Bread (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1 January 1968 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Key people | David Gates, Jimmy Griffin, Robb Royer, Mike Botts, Larry Knechtel |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Website | www |
Bread was a soft rock group originating from Los Angeles, California, that achieved 13 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1970 and 1977. The band was led by David Gates, who contributed vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, violin, viola, and percussion. Alongside him were Jimmy Griffin (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion) and Robb Royer (bass, guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals). The ensemble was completed with drummer Mike Botts joining in 1969 and the addition of session musician Larry Knechtel in 1971.
Origins and Rise to Prominence
David Gates, originally hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, had prior experience in the music industry through his production work with Royer's former band before Bread's formation in 1968. The trio secured a contract with Elektra Records in January 1969. Their name was inspired by a passing bread delivery truck, chosen for its straightforwardness and broad appeal.
Their first album, Bread (1969), reached No. 127 on the Billboard 200 chart. After replacing session drummers with Mike Botts, their sophomore release On the Waters (1970) climbed to No. 12 and yielded their only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, "Make It with You." Other singles such as "It Don't Matter To Me" also performed well on the charts.
The group's third album Manna (1971) attained No. 21 and included popular tracks like "If" and "Let Your Love Go." Following internal disagreements, Royer departed in 1971 and was succeeded by acclaimed session player Larry Knechtel.
In January 1972, Baby I'm-a Want You became their most commercially successful album reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The title track along with "Everything I Own" secured positions within the Top 20. Their subsequent album Guitar Man (1972) peaked at No. 18 and featured three singles reaching the Top 20 as well as two number ones on the adult contemporary charts.
Disbandment and Reunion
By 1973, creative disputes and disproportionate single releases favoring Gates intensified tensions between him and Griffin. After a vehicle accident destroyed their equipment prior to a concert date, Bread decided to disband.
Members pursued solo ventures with varying degrees of success. Compilation albums The Best of Bread (1973) and its Volume 2 follow-up in 1974 achieved strong chart performance. In response to Elektra Records’ request in 1976, the band reunited to produce Lost Without Your Love (1977), which featured a Top 10 title single and earned gold certification. Nevertheless, ongoing internal conflicts resulted in Griffin being excluded from subsequent tour dates that year.
Post-Breakup Activities
In 1978, Gates attained solo acclaim with hits like "Goodbye Girl" and toured under the name "David Gates & Bread," which led to legal disputes over usage rights of the band's name with Griffin. Meanwhile, Royer concentrated on songwriting within country music throughout the 1980s and ’90s. Griffin went on to establish country supergroups Black Tie and The Remingtons during the 1990s.
Final Reunion
In 1996, original members reunited for an international "25th Anniversary" tour supported by additional musicians to faithfully reproduce their studio recordings live. This reunion marked their last collaboration as a group. Bread was honored with induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006.
Post-Bread Lives
Griffin and Botts both succumbed to cancer in 2005, while Knechtel died from a heart attack in 2009. Royer continues to be involved in music production, whereas Gates has retired and relocated to Washington state. In 2010, Royer honored Jimmy Griffin with a tribute album.
The first biography of Bread, entitled Bread: A Sweet Surrender, was authored by Malcolm C. Searles and published in 2014. It includes interviews with surviving members such as Royer. Subsequently, Royer released his own memoirs, titled The View from Contessa.
Band Members
- David Gates – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, violin, viola, percussion (1968–1973, 1976–1978, 1996–1997)
- Jimmy Griffin – vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1968–1973, 1976–1977, 1996–1997; deceased 2005)
- Robb Royer – guitar, bass, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals (1968–1971)
- Mike Botts – drums, percussion (1969–1973, 1976–1978, 1996–1997; deceased 2005)
- Larry Knechtel – keyboards, bass, guitar, harmonica (1971–1973, 1976–1978, 1996–1997; deceased 2009)
Studio Releases
| Album | Information | Highest Chart Rankings | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | NLD | NZ | NOR | UK | |||
| Bread |
|
127 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| On the Waters |
|
12 | 35 | 12 | — | — | — | 34 |
|
| Manna |
|
21 | 35 | 16 | — | — | — | — |
|
| Baby I'm-a Want You |
|
3 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | 9 |
|
| Guitar Man |
|
18 | 22 | 10 | — | — | — | — |
|
| Lost Without Your Love |
|
26 | 22 | 49 | 8 | 20 | 19 | 17 |
|
| "—" indicates the album did not chart or was not released in that market. | |||||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Information | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | NLD | NZ | UK | |||
| The Best of Bread |
|
2 | 26 | 3 | — | 15 | 7 |
|
| The Best of Bread, Volume 2 |
|
32 | 73 | 32 | — | — | 48 |
|
| The Sound of Bread |
|
— | 28 | — | 26 | 2 | 1 |
|
| The Music Of |
|
— | — | — | 15 | — | — | |
| Anthology of Bread |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| The Very Best of Bread |
|
— | — | — | — | 3 | 41 |
|
| David Gates & Bread Essentials |
|
— | — | — | — | 9 | 9 |
|
| Retrospective |
|
— | — | — | — | 20 | — | |
| Make It with You and Other Hits |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Definitive Collection |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Works |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Collected: Bread & David Gates |
|
— | — | — | 28 | — | — | |
| The Elektra Years: The Complete Album Collection |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" indicates the album did not chart or was unavailable in that market. | ||||||||
Singles
| Title | Release year | Top chart positions achieved | Certifications earned | Associated album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US (Billboard Hot 100) |
US AC (Adult Contemporary) | AUS (Australia) | BEL (Belgium) | CAN (Canada) | IRE (Ireland) | NLD (Netherlands) | NZ (New Zealand) | UK (United Kingdom) | ||||
| "Dismal Day" | 1969 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bread | |
| "Could I" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Move Over" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Make It with You" | 1970 | 1 | 4 | 7 | — | 2 | 10 | — | 6 | 5 |
|
'On the Waters' |
| "It Don't Matter to Me" | 10 | 2 | 29 | — | 6 | — | — | 10 | — | 'Bread' | ||
| "Let Your Love Go" | 1971 | 28 | — | 34 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | 'Manna' | |
| "If" | 4 | 1 | 41 | — | 6 | — | 21 | — | — |
| ||
| "Mother Freedom" | 37 | — | — | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | 'Baby I'm-a Want You' | ||
| "Baby I'm-a Want You" | 3 | 1 | 8 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 14 |
| ||
| "Everything I Own" | 1972 | 5 | 3 | 12 | — | 5 | — | — | 9 | 32 |
| |
| "Diary" | 15 | 3 | 26 | — | 12 | — | -- | 13 | — | |||
| "The Guitar Man" | 11 | 1 | 22 | 48 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 16 |
|
'Guitar Man' | |
| "Sweet Surrender" | 15 | 1 | 67 | – | 4 | – | – | 7 | 53[lower-alpha 1] | |||
| "Aubrey" | '1973' | '4'|'–'|'–'|'41'|'–'|'–'|'8'|'–' | ||||||||||
| "Lost Without Your Love" | '1976' | '3'|'19'|'23'|'8'|'–'|'11'|'23'|'27' | 'Lost Without Your Love' | |||||||||
| "Hooked on You" | '1977' | '2'|'–'|'–'|'48'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–' | ||||||||||
| "–" signifies the single did not chart or was not issued in that region. | ||||||||||||
External links
- Bread listing in the Yahoo! Directory
- allmusic profile (Bread Overview)
- Official website
- Unofficial Facebook page for Bread
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- Articles with short description
- American soft rock bands
- Rock bands from California
- Musical groups formed in 1968
- Musical groups disbanded in 1973
- Elektra Records artists
- Musical groups reunited in 1976
- Musical groups disbanded in 1977
- Musical groups reunited in 1996
- Musical groups disbanded in 1997
- California musical quartets
- California musical trios
- Ballad bands
- 1968 establishments in California
- Musical groups disestablished in 1973
- Pages with reference errors