The man who sang the eteranl question, "Woman, have you got cheating on your mind?" is back with a new sound and harsh criticism for the music of the 1980s.
Gary Puckett, minus the Union Gap, plans to release his first album in nearly 20 years this fall, and warns his old fans not to expect the same old sound."If they want another record like `Young Girl,' it's not waht they're going to get," he said. "You can't (make) a record that sounds like 1968.
"But it's still me singing. The voice is recognizable."
The 46-year-old PUckett's booming voice was one of the msot recognizable in rock i nthe late '60s. He grew up in Yakima and named his original band after this small suburb. But he contends that the band name was initially chosen because of his interest in the Civil War and specially the Union forces.
"When I thought of that, I decided why not call it Union Gap," Puckett said. "It meant something to me. It was a sneaky little twist nobody would understand.
The name also allowed the group to dress up in Civil War uniforms, with Puckett wearing the rank of general.
But the whole issue is academic because the Union Gap broke up over creative differences in 1971, and Puckett now tours with three different musicians as the Gary Puckett Band.
Puckett, who lives in San Diego, Calif., hasn't had a new record since 1971, but has signed an agreement with AVM America Inc., a record company based in Venice, Calif., and plans to have a new album out in the fall.
AVM is a new company whose president, Terry Powell, was a publicist for CBS records during Puckett's prime, the 1967-69 period when the Union Gap came out with such songs as "Woman, Woman," "Over You," "This Girl Is a Woman Now" and "Lady Willpower."
Puckett's on-going popularity in Germany inspired the company to sign him and produce an album, Powell said. "We think very highly of Gary," he said. "All his old records are very popular in Europe."
While Puckett hasn't released a record since 1971's "Keep the Customer Satisfied," he has not been idle. He performed on the Happy Together reunion tour of several 1960s bands in 1984, and was an opening act for The Monkees recent reunion tour.
For the past few years he has been playing fairs and family festivals. Hsi audiences have primarily been his own age group and youngsters who are turned off by heavy metal.
"It's amazing how many of them are disdainful of hard rock," Puckett said. "They're not into the head-banger stuff. It's kind of encouraging.
Heavy metal and rap music deserve their own categories, he said. "Don't call it rock."
Puckett was born in Hibbing, Minn., and his family moved to Yakima when he was 5. The family spent a couple of years in Tacoma before moving back to Hakima when Puckett was in the sixth grade. They moved again near the end o fhis junior year of high school, and he graduated from high school in Twin Falls, Idaho. He formed the band while a college student at San Diego State in the mid-1960s.
Despite his roots in the region, Puckett rarely makes it back to the Pacific Northwest. His performance at the Central Washington State Fair in 1987 was his first time back in years, he said. He was recently here to perform at an antique car show.
There has been talk of reuniting the original Union Gap, but several of the other members have commitments and would "have to take a left turn," Puckett said. "It just didn't happen."