The World's most beautiful music: David Gates & Bread

Most people don't know that David Gates is from Oklahoma. The son of a band director and a piano teacher, he was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1940. He married his high school sweetheart in 1958 while studying at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Gates and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1961 and Gates became a songwriter and became involved in producing. He worked as a music copyist, studio musician, and producer for many artists including Pat Boone. Success soon followed. His composition "Popsicles and Icicles" was recorded by The Murmaids in 1963. Another song, "Saturday's Child", was recorded by The Monkees. By the end of the 1960s, he had worked with many leading artists, including Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. Gates produced the 1965 Glenn Yarbrough hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall." In 1966 he also produced 2 singles on A&M Records for Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band which were hits in the Los Angeles area.

"Aubrey" was recorded in 1973, the same year as the break-up of Bread. Having grown up listening to his music on the radio, I have always loved David Gates' songs, but this one is by far my favorite. Full of the tenderness and angst that is always present in Gates' music, this particular song makes full use of his many strengths as a singer/songwriter and leaves the listener yearning to know just who this girl is, and if you're a girl, wishing your name was Aubrey and if you're a guy, wishing you knew a girl like her.