Gary Puckett
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Gary Dale Puckett (born October 17, 1942) is an American singer widely known as the lead vocalist for
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett) was an American pop rock group active in the late 1960s. The group, formed by Gary Puckett, Gary "Mutha" Withem, Dwight Bement, Kerry Chater and Paul Whea ...
, who had six consecutive gold records in 1968, including " Woman Woman", " Young Girl", " Lady Willpower", " Over You". " Don't Give In to Him" and " This Girl Is a Woman Now." After the Union Gap disbanded in 1971, Puckett signed to Columbia and embarked on a solo career. After a decade-long hiatus starting in 1972, he returned to music in the early 1980s, and has since released a handful of studio albums.


Early life and education

Puckett was born in
Hibbing, Minnesota Hibbing is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range an ...
. When he was six, his family moved to
Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...
(not far from Union Gap, Washington), where he grew up. Puckett learned how to sing and play guitar during his teens. He went to college for two years in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, majoring in
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
, then dropped out to work in a band called the Outcasts.


The Outcasts

Gary's first group was The Outcasts, which included Bobby Brown (bass), Dwight Bement (saxophone; also later member of the Union Gap), Bob Salisbury (saxophone), and Willie Kellogg (drums). Originally formed as a Righteous Brothers-styled duo by Puckett and Brown, their manager Yale Kahn, owner of the Clairemont Bowl, added Bement, Salisbury, and Kellogg to the lineup. After releasing two singles, "Run Away / Would You Care" (1965) and "I Can't Get Through To You / I Found Out About You" (1966), the group split up in 1967.


Gary Puckett & The Union Gap


Formation

In January 1967, Puckett and Dwight Bement formed Gary and the Remarkables with
Kerry Chater Kerry Michael Chater (August 7, 1945 – February 4, 2022) was a Canadian musician and songwriter who was best known as a member of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. He was also a successful Nashville songwriter for many years. Career Chater was b ...
(August 7, 1945 – February 4, 2022, bass), Gary 'Mutha' Withem (born August 22, 1944, keyboards), and Paul Wheatbread (born February 8, 1946, drums). The break came for the group when
Jerry Fuller Jerrell Lee Fuller (November 19, 1938 – July 18, 2024) was an American songwriter, singer, and record producer, best known for writing several hit songs in the 1960s. Fuller toured as a featured singer with The Champs before leaving to serve i ...
, a former country music artist and a producer for Columbia Records in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of 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.


Initial success

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 ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
'' (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. The band were nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for
Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that ar ...
in 1969, losing out to
José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (; born September 10, 1945) is a Puerto Rican musician. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' " Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song "". Music genres he explo ...
.


Split and reformation

The group eventually grew unhappy with doing material written and produced by others, leading them to stop working with Fuller, and they disbanded in 1971. Gary re-formed the band sometime in the early 1980s and, since signing to them in 1984, has performed with them at the yearly "Happy Together" tours, alongside
Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan; June 22, 1947) is an American retired musician and songwriter, who was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of the 1 ...
and
Mark Volman Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock ...
of
The Turtles The Turtles are an America, American Band (rock and pop), rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The band achieved several Top 40 hits throughout the latter half of the 1960s, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby (song), ...
(who started up the tour),
The Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from Los Angeles, California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts (including "Windy (The Association song), Windy" ...
,
The Cowsills The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother. The band was formed in early 1965 by brothers Bill Cowsill, B ...
,
Ron Dante Carmine John Granito (born August 22, 1945), known professionally as Ron Dante, is an American singing, singer, songwriter, Session musician, session vocalist, and record producer. Dante is best known as the real life lead singer of the fiction ...
of
The Archies The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series '' The Archie Show''. In the context of the series, the band ...
,
Chuck Negron Charles Negron II (born June 8, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is best known as a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Three Dog Night. Early life Chuck Negron was born on June 8, 1942, in Manhattan, New York City, to ...
of
Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...
,
The Buckinghams The Buckinghams are an American pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed in 1980 ...
,
The Box Tops The Box Tops is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1967. They are best known for the hits " The Letter", "Cry Like a Baby", and " Soul Deep" and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period. They performed a mi ...
,
The Vogues The Vogues are an United States, American Pop music, pop/rock and roll group from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The original lineup consisted of Bill Burkette (lead baritone), Don Miller (baritone), Hugh Geyer (first tenor) ...
, and The Classics IV. As of around 2012, their current line-up consists of Puckett, Woody Lingle (bass), Jamie Hilboldt (keyboards), and Mike Candito (drums). The Union Gap's "Greatest Hits" album was one of
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
' best selling "Collector Series" albums. In 1974 " Young Girl" was reissued in the UK where it reached number five and achieved a Silver Record Award for the second time.


Solo career

After the Union Gap split, Puckett released a solo album titled ''The Gary Puckett Album'' that same year. He released a few singles from 1970 to 1972, with his first two being a cover of
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
's 1964 song, "
I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. The song was recorded by Dusty Springfield and it reached No. 3 on the UK chart in 1964. Composition and early versions The song's life be ...
" and a cover of
Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...
's " Keep The Customer Satisfied" (a song Puckett performed on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
'' in January 1971). After the release of his 1971 album, Puckett's contract was terminated. He lived a private life throughout the rest of the 1970s, studying acting and dance and working in theatrical productions in and around
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, before he made a comeback in the music industry 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 The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums and ...
and
Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and formerly fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous tra ...
. After a decade out of the public eye, Puckett released ''Melodie'' (1982) followed by ''Love Me Tonight'' (1992), ''As It Stands'' (1995), ''Time Pieces'' (1996), and ''Is This Love'' (1997), as well as a Christmas album in 2001. Puckett's latest album is ''This Is Love'' (2006). Puckett, along with Michael McDonald, joined
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former The Beatles, Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr ...
in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
as a guest to sing the
Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
song "
With a Little Help from My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and is sung by drummer Ringo Starr (a ...
" on June 26, 2000. He was interviewed by ''
Studio 10 ''Studio 10'' was an Australian morning talk show on Network 10 which aired from 4 November 2013 to 22 December 2023. Its final hosts were Angela Bishop, Narelda Jacobs and Tristan MacManus. It aired between 10am and noon on weekdays and a hi ...
'' in 2019. Puckett opened a Cameo account in 2021.


Personal life

Gary Puckett married his first wife, Shirley Puckett, in 1979; they are now divorced. He married Lorrie Haimes on May 18, 2000. Gary has two stepdaughters from his wife's previous marriage. He currently lives in
Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...
. Since 1990, Puckett has been a
born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...
, after having followed the teachings of
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 191? – 5 February 2008) was the creator of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and leader of the worldwide organization that has been characterized in multiple ways, including as a new ...
for many years. While meditating in 1985, Puckett said he heard the Lord tell him there was a better path to follow.


Discography


The Outcasts


Singles

* "Run Away" / "Would You Care" — 1965 * "I Can't Get Through To You" / "I Found Out About You" — 1966


With

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett) was an American pop rock group active in the late 1960s. The group, formed by Gary Puckett, Gary "Mutha" Withem, Dwight Bement, Kerry Chater and Paul Whea ...


Singles

Re-releases


Albums

† – Billed as ''The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett'' ‡ – Billed as ''Gary Puckett & The Union Gap''


Solo


Singles

* "
I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. The song was recorded by Dusty Springfield and it reached No. 3 on the UK chart in 1964. Composition and early versions The song's life be ...
" (US Billboard #61, US AC #14) / "All That Matters" – Columbia 45249 – October 1970 * " Keep the Customer Satisfied" (US Billboard #71, US AC #28) / "No One Really Knows" – Columbia 45303 – February 1971 * "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs" (US AC #24) / "Shimmering Eyes" – Columbia 45358 – 1971 * "Gentle Woman" (US Record World #109) / "Hello Morning" – Columbia 45438 – 1971 * "I Can't Hold On" / "Hello Morning" – Columbia 45509 – 1971 * "Leavin' In The Morning" (US Record World #140) / "Bless This Child" – Columbia 45678 – 1972


Albums

* ''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 acts who appeared on the television show '' American Bandstand''. __NOTOC__ 0-9 * The 13th Floor Elevators * 1910 Fruitgum Company * 20/20 * The 5th Dimension * 9.9 A * a-ha * Willie Aames * ABBA * Gregory Abbott * ABC * Adam and the ...
* List of Columbia Records artists


References


External links


Official website

Puckett
at
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puckett, Gary 1942 births Living people People from Hibbing, Minnesota Singers from Minnesota 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers