Gary Puckett

Gary Dale Puckett (born October 17, 1942) is an American singer. He was the lead vocalist for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, who had six consecutive gold records in 1968. After the group disbanded, Puckett embarked on a solo career and has released a handful of studio albums since the 1970s.

Career

Puckett was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, and grew up in Yakima, Washington, an area not far from Union Gap, Washington. He went to college for two years in San Diego majoring in psychology, then dropped out to work in a band called the Outcasts. In January 1967, Puckett formed a new group he called Gary and the Remarkables, consisting of Kerry Chater (August 7, 1945 – February 4, 2022; Bass), Gary 'Mutha' Withem (born August 22, 1944; Keyboard), Dwight Bement (born December 28, 1945; Tenor Saxophone, Guitar), and Paul Wheatbread (born February 8, 1946; Drums).

The break came for the group when Jerry Fuller, a former country music artist and a producer for Columbia Records in Los Angeles, heard them at a small bar where they were performing in a bowling alley complex. Fuller liked their sound and signed them to a contract. They were now going under the name Gary Puckett & The Union Gap and would be known for hits such as "Lady Willpower", " Young Girl" and "Woman, Woman". They sold more records in 1968 than any other group and had six consecutive gold records as well as making two appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (1968, 1971). Their song "Woman, Woman" was an adaptation of the country hit by the Glaser Brothers called "Girl, Girl". On records, they wore Civil War outfits, as suggested by Puckett, and called themselves the Union Gap after the Union Gap area where Puckett had lived. In 1968, the band were invited by the President of the United States (Lyndon B. Johnson) to play at the White House for Prince Charles and Princess Anne. The Union Gap are one of few artists whose first five releases went gold.

The group disbanded in 1971 and Puckett released a solo album titled ''The Gary Puckett Album'' that same year. After the release, Puckett lived a private life throughout the rest of the 70s, studying acting and dance and working in theatrical productions in and around Los Angeles before working as a solo artist in the 1980s.

Puckett was on the bill for the first Monkees reunion tour in 1986, along with the Grass Roots and the then line-up of Herman's Hermits. He has since re-formed the group and has performed with them at the yearly "Happy Together" events. Their current line-up consists of Puckett, Woody Lingle (bass), Jamie Hilboldt (keyboards), and Mike Candito (drums).

Personal life

Gary Puckett married his first wife, Shirley Puckett, in 1979; they are now divorced. He married Lorrie Haimes on May 18, 2000. Lorrie has two daughters from a previous marriage, who Gary looks on and treats as his own. He currently lives in Clearwater, Florida.

He was interviewed by ''Studio 10'' in 2019.

Solo discography

* ''The Gary Puckett Album'' (1971)
* ''Melodie'' (1982)
* ''Love Me Tonight'' (1992)
* ''As It Stands'' (1995)
* ''Time Pieces'' (1996)
* ''Is This Love'' (1997)
* ''Europa'' (1998)
* ''At Christmas'' (2001)
* ''The Lost Tapes'' (2005)
* ''This Is Love'' (2006)

See also

* List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
* List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
* List of Columbia Records artists

References

External links

Official website

Puckett
at Discogs

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puckett, Gary
1942 births
People from Minnesota
Singers from Minnesota
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers
Living people