Bread

Bread were the iconic soft rock band of the early 1970s, finding a winning formula with soaring folk-pop melodies, country rock guitars and sweet sunset vibes. Songwriter and vocalist David Gates scored many Top 5 hits, even as tunes like "It Don't Matter to Me," "Make It with You," "If" and "Baby I'm-A Want You" slipped mellow carnal passion into the kind of family-friendly songs that John Denver also delivered. Bread split acrimoniously and were often ostracized throughout the 1980s, but today their songs are heralded by indie pop musicians like Josh Rouse and Ken Stringfellow.