A band biography of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap were an American pop/rock group whose most famous hits included 'Woman, Woman' and 'Lady Willpower'. This article is a band biography of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Early days

Overview
Although born in Hibbing, Minnesota (the town where Bob Dylan grew up, coincidentally), Gary Puckett was raised in Washington State.
He attended college in San Diego, California, and it was here that he encountered a band called The Outcasts, a hard rock group which he joined. The rest of the Outcasts were Kerry Chater (bass), Gary 'Mutha' Withem (keyboards), Dwight Bement (tenor saxophone) and Paul Wheatbread (drums). They toured the Pacific Northwest throughout 1966 before changing their identity in 1967. Now managed by Dick Badger, the band started calling themselves The Union Gap, sporting American Civil War type outfits as something of a pun on the band name. They were soon signed to Columbia Records, after producer Jerry Fuller heard a demo and was impressed by Puckett's baritone vocals.

Here come the hits

Hits The band recorded their first single in 1967.
Entitled 'Woman, Woman', it was written by Jim Glaser and Jimmy Paine, and gave the Union Gap their first hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold disc. Over the next two years, the band would release a string of records, all of which apart from one reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.
These were 'Young Girl' (number two), 'Lady Willpower' (number two), 'Over You' (number seven) and 'Don't Give In To Him" (number 15). All these were produced by Fuller, who also co-wrote many of the band's hits.

Split and solo career

Later developments The band wanted record material that they themselves had written however, rather than the more orchestrated power ballads which Fuller wanted them to play. Matters came to a head in 1969 when the band refused to record with Fuller after the producer had booked a session, along with a 40-piece orchestra, to record one of his new songs.
Band and producer never worked together again. The band did enjoy chart success with single 'This Girl Is a Woman Now', but struggled to make an impact with later recordings.
Gary Puckett continued as a solo artist for a while, with The Union Gap as his backing band, but things finally spluttered out in 1971.
Final word Puckett still plays on the oldies circuit in the United States and elsewhere, after enjoying a long spell away from music in the 1970's, although The Uniion Gap which now backs him features none of the original members.