Bread

Prior to forming Bread, the band members had worked with such artists as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Simon & Garfunkel. ∙ Their hit single “If” topped Billboard’s Easy Listening chart, while actor Telly Savalas’ spoken word version reached #1 in the UK. ∙ More than a dozen of the band’s songs—an average of two per studio album—landed on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. ∙ Their songs have been covered by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, and Julio Iglesias. ∙ Guitarist James Griffin and original bassist Robb Royer cowrote the Oscar-winning song “For All We Know” for the film Lovers and Other Strangers. ∙ Bassist/keyboardist Larry Knechtel was also a member of The Wrecking Crew, a legendary group of session musicians who appeared on countless hits during the ’60s and ’70s. ∙ Aimee Mann acknowledged Bread as an influence on the “sad, soft, slow” sounds of her Grammy Award-winning album Mental Illness.