The Guitar Man
| "The Guitar Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bread | ||||
| from the album Guitar Man | ||||
| B-side | "Just Like Yesterday" | |||
| Released | July 1972 | |||
| Genre | Rock, soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Gates | |||
| Producer(s) | David Gates | |||
| Bread singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Guitar Man" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by the rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member. It first appeared on Bread's 1972 album, Guitar Man. The song is a mixture of the sounds of soft rock, including strings and acoustic guitar, and the addition of a wah-wah effect electric guitar, played by Larry Knechtel. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and their third number-one hit on the easy listening chart,[2] (following "If" and "Baby I'm-a Want You").
Chart performance
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (KMR) | 22 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[3] | 6 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[4] | 7 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[5] | 14 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[7] | 16 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 11 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[10] | 10 |
Personnel
- David Gates - lead vocals, bass, violin
- James Griffin - acoustic guitar, harmony vocals
- Larry Knechtel - lead guitar
- Mike Botts - drums
Cover versions
The song has been covered by David J on his 2003 album Estranged, Cake on their 2004 album Pressure Chief, Starflyer 59 on their 2007 vinyl collection Ghosts of the Future, and Bobby Bare, Jr. on his American Bread EP. Hank Marvin released his album Guitar Man with a cover version of the song. In 2012 Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby recorded a version for a fund raising CD titled Super Hits of the Seventies for radio station WFMU.
See also
References
- ^ Soft Rock Music - What is Soft Rock? - Oldies Music Songs and Artists
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 39.
- ^ "Canada Top Singles"
- ^ "Canada Adult Contemporary"
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guitar Man". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Bread – The Guitar Man". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Bread: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Bread Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Bread Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19720923.html
External links
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