Greg Brown

Greg Brown, a founding guitarist of the alternative-rock band Cake and the writer of the group's breakout hit "The Distance," has died after a brief illness.

Brown co-founded Cake in Sacramento, California in 1991 with vocalist John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, drummer Frank French, and bassist Shon Meckfessel. In the group's early years, he helped shape Cake's spare, groove-driven sound and played guitar and keyboards.

He played on Cake's first two albums, "Motorcade of Generosity" and "Fashion Nugget." Brown was the sole credited writer of "The Distance," the 1996 single that became the band's commercial breakthrough.

Brown left Cake in 1997, before the recording of the band's third album, "Prolonging the Magic." He later formed the band Deathray and continued working as a musician and collaborator, including projects connected to Rivers Cuomo and Matt Sharp of Weezer.

In later years, Brown briefly reconnected with Cake, contributing to "Bound Away" on the band's 2011 album "Showroom of Compassion." Reflecting on Cake's early music, McCrea credited Brown's musical instincts: "He would do things with his guitar that would sort of square things up rhythmically." He also noted that he felt "creative momentum" when he worked with Brown.

Tributes also came from Brown's later collaborators. Dana Gumbiner, his bandmate in Deathray, wrote of Brown's impact, "He quietly and comprehensively changed my life."

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: John Shearer/WireImage)