Singer-songwriter James Arthur “Jimmy” Griffin, a founding member of the 1970s pop group Bread, died Tuesday in Franklin, Tenn., after a battle with cancer. He was 61.

Griffin won an Academy Award for best song for co-writing the Carpenters’ hit “For All We Know” for the movie “Lovers and Other Strangers.” He also wrote country hits including Conway Twitty’s “Who’s Gonna Know” and Restless Heart’s “You Can Depend On Me.”

Griffin did not sing lead vocals on most of Bread’s singles – that slot was occupied by David Gates – but his harmony vocals and guitar work were crucial elements in the band’s soft rock success.

Their hits included “Make It With You,” “Baby I’m-a Want You” and “Everything I Own.”

“He had such a soft sound,” said John Ford Coley, a close friend who often performed with Griffin. “Jimmy could have looked at you and said, ‘I hate your guts,’ and it would have sounded like, ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.’ And he wasn’t your typical road musician who went wild and crazy. Jimmy was kind of quiet. He sang a lot of harmony and played great guitar.”

Griffin was raised in Memphis and moved to Hollywood, Calif., in the early 1960s.

He, Mr. Gates, and Robb Royer released Bread’s self-titled debut album in 1968.

The band found considerable success in the early 1970s, but tensions arose between Griffin and Mr. Gates over who should write the group’s singles.

Griffin left the band in 1973 and rejoined in 1976 before it disbanded in a swirl of rancor and lawsuits.