After the Union Gap disbanded in 1971, Puckett signed to Columbia and embarked on a solo career. After a decade-long hiatus starting in 1972, he returned to music in the early 1980s, and has since released a handful of studio albums.[2]
He went to college for two years in San Diego, California, majoring in psychology,[5][6] then dropped out to work in a band called the Outcasts.
The Outcasts
Gary's first group was The Outcasts, which included Bobby Brown (bass), Dwight Bement (saxophone; Also later member of the Union Gap), Bob Salisbury (saxophone), and Willie Kellogg (drums).[7] Originally formed as a Righteous Brothers styled duo by Puckett and Brown, their manager, Yale Kahn, owner of the Clairemont Bowl, added Bement, Salisbury, and Kellogg into the lineup.
After releasing two singles, "Run Away / Would You Care" (1965) and "I Can't Get Through To You / I Found Out About You" (1966), the group split up in 1967.[7]
In January 1967, Puckett and Dwight Bement formed Gary and the Remarkables with Kerry Chater (August 7, 1945 – February 4, 2022, bass)[8] Gary 'Mutha' Withem (born August 22, 1944, keyboards), and Paul Wheatbread (born February 8, 1946, drums).
The break came for the group when Jerry Fuller, a former country music artist and a producer for Columbia Records in Los Angeles, heard them at a small bar where they were performing in a bowling alley complex. Fuller liked their sound and signed them to a contract.
Initial success
They were now going under the name Gary Puckett & The Union Gap and would be known for hits such as "Lady Willpower", "Young Girl" and "Woman, Woman". They sold more records in 1968 than any other group and had six consecutive gold records[9] as well as making two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (1968, 1971). Their song "Woman, Woman" was an adaptation of the country hit by the Glaser Brothers called "Girl, Girl". On records, they wore Civil War outfits, as suggested by Puckett, and called themselves the Union Gap after the Union Gap area where Puckett had lived.
The group eventually grew unhappy with doing material written and produced by others, leading them to stop working with Fuller, and they disbanded in 1971.
After the release of his 1971 album, Puckett's contract was terminated.[4]
He lived a private life throughout the rest of the 1970s, studying acting and dance and working in theatrical productions in and around Los Angeles, before he made a comeback in the music industry as a solo artist in the 1980s.
After a decade out of the public eye, Puckett released Melodie (1982) followed by Love Me Tonight (1992), As It Stands (1995), Time Pieces (1996), and Is This Love (1997), as well as a Christmas album in 2001.[11] Puckett's latest album is This Is Love (2006).
Gary Puckett married his first wife, Shirley Puckett, in 1979; they are now divorced. He married Lorrie Haimes on May 18, 2000.[16] Gary has two stepdaughters from his wife's previous marriage. He currently lives in Clearwater, Florida.[17]
Since 1990, Puckett has been a born-again Christian, after having followed the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for many years. While meditating in 1985, Puckett said he heard the Lord tell him there was a better path to follow.[18]
Discography
The Outcasts
Singles
"Run Away" / "Would You Care" — 1965
"I Can't Get Through To You" / "I Found Out About You" — 1966
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