Photo: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
David Gates, born on December 11, 1940 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, is a guitarist, singer and musician. That puts David Gates at 85 years old in 2026. Education on record includes Will Rogers High School. Recorded honors include Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1998).
My Take
What draws me to David Gates is the deceptive simplicity of his craft. As the frontman of Bread, he authored some of the most enduring soft-rock ballads of the 1970s, topping charts across Europe and North America. But I think his real gift was restraint: he knew exactly what to leave out of a melody so the emotion landed clean. The 1998 induction into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame feels fitting for a Tulsa son who chose memorability over flash. He is, to me, a songwriter's songwriter, quietly influential and far too often underrated by casual listeners.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- David Gates
- Name (Japanese)
- デヴィッド・ゲイツ
- Reading
- でゔぃっど・げいつ
- Born
- December 11, 1940 (age 85)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dragon
- Origin
- Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
- Occupation
- guitarist / singer / musician / songwriter / singer-songwriter
2. Background
- High school
- Will Rogers High School
Awards & achievements
- 1998 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was David Gates born?
Born December 11, 1940 (age 85).
Where is David Gates from?
David Gates is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
What does David Gates do?
David Gates works as guitarist, singer, musician, songwriter, singer-songwriter.
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