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Gary Dale Puckett (born October 17, 1942) is an American singer widely known as the lead vocalist for Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, who had six consecutive gold records in 1968, including "Woman Woman", "Young Girl", "Lady Willpower", "Over You", "Don't Give In to Him" and "This Girl Is a Woman Now."
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.
He went to college for two years in San Diego, California, majoring in psychology, then dropped out to work in a band called the Outcasts.
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.
The band was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1969, losing out to José Feliciano.
Gary re-formed the band sometime in the early 1980s and, since signing to them in 1984, has performed with them at the yearly "Happy Together" tours, alongside Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman of The Turtles (who started up the tour), The Association, The Cowsills, Ron Dante of The Archies, Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night, The Buckinghams, The Box Tops, The Vogues, and Classics IV.
As of around 2012, their current line-up consists of Puckett, Woody Lingle (bass), Jamie Hilboldt (keyboards), and Mike Candito (drums).
The Union Gap's "Greatest Hits" album was one of CBS' best selling "Collector Series" albums.
In 1974 "Young Girl" was reissued in the United Kingdom where it reached number five and achieved a Silver Record Award for the second time.
He released a few singles from 1970 to 1972, with his first two being a cover of Dusty Springfield's 1964 song, "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Keep The Customer Satisfied" (a song Puckett performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1971).
After the release of his 1971 album, Puckett's contract was terminated.
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.
Puckett was on the bill for the first Monkees reunion tour in 1986, along with the Grass Roots and Herman's Hermits.
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. Puckett's latest album is This Is Love (2006).
Puckett, along with Michael McDonald, joined Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in San Diego as a guest to sing the Beatles song "With a Little Help from My Friends" on June 26, 2000.
He was interviewed by Studio 10 in 2019.
Puckett opened a Cameo account in 2021.
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.
| November 1967 † | "Woman, Woman" (Jim Glaser, Jimmy Payne) | "Don't Make Promises" (Tim Hardin) | ||||
| March 1968 † | "Young Girl" (Jerry Fuller) | "I'm Losing You" (Jerry Fuller, Gary Puckett) | ||||
| June 1968 ‡ | "Lady Willpower" (Jerry Fuller) | "Daylight Stranger" (Jerry Fuller, Gary Puckett) | ||||
| September 1968 ‡ | "Over You" (Jerry Fuller) | "If The Day Would Come" (Kerry Chater, Gary Puckett, Gary Withem) | ||||
| March 1969 ‡ | "Don't Give In to Him" (Gary Usher) | "Could I" (Jerry Fuller, Gary Puckett) | ||||
| August 1969 ‡ | "This Girl Is a Woman Now" (Victor Millrose, Alan Bernstein) | "His Other Woman" (D. Allen, Kerry Chater) | ||||
| March 1970 ‡ | "Let's Give Adam and Eve Another Chance" (Richard Mainegra, Red West) | "The Beggar" (E. Colville, Gary Puckett) | ||||
| June 1974 ‡ | "Young Girl" (CBS UK re-release) |
| February 1968 † | Woman, Woman | 22 | - |
| May 1968 ‡ | Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Featuring "Young Girl" | 21 | - |
| November 1968 ‡ | Incredible | 20 | - |
| December 1969 ‡ | The New Gary Puckett and the Union Gap Album | 50 | - |
| July 1970 ‡ | Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's Greatest Hits | 50 | - |
| 1981 ‡ | The Best of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap | - | 32 |
‡ – Billed as Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
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