Golub was born in Ohio, took up guitar as a child, and played his first gig at age 12, inspired by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix. As a teen, he heard Wes Montgomery music and later studied at the Berklee College of Music. In 1988, he released the first of more than a dozen albums as a soloist and leader of Avenue Blue Band.
In June, 2011, Golub became blind due to the collapse of his optic nerves. In September, 2012, he fell on the tracks of a subway in New York City, and suffered minor injuries. His final album, made with keyboardist Brian Auger, was Train Kept A Rolling; its title was inspired by the incident. He was most recently interviewed by Vintage Guitar for the January ’14 issue Here.
Golub is survived by his wife and two sons. A tribute concert is scheduled for January 21 at B.B. King’s Blues Club, in Manhattan.