'90s Musician Behind Classic 1996 Alternative Rock Hit Dies After 'Brief Illness'

Greg Brown, a founding member of the 90s slacker rock band Cake, has died. The band, behind such songs as “The Distance,” “Frank Sinatra,” and “Short Skirt, Long Jacket,” announced his passing on Feb. 7.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Greg Brown’s passing after a brief illness,” the band posted to Instagram. “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.”

Fans grieved the loss of the beloved guitarist, with his daughter, Adri Brown, writing that Greg was “the best dad I could’ve asked for.” Another fan commented. “One of the greatest guitar players, in my personal opinion. He will live on in the history he’s made and the musicians he’s inspired.”

Greg Brown Wrote Cake’s Biggest Hit, ‘The Distance’

Greg co-founded the band in 1991 along with singer John McCrea, bassist Shon Meckfessel, drummer Frank French and trumpeter Vince DiFiore. He played on their first two albums, 1994’s Motorcade of Generosity and what would become their breakthrough album, 1996’s Fashion Nugget. Greg was the sole writer behind the album’s lead single, “The Distance.”

Opening with John McCrea’s deadpan vocals (“Reluctantly crouched and the starting line…”), the song became a staple of alternative rock radio, reaching No. 4 on the US Alternative Airplay charts and No. 38 on the Mainstream Rock charts. It’s undeniably their most successful song: the RIAA certified it 2x Platinum in 2022.

The song was recorded in one take. It’s one of the very few Cake originals that didn’t involve John McCrea in the writing process. “[McCrea] took to it right away, and I didn’t really understand what he saw in it so much,” said Brown in 2021, speaking in a Fashion Nugget 25th anniversary feature for Billboard. “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.”

“It is a song about success and failure, and failure of success, really,” McCrea said when appearing on Professor of Rock. “It’s a sad song, because there is no success. You can explode into the world with great magnificence, and still feel like the guy underneath the Mickey Mouse head, with the fan batteries that have stopped working properly, and it’s dark under there, and everybody wants your autograph.”

Greg Brown left Cake in 1997. “I might have told you one thing back when I was 27 years old, and I left hot headed and mad about what I considered to be irreconcilable personality problems or whatever,” Brown told Billboard in 2021.. “As 51-year-old me, I see a much larger context of what was going on in my life. Rather than get into all of it, I would just say there was a lot of turmoil at the time, and I felt like leaving Cake would be a decision that would be good for my health.”

After Cake, Greg Brown played in bands Deathray and Homie. In recent years, Greg repaired his relationship with the band, even playing on Cake’s 2011 album, Showroom of Compassion.

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