David Gates | Biography

• By Anil Pradhan
• Original : December 09, 2021

David Gates is a renowned American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer in the 1970s famous soft rock band Bread 

Who is David Gates?

David Gates is a multi-disciplinary personality in the music field. He is a singer, guitarist, lyricist, composer, and musician. Gates also holds numerous credits as a song producer.

David Gates, birth name, David Ashworth Gates, was born on 11 December 1940 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Both his parents were involved in music careers. His father, Clarence Gates, was a career educator and worked as an instrumental music supervisor at different public schools in Tulsa. His mother, whose name is yet to be disclosed, served as a piano teacher. As of 2021, Gates is 80 years old.

Gates was intrigued by music from a very young age. He first learned the musical instrument Ukulele when studying at Kendall Elementary School. He then learned guitar, piano, violin, and drums through his times at Wilson Junior High School. 

While in High School at Tulsa, Gates formed his first soft rock band, The Accents, collaborating with his fellow musicians. The Accents band's most popular songs are 'Jo Baby' and 'Lovin' at Night.' He graduated high school in 1958 and attended the University of Oklahoma in 1959. There he studied law and pre-medical.

Gates moved from Oklahoma to California in 1961 and began to work for several artists in various roles, such as songwriter, producer, and studio musician. Though he had written songs before, his first notable success as a songwriter was the song 'Popsicles and Icicles' in 1963. He wrote the song for the female vocal band, The Murmaids. In January 1964, the song occupied the No. 3 spot on the US Hot 100 list. During the late 1960s, Gates worked with leading singers and musicians like Elvis Presley, Brian Wilson, Merle Haggard, among many others.

Besides working with other artists, Gates also released several singles on his own. Some of them are 'You'll Be My Baby,' 'The Happiest Man Alive,' 'Little Miss Stuck Up,' and much more. Gates released all these songs under different labels and recording companies. Thus, to perform his songs, Gates, along with Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin, formed the soft-rock band Bread in 1968.

In 2006, Gates had his name inducted in the 'Vocal Group Hall of Fame.' He also made it to the nomination list of 'Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.'

Soft Rock Band 'Bread'

The Los Angeles-based band Bread, formed in 1968, consisted of 5 members. The founding members were David Gates, Jimmy Griffin, and Robb Royer, while Mike Botts and Larry Knechtel joined in 1969 and 1971. The band released its first album, Bread with Elektra Records, in 1969. It became a major hit and was placed 127 on the Billboard 200 list. 

Their second album, On the Waters, was released in 1970, and it became more successful than the first album. The album also received its first gold records from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The band members broke up for the first time in 1973. Until then, they had released several other albums, including Manna (1971), Baby I'm-a Want You (1971), Guitar Man (1972), and many more. The Bread members reunited for the second time in 1976 and released their sixth album, Lost Without Your Love, in January 1977.

The band split completely in 1978, following a rift between David Gates and Griffin. However, they resolved their issues, and all the original members, including Botts, Griffin, Gates, and Larry, reunited for their band's 25th anniversary in 1996. 

As of 2021, David Gates and Robb Royer are the only living members of Bread. Griffin and Botts passed away in 2005 due to cancer, and Larry Knechtel died in 2009 from a heart attack.

Wife and Children 

Gates married his longtime girlfriend from high school Jo Rita Miller in 1958. He even dedicated his high school days song 'Jo Baby' to her. The couple has four children, three of them are currently lawyers, and one is a cardiothoracic surgeon.

The official page of Bread posted an image of the Gates couple on their official Facebook page on 24 July 2016. The photo was their UK fans' meet session via Skype.

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, David Gates has a total net worth of $3 million. He has amassed massive wealth through his successful music career.