KWXY Presents ● An Interview with David Gates

Gates and Bread performing on the television program Hotel Ninety in 1973 / CBS Television

David Gates is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist.  He is best known for being one of the founders of the group Bread, active between 1970 and 1977. 

Gates was born David Ashworth Gates on December 11, 1940 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  His father Clarence was a band director, and his mother Wanda was a piano teacher.  He began his first band in high school which included pianist Claude Bridges who later gained fame as rocker Leon Russell.  That band, called The Accents, released both a 45-rpm record and backed Chuck Berry in a concert in 1957. 

Marrying his high school sweetheart Jo Rita in 1959, the family moved to Los Angeles in 1961 where Gates became active as an arranger, composer and studio musician.  His biggest hit as a writer came in 1964 when his song, “Popsicles and Icicles” by one-hit wonder vocal group, The Murmaids from North Hollywood, California, reached number three on the US Hot 100 charts. 

His biggest success was as the front man of the soft rock band Bread, founded in 1968 by Gates, Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin.  Their breakout 1970 hit, “Make It With You” was a track on their second album, On the Waters and the first of seven consecutive gold albums.  The title tracks from Baby I’m-a Want You and Guitar Man, both in 1972, each became gold singles.  Due to conflict between Gates and Griffin, Bread ended in 1973, reuniting for an album in 1976, Lost Without Your Love.

From 1973 onward, Gates continued to work on his own as well as with later members of Bread.  His biggest solo success came in 1977 with the Top 15 hit, “Goodbye Girl” from the motion picture, The Goodbye Girl.     

Today, David Gates and wife Jo Rita are retired and live on a cattle ranch in Mount Vernon, Washington. 

KWXY Presents ● “The Music of David Gates” today at 1pm on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com