David Gates

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David Gates (born December 11, 1939, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group, Bread.

[edit] Life and career

Gates was the son of a band director and a piano teacher, and was surrounded by music from an early age. He was proficient in piano, bass and guitar by the time he was in high school. As a teenager, Gates was very active with local bands around Tulsa. In 1957, his high school band backed Chuck Berry during a concert.^{[citation needed]}

Later, Gates released his first local "hit" single, "Jo-Baby." The song was written for Gates’ sweetheart Jo Rita, whom he later married while still studying at the University of Oklahoma.

Gates and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1961, with Gates then embarking on a career of songwriting and producing. He worked as a music copyist, studio musician, and producer for many artists including Pat Boone. Success soon followed. His composition "Popsicles and Icicles" was recorded by The Murmaids in 1963. Whilst another song, "Saturday's Child", was recorded by The Monkees. By the end of the 1960s, he had worked with many leading artists, including Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. Gates also produced the 1965 Glenn Yarbrough hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall."

Gates realized that becoming a recording artist himself was the only way his songs were sure to be recorded. In 1968 he formed the band Bread with fellow musicians James Griffin and Robb Royer. Drummer Mike Botts and keyboardist Larry Knechtel would join the group later. The group's first album, Bread, was released by Elektra Records in 1969. The song "Dismal Day," again written by Gates, was released as a single in June 1969 but did not sell very well. Bread's second album, On the Waters, was released in 1970 and became a breakout success. It contained the #1 single "Make It with You." A follow-up single, "It Don’t Matter to Me," reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Soft rock, a relatively new genre, became the band’s trademark. It was with Bread that Gates gained wide recognition as songwriter, with hits including:

• "Make It With You" (1970)
• "If" (1971)
• "Everything I Own" (1972)
• "Lost Without Your Love" (1976)

Bread's next three albums, Manna (1971), Baby I’m-a Want You (1972) and Guitar Man (1972) were also successful, yielding more chart singles and gold records. Bread disbanded in 1973, much to the surprise of fans and the music industry. Fatigue from touring and recording had set in, and Gates felt that Bread had peaked creatively. The band members chose to retire the group instead of pushing onward with material that might not have been up to their earlier standards.

Gates recorded and produced his solo albums First in 1973 and Never Let Her Go in 1975. Bread reunited in 1976 for one album, Lost Without Your Love, released in early 1977. The title track reached #9 on the singles chart. Later that year Gates had his most successful single as a solo artist, "Goodbye Girl," the theme song from the 1977 film of the same name. The single was included in Gates' album Goodbye Girl, released in 1978, which yielded another hit single, "Took The Last Train."

Gates released the albums Falling In Love Again in 1979 and Take Me Now in 1981. He recorded a duet with Melissa Manchester, "Wish We Were Heroes," included in her 1982 album Hey Ricky. Gates was less active in music during the remainder of the 1980s. He concentrated on operating a cattle ranch in Northern California, located on land he purchased during the 1970s. He returned to music in 1994, releasing the album Love Is Always Seventeen. Another collection, The David Gates Songbook, containing earlier hit singles and new material, was released in 2002.

Gates' songs have been recorded by many artists, including Boy George, who recorded "Everything I Own," (a Number one in Europe in 1987) and Ray Parker Jr. who recorded "The Guitar Man" in 2006.

He currently lives in California.

[edit] External links

• An interview