Bio
Kimberlye Gold is a San Francisco Bay Area singer/songwriter who spent many years honing her skills living and working in the trenches of LA/NYC/Nashville, working with hitmakers from all those major music towns before returning to her roots. Her love for multiple genres of music spanning decades is on full display in her combo platter of pop/rock/R&B/country original and cover tunes. Gold's stable of top-notch players includes members of luminary bands such as Tower Of Power, Steely Dan, and Boz Scaggs, joining her on everything from duo gigs to headlining on main stages with her bands Kimberlye Gold's Rock'n'Soul All-Stars and The KGB Kimberlye Gold Band.
Gold is often compared to acclaimed singer/songwriters such as Grammy-winning and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee artists Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Carole King, and Carly Simon. A recent moment in Kimberlye's career speaks to that of Bonnie Raitt and John Prine's relationship, as Kimberlye's cover of The Rascals' iconic song “How Can I Be Sure” has sparked a friendship with The Rascals founder and songwriter Felix Cavaliere, a supporter of the cover of his iconic song co-written with former Rascals member Eddie Brigati. Upon hearing it, Felix contacted Kimberlye and said, "This is one of my favorite songs, I enjoyed your performance very much! It's not an easy one to sing and you did it wonderfully. I want to wish you the very best of luck with your career and songwriting, and would love to have you as a guest at any upcoming Felix Cavaliere's Rascals show!"
After a long hiatus since her last album, Sycamore Street, she released an EP titled SOLILOQUY with stellar contributions from members of Tower Of Power, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, and more, produced by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Goings. It has already garnered her across-the-board rave reviews from renowned music publications/journalists such as Rolling Stone and others of being a “singer/songwriter of the finest tradition” and “an inventive musician and composer of melodies”.
CAREER OVERVIEW
San Francisco native and resident singer/songwriter (and actress/journalist/author) Kimberlye Gold has been pursuing her dream and perfecting her craft since birth (her mother had her birth announcement printed as a theater ticket, "It's A Girl"). Before she could see over the dashboard, she was already writing poetry and songs and singing in talent contests.
Her career began with the award-winning San Francisco rock 'n roll musical comedy, Breakfast In Marin, starring as "Sunny" when she was a teenager. She is no stranger to the stages and recording studios of San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and London. Kimberlye spent almost a decade honing her singer/songwriter chops in ‘80s LA, divided up the ‘90s with stints in the trenches of New York and Nashville and a couple of trips across the pond to London in between. In the early 2000s, Kimberlye added “journalist” to her multi-media cap. She garnered critical acclaim for her “Almost Famous” entertainment column for the San Francisco Herald, and became a freelance writer for major publications across the country.
Kimberlye’s musical style reflects and incorporates her vast life experiences in all the places she’s called home and spent time in, blending old school soul/R&B, folk, funky pop, a little bit country & a little bit rock ‘n roll, much like Sheryl Crow, the multi-dimensional artist she’s often compared to. Kimberlye’s release, Sycamore Street is the result of all that moving about. Here are some responses from the pros who love what they hear:
“Kimberlye has a way with words and music. Her songs are based as much on heart and soul as they are on rock & roll, folk, country, and the blues. Her voice, pretty, strong, and rocking, is equally adept at covering all those musical bases and more. I love meeting Kimberlye on Sycamore Street" - Ben Fong-Torres, author/journalist/radio/T.V. personality & former senior editor of Rolling Stone
"Kimberlye is a breath of fresh air; she sings from the heart with true feeling and passion. She can rock, yet has a quality in her voice that easily compares with Emmylou Harris or Allison Krauss." - Steve Massam/BBC Radio
“Really great. Kimberlye is a true singer.” - Paul Rodgers, lead singer for classic rock band Bad Company (and later Queen).
"An angel with an edge" - Veteran NY jazz singer Rosemary Conte
"Her voice is the most striking element, I think; full and pretty, yet distinctive. The songwriting is really good as well." - Peter Cooper, music critic for The Tennessean
“Absolutely brilliant. Her voice and especially the lyrical content are just fantastic. She has an open invitation to play the Backstage.” - Ian Copeland, former booking agent for F.B.I. (The Police, Blondie, the Go Go's), author and owner of the Backstage Café in Beverly Hills
Kimberlye’s passion for the arts has forged an unconventional journey. Her longest committed relationship is with her guitar, performing solo or with other stellar musicians from bands such as Tower Of Power, Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, and Cold Blood, delivering sets of her heartfelt compositions interspersed with hit songs by their bosses and other artists she loves like Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and many others who have influenced and still move her today. Kimberlye’s 2018 artist-in-residency at Dogpatch WineWorks in San Francisco showcased her versatility to full effect and led to headlining on the main stage of the historic Empress Theatre in Vallejo with her 8-piece band Kimberlye Gold’s Rock’n’Soul All-Star Revue that same year. She’s also graced the stages of Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles, The Bitter End in New York City, The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and 12 Bar in London.
2019 began with a bang - booking a coveted dream come true opening spot for Tower Of Power on July 27th at Bump City Wine Company in Clarksburg and just took the stage for another headlining gig at the Empress Theatre on September 28th!
Kimberlye’s desire to touch the hearts and souls of others through her music led her to start her own business playing music at retirement communities, skilled nursing facilities, and hospitals for seniors and other folks in need. Here she focuses on songs from all eras that they can sing along with, with an emphasis on engaging them and creating an atmosphere of fun, joy, and connection. Kimberlye has truly found her calling and her life’s work.
Kimberlye has written/recorded and/or performed music/shared the stage with songwriters and producers as diverse as Narada Michael Walden (Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin), Kostas ("I Can Love You Better Than That" - Dixie Chicks), John Bettis ("Top Of The World" - The Carpenters, "One Moment In Time" - Whitney Houston, "Human Nature" – Michael Jackson, “Crazy For You” - Madonna) Michael Garvin ("Waiting For Tonight" - Jennifer Lopez), and Holly Lamar ("Breathe" - Faith Hill). Kimberlye and Holly co-wrote "Don't Maybe Me", a cut on Atlantic Records recording artist Mila Mason's CD, The Strong One.
Kimberlye’s songs, “Show Me” co-written with David Vaughn, and “Sycamore Street” co-written with Johnny Douglas won “Best Song” for the West Coast Songwriters Northern California Competition, and “Sycamore Street” was judged "North Bay Area Song Of The Year” by a panel of music industry pros. Kimberlye’s song “I Ain’t Tammy” co-written with Jack Williams won an Honorable Mention for Billboard Magazine’s World Music Awards.
Kimberlye has also created work in films and television. “The Sound of Your Voice” (co-written with Ralph Friedrichsen), “Ready To Let You In” (co-written with Brenda Warren), and “Beyond The Night” (co-written with Stan Bush, Kevin Dukes, and Joey Sykes) were featured on the ABC Daytime drama All My Children. "One More Reason", (co-written with David Gregoli) was featured in the film A Time To Die. "Countdown To Love" (co-written with Paul Sabu), was included in the TV movie, Secrets Between Friends on NBC & Lifetime. Kimberlye performed the theme song for the Bikini Open, co-written with Mark & Steve Collins, on pay-per-view TV and international syndication. Kimberlye’s song, “Sycamore Street” was featured in the independent film 9:04 AM, which premiered at the West Palm Beach Film Festival. Her song “Don’t Maybe Me”, co-written with Holly Lamar, (“Breathe” – Faith Hill), was the featured “Song Of The Month” on the Song Door International Songwriting Competition website www.songdoor.com. Kimberlye’s song “Rope Of Faith” was featured in Media Education Foundation’s new documentary The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men. Recently, Kimberlye and Tebo Thibeaux co-wrote “Bunions On My Feet” for the independent film Tinbone & Benny – The Lighter Side of Life, slated to be released sometime in the future.
n 2020, Kimberlye began working with producer Jimmy Goings at GFI Studios in Hayward, CA, and continued to persevere, even during the delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, including a re-make of The Rascals “How Can I Be Sure” along with her original compositions. The Rascals Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigatti have both praised Kimberlye’s cover of their iconic song, and Felix has publically supported her new album SOLILOQUY.
2021 began with the release of Kimberlye’s first full-length music video of her new song “Who We Are Now" for the non-profit organization Music In Place.org. Kimberlye wore all the hats on this project, directing/creating/writing/editing, and producing the project, along with her great team.
Kimberlye also made her way back to Nashville in 2021 for the first time in 12 years to meet Felix Cavaliere as his guest at Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals show on her birthday, August 27 and took the stage herself at The Commodore for a songwriter-in-the-round show on August 30 with hit tunesmith/co-writer Billy Lee and Justin Love.
On October 10, 2021, Kimberlye was featured as both Grace Slick and Janis Joplin with an all-star band at the Sweetwater Music Hall tribute to Ben Fong-Torres, after the screening of his documentary LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRS at the Mill Valley Film Festival
2022 has been a banner year for Kimberlye, with radio airplay on Ben Fong-Torres’s Moonalice Radio show with songs from her new EP SOLILOQUY, “How Can I Be Sure” and “Nowhere To Go But Gone” and also on Women Of Substance Radio for their Valentine’s Day and Music With A Conscience series with her songs “Ready To Let You In”, Everything I Wanted In A Kiss” and “Rope Of Faith”.
Most recently, on October 16, 2022, Kimberlye took the stage at producer Jimmy Goings GFI Studios in Hayward with her band Kimberlye Gold’s Rock’n’Soul All-Stars, with special guest Tom E. Politzer from Tower Of Power for her SOLILOQUY EP Release party. Available now on all streaming platforms and her new website The future couldn’t be brighter and the sky is the limit – stay tuned!!