Endless Love-Part XIII

Perhaps the most romantic band of the '70s was the rock group, Bread. From Los Angeles, California, the band placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a primary example of what later was labeled soft rock.

The band consisted of David Gates (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, violin, viola, percussion), Jimmy Griffin (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Robb Royer (bass, guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals), Mike Botts (drums; joined in 1970), and Larry Knechtel (bass, guitar, keyboards, harmonica; replaced Royer in 1971).

The group's number one single, Make It with You is a song written by David Gates. The song first appeared on Bread's 1970 album On the Waters. Released as a single in June 1970, it would become the group's first top ten and only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S., spending the week of August 22, 1970, at the top spot. It was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies.

The song was well-received by easy-listening stations at the beginning of the singer-songwriter driven soft-rock era, reaching number four on the Billboard Easy Listening Top 40. Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dusty Springfield, The Originals, The Main Ingredient, The Whispers, Marc Anthony, Teddy Pendergrass, Don Julian & The Larks, Let Loose, Dennis Brown, Andy Williams, and Marc Cohn are among those who have recorded cover versions of the song.

Watch this live performance from the 1977 telecast of the TV show, The Midnight Special.