BREAD

Bread was formed in 1969 when David Gates (b. 11 December 1940, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA), a leading Los Angeles session musician, produced an album for the Pleasure Faire, a band that included vocalist/guitarist Rob Royer. Songwriter James Griffin (b. Memphis, Tennessee, USA) contributed several compositions to the set and the three aspirants then decided to pool resources. All were assured multi-instrumentalists, and although not a commercial success, their debut album established a penchant for melodic soft-rock. Mike Botts (b. Sacramento, California, USA; drums) augmented the line-up for On The Water, which included the million-selling US chart-topper “Make It With You”, while Manna spawned a further gold disc with “If”, later successfully revived by actor/singer Telly Savalas. Royer was then replaced by keyboard veteran Larry Knechtel (b. Bell, California, USA), but Bread's smooth approach was left unruffled as they achieved further international success with immaculate pop songs, “Baby I'm-A Want You” (1971), “Everything I Own” and “Guitar Man” (both 1972). However, increasing friction between Gates and Griffin led to the band's collapse later that year. The combatants embarked on solo careers while Botts joined the Linda Ronstadt Band, but the late-period quartet reconvened in 1976 for Lost Without Your Love, the title track of which reached the US Top 10. Guitarist Dean Parks augmented the line-up when Griffin resumed his independent direction. A court ruling banned Gates from recording or touring as Bread until an ongoing legal dispute with Griffin over the use of the band name was resolved. Gates elected to go solo, scoring a US Top 20 hit in 1978 with “Goodbye Girl”. The original line-up regrouped in 1996/97 for a brief tour.

Discography: Bread (Elektra 1969)**, On The Waters (Elektra 1970)**, Manna (Elektra 1971)***, Baby I'm-A Want You (Elektra 1972)***, Guitar Man (Elektra 1972)****, Lost Without Your Love (Elektra 1977)***.

Compilations: The Best Of Bread (Elektra 1972)****, The Best Of Bread, Vol. II (Elektra 1974)***, The Sound Of Bread (Elektra 1977)**, Anthology (Elektra 1985)****, The Very Best Of Bread (Pickwick 1988)***, Retrospective (Rhino 1996)****.