Singer-songwriter and guitarist David Gates was born December 11, 1940 in Tulsa, OK.

He became proficient in piano, violin, bass and guitar by the time he enrolled in Tulsa’s Will Rogers High School.

Gates formed his first band, The Accents, with other high school musicians, which included a piano player, Claude Russell Bridges, who later in life changed his name to Leon Russell.

In 1957, David Gates and the Accents released the 45 “Jo-Baby” / “Lovin’ at Night” on Robbins record label.

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.

His composition “Popsicles and Icicles” hit No. 3 on the US Hot 100 for The Murmaids in January 1964. The Monkees recorded another of his songs, “Saturday’s Child”.

By the end of the 1960s, he had worked with many leading artists, including Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Duane Eddy and Brian Wilson.

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.

Gates scored his first motion picture Journey to Shiloh in 1967.

In 1967, Gates produced and arranged the debut album from a band called The Pleasure Fair, of which Robb Royer was a member. A little over a year later, Gates and Royer got together with Jimmy Griffin to form Bread. The group was signed by the Elektra record company, where it would remain for the eight years of its existence.

Elektra released Bread’s first album, “Bread,” in 1969, which peaked at No. 127 on the Billboard 200. The first single, “Dismal Day,” written by Gates, was released in June 1969 but did not sell well.

Bread’s second album, “On the Waters” 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. Bread disbanded in 1973.

Gates recorded and produced his solo album “First” in 1973. The single “Clouds,” an edited version of the album track “Suite Clouds and Rain,” peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. A second single, “Sail Around the World,” reached No. 50 on the singles chart and No. 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

In 1975, Gates released the album “Never Let Her Go”. The title track was released as a single, and reached No. 29 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album itself reached No. 102 on the Billboard 200.

Bread reunited in 1976 for one album, “Lost Without Your Love,” released late that year. The title track—again written and sung by Gates—reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

At the end of 1977, Gates released what would be his most successful single as a solo artist, “Goodbye Girl,” from the 1977 film of the same name.

Botts and Knechtel from Bread, along with Warren Ham, brother Bill Ham and bassist David Miner, continued to record and tour with Gates. In late 1978, they toured billing themselves as “David Gates & Bread”.

Gates released the albums “Falling in Love Again” (featuring “Where Does the Loving Go”), which peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, and “Take Me Now,” which peaked at No. 62, 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.

Gates, Griffin, Botts and Knechtel reunited for a final Bread tour in 1996-97. Gates is the sole surviving band member from their heyday.

“The David Gates Songbook,” containing earlier hit singles and new material, was released in 2002.

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