Gary Puckett was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, on 17 October 1942.
He began playing the guitar in his teens and graduated from Twin Falls High School before attending college in San Diego, California. There, he quit college and formed The Outcasts.
The group enjoyed popularity on the local club circuit, before renaming themselves The Union Gap (after a battlefield town in Washington State) early in 1967.
As the name suggested, they wore American Civil War uniforms on stage.
With help from noted composer/producer Jerry Fuller, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap released a string of top-selling singles.
The first to crack Britain was Young Girl, released by CBS Records. Remarkably, the single soared to the top of the chart in June 1968, as it told its tale of an older man’s love for a much younger girl. It was a vividly strong storyline – but then this was the Sixties.
Young Girl also hit the top of the American chart. It was re-issued in 1974 in Britain, and became a Top Ten hit all over again.
The band enjoyed four UK hits in total – with Young Girl counting as two. The others were Lady Willpower and Woman Woman.
When their run of hits dried up, the band split and Puckett pursued a solo career, releasing one album of significance, The Gary Puckett Album (1971).
Gary Puckett
Vocals, guitar
Kerry Chater
Bass
Gary Witham
Keyboards
Dwight Bennett
Saxophone
Paul Whitbread
Drums
Video
Related Posts
Buckinghams, The Chicago group The Buckinghams named themselves after Buckingham Palace (although it's also the name of a Chicago fountain which is…
Country Joe & The Fish 'Country' Joe McDonald was born on 1 January 1942, in El Monte, California. Shades of his future political activism were…
Adderley Smith Blues Band, The Alongside Brisbane's Bay City Union and Sydney's The Foreday Riders, Melbourne's Adderley Smith Blues Band is recognised as one of the first…
Fanny Adams Douglas John Parkinson was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, on 30 October 1946. He began singing in the choir…
Tommy Roe Born on 9 May 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia, Tommy Roe attended the Brown High School where he formed his first…
Dee Jay & The Runaways Dee Jay and the Runaways came from Milford, Iowa, and enjoyed a national US hit with the novelty rocker Peter Rabbit in 1966. The group…
Gants, The The Gants were formed in 1963 by Sid Herring (vocals, guitar), Johnny Sanders (guitar), Vince Montgomery (bass) and Don Wood…
Procol Harum Procol Harum started off as a session group to record the Gary Brooker (ex-The Paramounts) and Keith Reid (an ex-legal…
