Biography of Bread

Bread was one of the most popular pop groups of the early '70s, earning a string of well-crafted, melodic soft rock singles, all of which were written by keyboardist/vocalist David Gates. A session musician and producer, Gates met guitarist/vocalist James Griffin in 1968, who had already released a solo album called Summer Holiday. Griffin hired Gates to produce a new album, yet the pair soon became a group, adding guitarist/vocalist Robb Royer from the band Pleasure Faire, who Gates had produced early in their career. The trio soon signed with Elektra Records, becoming one of the label's first pop bands. Naming themselves Bread, the group released their self-titled debut album in late 1968. Although it was filled with accessible, melodic soft rock that became the band's signature sound, the record had no hit singles.With their second album On the Waters, Bread established themselves as hit-makers. "Make It with You," the first single released from the album, became a number one hit, which led to "It Don't Matter to Me," a song taken from Bread, becoming a Top Ten hit. With On the Waters becoming a gold record, the group embarked on a tour, adding a full-time drummer, Mike Botts to the lineup. Manna, released in the spring of 1971, wasn't as big a hit as the previous record, yet it launched another Top Ten hit with "If." Royer left the group after the album and was replaced by Larry Knechtel, a Los Angeles session musician who played on records by The Byrds, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Monkees, and Johnny Rivers, among others. The new lineup released their first single, "Mother Freedom," in the summer of 1971; the single was a minor hit, scraping the Top 40 at number 37. Bread's next single, "Baby I'm-A Want You," became a number three hit at the end of the year. After "Everything I Own" reached number 5 in January of 1972, an album called Baby I'm-A Want You was released. Peaking at number three, the record became the group's most successful album. The group's fifth album, Guitar Man, followed in the fall of 1972. Although it wasn't quite as successful on the pop charts, the album was a massive hit on the Adult Contemporary charts, as were Bread's previous records. At the beginning of 1973, Bread disbanded after a dispute between Gates and Griffin. Griffin claimed that when the group was conceived, the pair agreed that the singles would be divided equally between the two songwriters; Gates wrote most Bread's hits and wanted to continue to compose the singles. The two parted ways, with each of the musicians pursuing solo careers. Bread reunited in 1976, releasing Lost Without Your Love in early 1977. The title track became their last Top Ten hit, peaking at number nine. In the fall of 1977, the hits collection The Sound of Bread knocked the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks -- Here's the Sex Pistols off the top of the British charts. The success could not keep the group together, as tensions between Gates and Griffin began to escalate again. After Griffin split from the group, Gates assembled a new version of the band and toured under the name Bread. Griffin sued Gates for using the name Bread, which the duo co-owned. A judge ordered the group not to perform, record, or collect royalty payments until the case was resolved; it wasn't resolved until 1984. In the meantime, Gates and and Griffin pursued solo careers. Of the two musicians, Gates was more successful, scoring a number 15 hit in 1978 with the title theme to Goodbye Girl. However, his career declined as the '80s; by the '90s, he was running a Californian ranch. Griffin relocated to Nashville, forming Dreamer with Rand Meisner in the early '90s; after Dreamer's breakup, he formed Black Tie with Billy Swan and the duo had a country hit with a version of Buddy Holly's "Learning the Game." Knechtel released a new age album called Mountain Moods and briefly played with Elvis Costello; Botts became a session musician, writing jingles and performing on children's albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine