Bread was a soft rock band from Los Angeles, California, that had 13 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1970 and 1977. The band was formed in 1968 by David Gates, Jimmy Griffin, and Robb Royer, who were all singer-songwriters and played guitar, keyboards, and bass. Mike Botts joined them as a drummer in 1969. Bread was one of the first pop bands on Elektra Records and became known for their well-crafted, melodic ballads, mostly written and sung by Gates. The group broke up in 1973 due to internal conflicts over the singles and Gates' solo projects. They reunited briefly in 1977 and 1996, but three of the original members have since died.