Editing David Gates

{{short description|American musician (born 1940)}}
{{for multi|the author|David Gates (author)|the ecologist|David M. Gates}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = David Gates
| image           = David Gates 2000.jpg
| caption         = Gates in 2000
| birth_name      = David Ashworth Gates
| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|1940|12|11}} 
| birth_place     = [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], U.S.
| instrument      = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|bass guitar|piano|keyboards|violin|percussion}}
| genre           = {{hlist|[[Soft rock]]|[[country music|country]]|[[pop rock]]}}
| occupation      = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter|producer}}
| years_active    = 1957–2007
| associated_acts = [[Bread (band)|Bread]]
| website         = 
}}

'''David Ashworth Gates''' (born December 11, 1940)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|pages=947/8}}</ref> is a retired American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with [[Jimmy Griffin]]) of the group [[Bread (band)|Bread]], which reached the top of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/bread.html|title=Bread Inductee|website=Vocalgroup.org|access-date=February 29, 2012|archive-date=September 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907230523/http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/bread.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Life and early career==
Originally from [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]],<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Gates was surrounded by music from infancy, as the son of Clarence Gates, a band director, and Wanda Rollins, a piano teacher. 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]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> During a concert in 1957, the Accents backed [[Chuck Berry]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Kim Summers |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-gates-mn0000179126/biography |title=David Gates &#124; Biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |date=December 11, 1940 |access-date=November 7, 2013}}</ref> In 1957, David Gates and the Accents released the 45 "Jo-Baby" / "Lovin' at Night" on Robbins record label. The A-side was written for his sweetheart, Jo Rita, whom he married in 1959 while enrolled at the [[University of Oklahoma]] studying law and pre-med. At Oklahoma he became a member of [[Delta Tau Delta]] International Fraternity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.delts.org/about/famousdelts.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301095840/http://www.delts.org/about/famousdelts.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-03-01|title=Delta Tau Delta &#124; About Us: Subpage|date=March 1, 2012|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref>

In 1961, he and his family moved to [[Los Angeles]], where Gates continued writing songs, and he worked as a [[music copyist]], as a [[session musician|studio musician]], and as a producer for many artists – including [[Pat Boone]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Success soon followed. His composition "[[Popsicles and Icicles]]" hit No.&nbsp;3 on the US Hot 100 for [[The Murmaids]] in January 1964.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> [[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]], [[The Walker Brothers]], [[Bobby Darin]], [[Merle Haggard]], [[The Ventures]], [[Duane Eddy]] and [[Brian Wilson]].{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} In 1965, Gates arranged the [[Glenn Yarbrough]] [[chart-topper|hit]], "[[Baby the Rain Must Fall (song)|Baby the Rain Must Fall]]". In 1966, he produced two singles on [[A&M Records]] for [[Captain Beefheart]] and [[The Magic Band]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

Gates scored his first motion picture ''[[Journey to Shiloh]]'' in 1967.<ref>''Billboard'' Vol. 79, No. 29, July 22, 1967, p. 50</ref>

In the meantime, Gates had been releasing singles of his own on several labels in the early 1960s.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> On [[Mala Records]], he released "There's a Heaven" / "She Don't Cry", "You'll Be My Baby" / "What's This I Hear", "The Happiest Man Alive" / "A Road That Leads to Love", and "Jo Baby" / "Teardrops in My Heart". On Planetary, he released "Little Miss Stuck Up" / "The Brighter Side", and "Let You Go" / "Once upon a Time" under the pseudonym of "Del Ashley" in 1965. On Del-Fi, he released "No One Really Loves a Clown" / "You Had It Comin' to Ya". He also released a single under the name of "The Manchesters" in 1965 on the [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]] label.

==Bread and fame==
[[File:David Gates and Bread 1973.JPG|thumb|Gates and Bread performing on the television program ''Hotel Ninety'' in 1973]]
In 1967, Gates produced and arranged the debut album for a band called [[The Pleasure Fair]],<ref name="LarkinGE"/><ref name=Anthology>1985 Album ''Anthology'' – [[Elektra Records]] LP (E1-60414)</ref> of which [[Robb Royer]] was a member. A little over a year later, Gates and Royer got together with [[Jimmy Griffin]] to form [[Bread (band)|Bread]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The group was signed by the [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] record company, where it would remain for the eight years of its existence. Elektra released Bread's first album, ''[[Bread (album)|Bread]]'', in 1969, which peaked at No.&nbsp;127 on the [[Billboard 200|''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]]'' (the title a wordplay on [[Ecclesiastes]] 11:1; "''Cast thy bread upon the waters'': for thou shalt find it after many days."<ref>{{Cite web |title=ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 11 KJV |url=https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ecclesiastes-Chapter-11/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=www.kingjamesbibleonline.org |language=en}}</ref>), with a new drummer, [[Mike Botts]], was released in 1970, and became a breakout success. It contained the No.&nbsp;1 single "[[Make It with You]]" and was the first of seven consecutive Bread albums to go [[Gold Record|gold]] in the US. Bread's next three albums, ''[[Manna (album)|Manna]]'' (1971), ''[[Baby I'm-a Want You]]'' (1972) (featuring [[Larry Knechtel]] as a new member of the band, replacing Royer) and ''[[Guitar Man (Bread album)|Guitar Man]]'' (1972) were also successful, with more chart singles and [[music recording sales certification|gold records]]. From 1970 to 1973, Bread charted 11 singles on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], and all were written and sung by Gates. That caused some antagonism between Gates and Griffin, who was also a significant contributor to Bread's albums as a singer and songwriter. Bread disbanded in 1973.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Their last concert was performed at the [[Salt Palace (arena)|Salt Palace]] in [[Salt Lake City]], Utah on May 19, 1973.

Gates recorded and produced his solo album ''[[First (David Gates album)|First]]'' in 1973.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The single "Clouds", an edited version of the album track "Suite Clouds and Rain", peaked at No.&nbsp;47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, and No.&nbsp;3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The full album version was played extensively by [[Radio Caroline]] presenter [[Samantha Dubois]] at the end of her early morning radio programme, and became her closing theme.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.home.nl/coenanja/Radiotunes%20van%20vroeger%20en%20nu.htm |title=Radio Tunes Van Vroeger En Nu |website=Members.home.nl |access-date=November 7, 2013}}</ref> A second single, "Sail Around the World", reached No.&nbsp;50 on the singles chart and No.&nbsp;11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album reached No.&nbsp;107 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. In 1975, Gates released the album ''[[Never Let Her Go (David Gates album)|Never Let Her Go]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The [[Never Let Her Go (song)|title track]] was released as a single, and reached No.&nbsp;29 on the Hot 100 chart and No.&nbsp;3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album itself reached No.&nbsp;102 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Bread reunited in 1976 for one album, ''[[Lost Without Your Love]]'', released late that year.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The title track—again written and sung by Gates—reached No.&nbsp;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 (David Gates song)|Goodbye Girl]]", from the 1977 film The Goodbye Girl.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> It peaked at No.&nbsp;15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. To capitalize on that success, Gates put an album together in June 1978 that featured material from his first two solo albums mixed with some new material. It yielded another hit single, "[[Took the Last Train]]", which reached No.&nbsp;30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but the album itself made it only to No.&nbsp;165 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 1978, Gates and Bread guest starred on an episode of ''[[The Hardy Boys Mysteries]]''.

Botts and Knechtel from Bread, along with [[Warren Ham]], brother Bill Ham and bassist [[David Miner (musician)|David Miner]], continued to record and tour with Gates. In late 1978, they toured billing themselves as "David Gates & Bread", which brought a lawsuit from Griffin, who was still co-owner of the Bread trademark, and an injunction against the use of the name Bread. By the end of 1978, the "Bread" moniker had been dropped and they continued on as "David Gates and His Band". The dispute was not resolved until 1984.

Gates released the albums ''[[Falling in Love Again (David Gates album)|Falling in Love Again]]'' (featuring "Where Does the Loving Go"), which peaked at No.&nbsp;46 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1979, and ''[[Take Me Now (David Gates album)|Take Me Now]]'', which peaked at No.&nbsp;62, in 1981. He recorded a [[duet (music)|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.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> He concentrated on operating a [[cattle ranch]] in the Fall River Valley of Northern California, located on land he purchased in the 1970s. He returned to music in 1994, when he released ''[[Love Is Always Seventeen]]'', his first new album in thirteen years.

Gates and Griffin put aside their differences, and reunited for a final Bread tour in 1996–97 with Botts and Knechtel. With the deaths of three of the other principal members of Bread, Gates is the sole surviving band member from their heyday, although Royer still successfully works in Nashville.

''[[The David Gates Songbook]]'', containing earlier hit singles and new material, was released in 2002. [[Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]] included "[[Baby I'm-a Want You (Bread song)|Baby I'm-a Want You]]" on his 1972 album ''[[In Time]]'' and "If" on his 2003 album ''Definition of Love''. [[Frank Sinatra]] covered "[[If (Bread song)|If]]" in a live performance at [[Madison Square Garden]] on October 12, 1974, which was recorded by Reprise.<ref>Album: Frank Sinatra, New York, Reprise, 1974</ref> Gates's songs have been recorded by many artists, including [[Telly Savalas]], who had a UK No. 1 hit with "If" in 1975; [[Vesta Williams]], who made a rendition of "Make It with You" in 1988; the band [[CAKE (band)|CAKE]], which covered "The Guitar Man" in 2004; [[Ray Parker Jr.]], who also recorded "The Guitar Man" in 2006; and [[Boy George]], who took "[[Everything I Own]]" to No. 1 on the UK chart, when he covered the [[Ken Boothe]] reggae version of Gates's song, which itself had been a UK No. 1 in 1974. [[Jack Jones (singer)|Jack Jones]] recorded a Bread tribute album, ''Bread Winners'' (1972) including the Gates' standard, "If", which has long been a staple of Jones' live performances.

==Personal life==
According to a 1996 article in ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', Gates has remained married to high school sweetheart Jo Rita since 1959. Together they raised four children: three lawyers and a cardiothoracic surgeon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/david-gates-vol-45-no-24/|title=David Gates|date=June 17, 1996| website=People.com|access-date=September 12, 2022}}</ref> Gates, who studied the cattle ranching business while touring with Bread, purchased a {{convert|1400|acre|adj=on}} cattle ranch financed by royalties he earned during his time with the band. He lives happily with his wife in [[Mount Vernon, Washington]], enjoying his retirement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Bread.Biography/|title=BREAD (David Gates, James Griffin & Co.)|website=Facebook.com|access-date=April 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldnet.com/life/known-for-its-tulips-mount-vernon-offerings-worth-a-day-trip/|title=Known for its tulips, Mount Vernon offerings worth a day trip|first=Gale|last=Fiege|date=May 21, 2017|website=HeraldNet.com|access-date=April 15, 2019}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{See also |Bread (band)}}

===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| '''Year'''
! rowspan="2"| '''Title'''
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| [[Billboard 200|US]]<br><ref name="US200">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-gates/chart-history/tlp/|title=David Gates: Billboard 200|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com|access-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>
! width="35"| [[UK Albums|UK]]<br><ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17049/david-gates/|title=David Gates: UK|publisher=[[Official Charts]]
|website=officialcharts.com|access-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>
! width="35"| [[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<br><ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=122}}</ref>
|- 
| 1973
| align="left"| ''[[First (David Gates album)|First]]'' 
| 107
| –
| –
|-
| 1975
| align="left"| ''[[Never Let Her Go (David Gates album)|Never Let Her Go]]''
| 102
| 32
| –
|- 
| 1978
| align="left"| ''[[Goodbye Girl (David Gates album)|Goodbye Girl]]''
| 165
| 28
| 69
|- 
| 1980
| align="left"| ''[[Falling in Love Again (David Gates album)|Falling in Love Again]]''
| –
| –
| –
|-
| 1981
| align="left"| ''[[Take Me Now]]''
| –
| –
| –
|-
| 1994
| align="left"| ''[[Love Is Always Seventeen]]''
| –
| –
| –
|-
|}

===Compilation albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| '''Year'''
! rowspan="2"| '''Title'''
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| [[Billboard 200|US]]<br><ref name="US200"/>
! width="35"| [[UK Albums|UK]]<br><ref name="UK"/>
! width="35"| [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref name=aus2>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia|edition=pdf|pages=112}}</ref>
|-
| 1985
| align="left"| ''Anthology''
| –
| –
| –
|-
| 2002
| align="left"| ''[[The David Gates Songbook]]''
| –
| 11
| 34
|-
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="5"| Chart positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/david-gates/chart-history |title=David Gates: US 100 |publisher=Billboard |access-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>
! width="35"| [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|US AC]]<br><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-gates/chart-history/asi/ |title=David Gates: US AC |publisher=Billboard |access-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>
! width="35"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<br><ref name="UK"/>
! width="35"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]
! width="35"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN AC]]
|- 
| 1957
| align="left"| "Jo Baby"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| 1958
| align="left"| "Pretty Baby"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| 1959
| align="left"| "Swingin' Baby Doll"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| rowspan="2"| 1960
| align="left"| "What's This I Hear"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| align="left"| "The Happiest Man Alive"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| 1961
| align="left"| "Teardrops in My Heart"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| 1962
| align="left"| "Sad September"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| 1963
| align="left"| "No One Really Loves a Clown"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
| rowspan="3"| 1964
| align="left"| "The Oakie Surfer"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "My Baby's Gone Away"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "She Don't Cry"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1965
| align="left"| "Little Miss Stuck-Up"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "Just a Lot of Talk"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "Sad September"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "Let You Go"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "I Don't Come from England"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1973
| align="left"| "[[Suite: Clouds, Rain]]"
| 47
| 3
| –
| 55
| –
|-
| align="left"| "Sail Around the World" / "Lorilee"
| 50
| 11
| –
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1975
| align="left"| "[[Never Let Her Go (song)|Never Let Her Go]]"
| 29
| 3
| –
| 46
| –
|- 
| align="left"| "Part-Time Love"
| –
| 34
| –
| –
| –
|-
| 1977
| align="left"| "[[The Goodbye Girl (song)|Goodbye Girl]]"
| 15
| 3
| 53
| 8
| –
|- 
| 1978
| align="left"| "[[Took the Last Train]]"
| 30
| 7
| 50
| 29
| –
|-
| 1979
| align="left"| "Where Does the Lovin' Go"
| 46
| 9
| –
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1980
| align="left"| "Can I Call You"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"| "Falling in Love Again"
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1981
| align="left"| "[[Take Me Now (song)|Take Me Now]]"
| 62
| 15
| –
| –
| 9
|-
| align="left"| "Come Home for Christmas"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|-
| 1994
| align="left"| "I Can't Find the Words to Say Goodbye"
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- 
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/bread.biography David Gates & Bread Facebook Page]
* [http://www.superseventies.com/ssdavidgates.html An interview with David Gates] (Super Seventies RockSite!)
* {{IMDb name|0309552}}
* [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/G/GA021.html Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Gates, David] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729072338/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/G/GA021.html |date=July 29, 2010 }}
* Alan Cackett, [https://alancackett.com/david-gates-make-it-again David Gates - Make It Again] (First Published in ''Country Music International'', January 1995) [Accessed 20 September 2022]

{{David Gates}}
{{Bread (band) }}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, David}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American keyboardists]]
[[Category:American soft rock musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:The Monkees]]
[[Category:Vee-Jay Records artists]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from California]]
[[Category:American rock bass guitarists]]
[[Category:American male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:American rock guitarists]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American multi-instrumentalists]]
[[Category:American male violinists]]
[[Category:American violists]]
[[Category:Guitarists from California]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:American ballad musicians]]
[[Category:Elektra Records artists]]
[[Category:Record producers from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Record producers from California]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American violinists]]
[[Category:Will Rogers High School alumni]]