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Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Awesome Music of the 1960s

By Rasma RaistersPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Another American rock group which came on the scene in the late 1960s was Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. This band was set apart from other bands due to their music. They had songs which had a combination of great singing and music and touched the heart in many different ways. Their songs are still popular to this day and can be heard over the radio. From the very beginning, they were known as The Union Gap featuring Garry Puckett, and later on with only Puckett’s name in front. I can honestly say that their incredible music took me in my teen years from being a young girl to becoming a woman.

Gary Puckett joined a hard rock band calling themselves The Outcasts and in 1966 they toured the Pacific Northwest. They weren’t very successful and only managed to come out with two singles. However, their manager had other ideas. He had them renamed The Union Gap and outfitted them in Union Army-style Civil War uniforms. It all came together nicely and with Puckett’s super tenor tones and their music leaning toward soft rock they were signed to Columbia Records. Soon they had a distinct sound and as the music began and the first notes sounded, you knew that it was Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Their debut album went gold and was titled Woman Woman. It included the smash single that brought them into the limelight “Woman Woman” and other songs which they made their very own like “Kentucky Woman” (Neil Diamond) and “To Love Somebody” (Barry and Robin Gibb).

Their second album Young Girlbecame RIAA Gold-certified. It included the title song and other songs like “Kiss Me Goodbye." The one song which I also think stands out from this album but did not get a mention was a classic Glen Campbell song written by Chris Gantry “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife."

Their first fantastic single "Woman, Woman” climbed to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified as a gold disc. Afterward came a string of hits enjoyed by their fans such as "Over You” and "Don’t Give In To Him." However, try as they might they just never reached that number 1 spot in the U.S. but their song ”Young Girl” did hit number 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart. Puckett and The Union Gap had the honor to headline at a White House reception for Prince Charles and in 1968 at Disneyland and even though they lost they were nominated for a Grammy Award in 1969 for Best New Artist.

Their third album was titled Incredible and included “Lady Willpower” and “Over You."

They came out with another hit among their fans in 1969 and even though this song didn’t make it to the Billboard Top 40 it is still played to this very day. The song is”This Girl is a Woman Now." This song and “Don’t Give In to Him” were on their last album in 1969 titled The New Gary Puckett and the Union Gap Album.

After the band broke up in the early 1970s, Puckett tried going at it alone for a while. There was a comeback tour in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1981 and afterward, Puckett became a regular on the national oldies circuit. In 1986 Puckett was invited by The Monkees to join their national tour. He did some recording with his brother in 2001 the result was a CD titled Europeand also released a traditional Christmas song CD. He has also recycled some of the group’s past hits and included new tunes like “I Ain’t Got Noth’n but the Blues” and “As It Stands."

60s music
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About the Creator

Rasma Raisters

My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.

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