If you tuned into Top 40 radio in the U.S. during the 1970s, chances are you would have heard a hit from the band Bread. Fronted by David Gates, the group’s main songwriter, producer, guitarist, and vocalist, Bread earned six Top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including soft-rock classics like “Baby I’m-a Want You,” “If,” and the chart-topping 1970 hit, “Make It With You.”
Gates, a talented multi-instrumentalist who played keyboards and percussion, formed Bread in Los Angeles in 1968 to showcase his own songs. He penned many of the group’s signature hits, such as “The Guitar Man,” “It Don’t Matter to Me,” and “Lost Without Your Love.”
Born on December 11, 1940, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Gates grew up in a musical family. His first band, the Accents, featured a piano player who would later become famous as Leon Russell. Gates got his big break when the band opened for Chuck Berry. In 1959, he married his high school sweetheart, Jo Rita.
In 1961, Gates and his family relocated to Los Angeles, where he pursued a music career, initially as a session musician and songwriter. His first major songwriting success came in 1964 when the Murmaids’ hit song, “Popsicles and Icicles,” reached #3 on the charts. Throughout the 1960s, Gates released several singles and worked with stars like Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin.
In 1968, Gates teamed up with Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin to form Bread and signed with Elektra Records, their label for the duration of their career. Their 1969 self-titled debut album had modest success, and featured session drummers Jim Gordon and Ron Edgar. Later that year, Mike Botts joined the band as their permanent drummer.
Their second album marked a true breakthrough, reaching #12 on the U.S. charts, thanks to the success of the ballad “Make It With You,” which topped the pop singles chartin 1970.
