David Gates, the nominal leader of Bread, had already been playing live in various bands for four years by the time he moved to Los Angeles at the age of 21. There, he immediately plugged himself into the burgeoning local scene, writing hits (“Popsicles and Icicles” by the Murmaids and “Saturday’s Child” for the Monkees), and producing as well (Glenn Yarbrough’s “Baby, The Rain Must Fall”).

He also got to know the famous sessionmen known as The Wrecking Crew and released several solo singles, none of which found much success. By 1967 he was producing a psych-pop group called the Pleasure Faire.

Pleasure Faire member Robb Royer suggested to Gates that they form their own group along with mutual friend and L.A. scene veteran Jimmy Griffin. They needed a band name though and after being inspired by a bread truck passing by (it WAS 1967), the group Bread was born.

At first, the group was heavily steeped in psych-pop, and all three members (session drummers were used for the first LP) wrote songs in many different styles.

But it was a song from their second album, a Gates ballad called “Make It With You,” that perfectly fit the parameters of the new mellow AM sound, and it rocketed to #1. The next ten singles, all ballads written and sung by Gates, hit the Top 40.

Unfortunately, the other songwriting members of Bread wanted a crack at a single too, and it lead to internal dissension. It didn’t help matters that Gates made two solo albums during the Bread years.

Eventually, the group disbanded after Gates refused to yield on changing the hit formula. The other three members returned to session work, while Gates scored a hit on his own with the title song to the Neil Simon movie The Goodbye Girl.

Bread managed to reunite twice: once in 1977 for a hit single and album, and more recently in 1996 for a full tour. Griffin, Botts, and Knechtel have all since passed away.

As I mentioned, David Gates released a few solo albums during the history of Bread. The first of these, the uninspiringly titled “First”, contains a track called ‘Suite: Clouds, Rain’ which is to this day a favourite of Pam and myself. I make no apology for including it here.

I expect you will recognise a lot of the other songs here which all appear on greatest hits packages released over the years.

Keith.

A Bread Anthology

David Gates – Suite: Clouds, Rain