Fight of My Life, nominated for contemporary R&B gospel album and best gospel song ("Help Me Believe"). He did the strings on Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains (in the running for contemporary R&B album) and on "Dead and Gone," which is on T.I.'s Paper Trail, up for best rap album.
In the days of LPs, a listener was more likely to examine the fine print on the sleeve for musicians, engineers and arrangers. "But nobody reads the credits anymore," says Gold, in front of a Yamaha keyboard in his workroom at the 18,000-square-foot Studio, where everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to Allen Iverson have recorded since it opened in 1995.
