Singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer David Gates
worked with many artists during the ‘60s, from Elvis Presley
and Pat Boone to Bobby Darin and The Monkees. 
He wrote the Murmaids’ 1963 hit “Popsicles and Icicles,”
for example, and produced Glenn Yarbrough’s
“Baby The Rain Must Fall” (1965).  In 1969, David produced
an unsuccessful album for a group called Pleasure Faire,
which featured Rob Royer, the co-writer (with James Griffin)
of the Carpenters’ Oscar-winning hit, “For All We Know.” 
Gates, Royer and Griffin got along so well they decided to team
up in a new act as Bread (a name taken off a passing delivery truck).
 
With the addition of session drummer Jim Gordon, Bread cut a debut
album for Elektra later that same year.  After it produced
no hits, Gordon was replaced by Mike Botts.  That line-up then
recorded the LP On The Waters, which sold a million and featured
Bread’s first #1 hit, “Make It With You.” Gates, in fact, was to
write, produce and sing lead on all 13 of Bread’s 1970-7 hits --
to the enormous frustration of Griffin and Royer, who found
their own compositions relegated to the non-hit B sides of Bread singles. 
Royer finally left in 1972, only to be replaced by Larry Knechtal,
who’d formerly been one of Duane Eddy’s Rebels. 
 
Following their breakthrough hit, every Bread album
went gold or platinum -- as their impeccably conceived and produced
singles became Top 40 radio staples: “It Don’t Matter To Me,”
“Let Your Love Go” “Mother Freedom.” “Baby I’m-A Want You,”
“Everything I Own,” “Diary,”  “The Guitar Man,” “Aubrey” and
Sweet Surrender” (all 1970-3).  Of special note: the shimmering
beauty of their million-selling “If” -- perhaps the quintessential
example of Bread’s thoughtful, heartfelt and deeply romantic
words and music.   In 1976 Bread's "Lost Without Your Love" gave
them another top ten, million selling single. 
 
Both Griffin and Botts died of cancer in 2005.