David Gates

David Ashworth Gates (born December 11, 1940) is a retired American singer-songwriter, musician and producer, who is best known for being the frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Life and early career Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, In 1957, David Gates and the Accents released the 45 "Jo-Baby" / "Lovin' at Night" on Robbins record label. The A-side was written for his sweetheart, Jo Rita, whom he married in 1959 while enrolled at the University of Oklahoma studying law and pre-med. At Oklahoma he became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.

In 1961, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, where Gates continued writing songs, and he worked as a music copyist, as a studio musician, and as a producer for many artists – including Pat Boone. In 1965, Gates arranged the Glenn Yarbrough hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall". In 1966, he produced two singles on A&M Records for Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band.

In the meantime, Gates had been releasing singles of his own on several labels in the early 1960s. of which Robb Royer was a member. A little over a year later, Gates and Royer got together with Jimmy Griffin to form Bread. ), with a new drummer, Mike Botts, was released in 1970, and became a breakout success. It contained the No. 1 single "Make It with You" and was the first of seven consecutive Bread albums to go gold in the US. Bread's next three albums, Manna (1971), Baby I'm-a Want You (1972) (featuring Larry Knechtel as a new member of the band, replacing Royer) and Guitar Man (1972) were also successful, with more chart singles and gold records. From 1970 to 1973, Bread charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and all were written and sung by Gates. That caused some antagonism between Gates and Griffin, who was also a significant contributor to Bread's albums as a singer and songwriter. Bread disbanded in 1973. A second single, "Sail Around the World", reached No. 50 on the singles chart and No. 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album reached No. 107 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In 1975, Gates released the album Never Let Her Go. Gates's songs have been recorded by many artists, including Telly Savalas, who had a UK No. 1 hit with "If" in 1975; Vesta Williams, who made a rendition of "Make It with You" in 1988; the band CAKE, which covered "The Guitar Man" in 2004; Ray Parker Jr., who also recorded "The Guitar Man" in 2006; and Boy George, who took "Everything I Own" to No. 1 on the UK chart, when he covered the Ken Boothe reggae version of Gates's song, which itself had been a UK No. 1 in 1974. Jack Jones recorded a Bread tribute album, Bread Winners (1972) including the Gates' standard, "If", which has long been a staple of Jones' live performances.

Personal life According to a 1996 article in People, Gates has remained married to high school sweetheart Jo Rita since 1959. Together they raised four children: three lawyers and a cardiothoracic surgeon. Gates, who studied the cattle ranching business while touring with Bread, purchased a Northern California cattle ranch, financed by royalties he earned during his time with the band. Approaching retirement age, Gates sold the ranch in 2002, and he and his wife moved near San Diego, California.

Discography

Studio albums Year Title Chart positions US UK AUS 1973 First 107 – – 1975 Never Let Her Go 102 32 – 1978 Goodbye Girl 165 28 69 1980 Falling in Love Again – – – 1981 Take Me Now – – – 1994 Love Is Always Seventeen – – –

Compilation albums Year Title Chart positions US 1985 Anthology – – – 2002 The David Gates Songbook – 11 34

Singles Year Title Chart positions US US AC UK CAN CAN AC 1957 "Jo Baby" – – – – – 1958 "Pretty Baby" – – – – – 1959 "Swingin' Baby Doll" – – – – – 1960 "What's This I Hear" – – – – – "The Happiest Man Alive" – – – – – 1961 "Teardrops in My Heart" – – – – – 1962 "Sad September" – – – – – 1963 "No One Really Loves a Clown" – – – – – 1964 "The Oakie Surfer" – – – – – "My Baby's Gone Away" – – – – – "She Don't Cry" – – – – – 1965 "Little Miss Stuck-Up" – – – – – "Just a Lot of Talk" – – – – – "Sad September" – – – – – "Let You Go" – – – – – "I Don't Come from England" – – – – – 1973 "Suite: Clouds, Rain" 47 3 – 55 – "Sail Around the World" / "Lorilee" 50 11 – – – 1975 "Never Let Her Go" 29 3 – 46 – "Part-Time Love" – 34 – – – 1977 "Goodbye Girl" 15 3 53 8 – 1978 "Took the Last Train" 30 7 50 29 – 1979 "Where Does the Lovin' Go" 46 9 – – – 1980 "Can I Call You" – – – – – "Falling in Love Again" – – – – 1981 "Take Me Now" 62 15 – – 9 "Come Home for Christmas" – – – – – 1994 "I Can't Find the Words to Say Goodbye" – – – – –