David Gates is a renowned American singer-songwriter and musician, born on December 11, 1940, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Both of his parents were involved in music; his father, Clarence Gates, was an instrumental music supervisor, and his mother was a piano teacher. Gates developed an interest in music early on, learning instruments such as the ukulele, guitar, piano, violin, and drums during his school years. He formed his first band, The Accents, while in high school, and they gained popularity with songs like "Jo Baby" and "Lovin' at Night."

After graduating high school in 1958, Gates attended the University of Oklahoma in 1959, studying law and pre-medical subjects. He moved to California in 1961, where he worked as a songwriter, producer, and studio musician for various artists, achieving notable success with the song "Popsicles and Icicles" for The Murmaids in 1963.

In 1968, Gates co-founded the soft rock band Bread with Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin. The band achieved significant success with albums like "Bread" and "On the Waters," and they became known for their soft rock sound. Bread initially disbanded in 1973 but reunited in 1976 to release "Lost Without Your Love" before splitting again in 1978. The original members, including Gates, reunited for their 25th anniversary in 1996.

David Gates was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006 and was nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. As of 2021, Gates is one of the two living members of Bread, along with Robb Royer.