Bread was an American soft rock band from Los Angeles, California. They had 13 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1970 and 1977.

The band was fronted by David Gates (vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, violin, viola, percussion) with Jimmy Griffin (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion) and Robb Royer (bass guitar, guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals). On their first album session musicians Ron Edgar played drums and Jim Gordon played drums, percussion, and piano. Mike Botts became their permanent drummer when he joined in the summer of 1969, and Larry Knechtel replaced Royer in 1971, playing keyboards, bass guitar, guitar, and harmonica.

History

Beginnings and fame

thumb|The band in 1970

David Gates is from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He released a song in the late 1950s titled "Jo-Baby"/"Lovin' at Night". Gates knew Leon Russell and both played in bar bands around the Tulsa area. Both Gates and Russell headed for California to check out the music scene there. Before forming Bread, Gates had worked with Royer's previous band, the Pleasure Fair, who recorded one album for the UNI Records label with Gates producing and arranging. Royer then introduced Gates to his songwriting partner, Griffin, and the trio joined in 1968 and signed with Elektra Records in January 1969. Gates later explained the genesis of the band's name:

<blockquote>A bread truck came along right at the time we were trying to think of a name. We had been saying, "How about bush, telephone pole? Ah, bread truck, bread." It began with a B, like the Beatles and the Bee Gees. Bread also had a kind of universal appeal. It could be taken a number of ways. Of course, for the entire first year people called us the Breads.</blockquote>

The group's first single, "Dismal Day", was released in June 1969 but did not chart. Their debut album, Bread, was released in September 1969 and peaked at No.&nbsp;127 on the Billboard 200. The songwriting on the album was split evenly between Gates and the team of Griffin-Royer. Session musicians Jim Gordon and Ron Edgar accompanied the band on drums for the album.

On July 25, 1969, Bread appeared in concert for the first time, with Gordon on drums, at the Aquarius Theater in Hollywood, opening for the Flying Burrito Brothers. When Gordon's schedule conflicted and he proved unavailable for future outings, they brought in Mike Botts as their permanent drummer. Botts, whom Gates had previously worked with in Botts's group the Travelers 3 as a producer, appeared on their second album, On the Waters (released in July 1970 and peaking at No.&nbsp;12 on the Billboard 200). This time their efforts quickly established Bread as a major act with the Billboard Hot 100 No.&nbsp;1 hit "Make It with You" in 1970. "Make It with You" would be Bread's only No.&nbsp;1 on the Hot 100.

For their next single, Bread released a re-recorded version of "It Don't Matter To Me", a Gates song from their first album. This single was a hit as well, reaching No.&nbsp;10. Bread began touring and recording their third album, titled Manna (March 1971), which peaked at No. 21 and included "Let Your Love Go" (which preceded the album's release and made No. 28) and the Top 5 hit single, "If". As with the first album, songwriting credits were split evenly between Gates and Griffin-Royer.

Royer, after conflicts with other members of the band, left the group in the summer of 1971 after three albums, although he would continue to write with Griffin. He was replaced by Larry Knechtel, a leading Los Angeles session musician who had played piano and harpsichord on The Beach Boys Pet Sounds album and on Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" single in 1970.

Final reunion

In 1996, having settled their differences, the original members Gates, Griffin, Botts and Knechtel reunited Bread for a final and successful "25th Anniversary" tour of the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Ireland, and Asia. This time out, the group was accompanied by Randy Flowers (guitars), Scott Chambers (bass) and a string section to help them capture the sound of the records. This tour was extended into 1997, which would be the last year the members of Bread would ever perform together. Gates and the others then resumed their individual careers. Bread was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006.

Life after Bread

In 2005, both Griffin and Botts died from cancer at the age of 61. In August 2009, Knechtel died of a heart attack at the age of 69, leaving Gates and Royer as the only surviving members of Bread. Royer continues to be involved in music, initially working out of his Nashfilms studio in Tennessee before relocating to the Virgin Islands in 2013. Gates contents himself with retirement at his home in Washington with his wife Jo Rita. In 2010, Royer released a Jimmy Griffin tribute album consisting of songs written by both himself and Griffin.

During March 2014, the first biography of the band appeared, written by UK author Malcolm C. Searles, titled Bread: A Sweet Surrender (originally called Manna from Heaven: The Musical Rise & Fall of Bread). It was written with the assistance of many surviving family members and musical colleagues of the band, along with exclusive interviews with founding member Robb Royer. A paperback/soft-cover edition appeared during 2017. The following year Royer published his own memoirs, The View from Contessa.

Personnel

  • David Gates – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, violin, viola, percussion (1968–1973, 1976–1978, 1996–1997)
  • Jimmy Griffin – vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1968–1973, 1976–1977, 1996–1997; died 2005)
  • Robb Royer – guitar, bass guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals (1968–1971)
  • Mike Botts – drums, percussion (1969–1973, 1976–1978, 1996–1997; died 2005)
  • Larry Knechtel – keyboards, bass guitar, guitar, harmonica (1971–1973, 1976–1978, 1996–1997; died 2009)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; border:1"

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:22em;"| Details

! scope="col" colspan="7"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Certifications

|-

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| US<br />

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"|AUS<br />

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| CAN<br />

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"|NLD<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| NZ<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"|NOR<br>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"|UK<br>

|-

! scope="row" | Bread

|

  • Released: September 1969
  • Label: Elektra
  • Formats: Vinyl · cassette · 8-track · 4-track

| 127 || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

  • ARIA: 2× Platinum

|-

! scope="row" | On the Waters

|

  • Released: July 1970
  • Label: Elektra
  • Formats: Vinyl · cassette · 8-track

| 12 || 35 || 12 || — || — || — || 34

|

  • RIAA: Gold

|-

! scope="row" | Manna

|

  • Released: March 1971
  • Label: Elektra
  • Formats: Vinyl · cassette · 8-track

| 21 || 35 || 16 || — || — || — || —

|

  • RIAA: Gold

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"|NLD<br />

  • BPI: Silver

|-

! scope="row"|The Best of Bread, Volume 2

|

  • Released: 1974
  • Label: Elektra

| 32 || 73 || 32 || — || — || 48

|

  • RIAA: Gold

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| US AC<br/>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| AUS<br/>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| CAN<br/>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"|IRE<br/>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"|NLD<br />

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br/>

|-

! scope="row"|"Dismal Day"

| rowspan="3"| 1969

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

| rowspan="3"| Bread

|-

! scope="row"| "Could I"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

|-

! scope="row"| "Move Over"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

|-

! scope="row"|"Make It with You"

| rowspan="2"| 1970

| 1 || 4 || 7 || — || 2 || 10 || — || 6 || 5

|

  • RIAA: Gold

|On the Waters

|-

! scope="row"| "It Don't Matter to Me"

| 10 || 2 || 29 || — || 6 || — || — || 10 || —

|

|Bread

|-

! scope="row"|"Let Your Love Go"

| rowspan="4"| 1971

| 28 || — || 34 || — || 17 || — || — || — || —

|

|rowspan="2"|Manna

|-

! scope="row"|"If"

| 4 || 1 || 41 || — || 6 || — || 21 || — || —

|

  • RMNZ: Gold