Jeff Gitelman

Jeff Gitelman, also known as Jeff Gitty and simply Gitty, is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and music educator known for his roles as one-third of psych-soul explorers the Stepkids, extensive work as a backing musician and studio collaborator, and occasional activity as a solo artist. Most notably, he has co-produced H.E.R.'s I Used to Know Her (2019), a Grammy nominee for Album of the Year. Originally from Moldova, Gitelman started playing guitar as a youngster. He emigrated with his family in 1991 to New Haven, Connecticut, and years later graduated from Berklee College of Music. His first gig was as a touring guitarist for Lauryn Hill. By the end of the 2000s, he had worked with Sa-Ra and Alicia Keys, and shortly thereafter formed the Stepkids, who recorded two albums and a few singles for Stones Throw. Outside session work continued with the likes of Yuna, the Internet, Mary J. Blige, Pharoahe Monch, J. Cole, and Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment through 2015. Over the next few years, Gitelman was busier than ever with contributions to albums by Mac Miller, Jeremih, and Trey Songz, as well as Anderson .Paak, Kali Uchis, and H.E.R., whose Grammy-nominated I Used to Know Her featured five tracks he co-produced and co-wrote. As a solo artist, Gitelman has released the tripped-out singles "Weirdo" and "Let Go" (both 2013) for Driftless Recordings, and under the alias Gitty has self-issued the elastic groove "Stranger Than Fiction" (2017) and the Trinidad James and Rose Gold collaboration "Karaoke" (2019).
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