Bread was one of the most commercially successful acts in the early 1970s. The band was based in Los Angeles and included David Gates, Jimmy Griffin, Mike Botts, and Robb Royer, the latter of whom left in 1971 and was replaced by Larry Knechtel.
By the time Bread’s fifth album Guitar Man was released in 1972, songs like “Make It With You,” “It Don’t Matter To Me,” “If,” “Everything I Own,” “Baby I’m-a Want You,” and “Diary” had already launched them into the superstar stratosphere. Because of the smooth and sugary character of their music, the band was dubbed light-rock crusaders. Bread specialised in the genre, although they were far more unpredictable than their best-selling singles indicated.
The band’s albums demonstrated how versatile they were, with Guitar Man serving as a prime illustration of their versatility. For example, “Don’t Tell Me No” has a boisterous boogie bounce, whilst “Tecolote” pulses with raw intensity thanks to tom-tom drumming loud enough to raise the dead, menacingly gruff voices, and harsh and heavy rhythms.
“Welcome to the Music” assumes a bluesy hard rock position with a harmonica wail, while “Fancy Dancer” wiggles its hips, flicks its fingers, and shuffles its feet to a sensual funk groove. Curling and twisting keyboard antics with a progressive rock bent punctuate the disc’s riskier moments. Guitar Man also had three Top 20 songs, including the title tune, a ballad punctuated by the soft sigh of a bluesy wah-wah guitar, the glittering “Sweet Surrender,” and the sombre and mournful orchestration of “Aubrey.”
Guitar Man, a charming compilation of tunes, explored every aspect of Bread’s gift with purpose and destination. The band’s ability to blend its diverse inspirations, including country, folk, blues, classical, British Invasion-style sounds, soul, and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, into a radio-friendly pop blender is amazing. Nimble melodies, precise harmonies, and imaginative orchestration are sprinkled throughout the album. Excellent songwriting skills, combined with clean and contemporary production, further tighten the compilation.
Bread parted up shortly after the publication of Guitar Man. The band regrouped in 1976 and had yet another hit with “Lost Without Your Love” later that year. Bread was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006, cementing its legacy as a band whose songs not only impacted many people during their prime, but also spoke to new generations of music listeners today.