Chicago (band)
Encyclopedia
Chicago is an American
rock
band formed in 1967 in Chicago
, Illinois
. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Second only to The Beach Boys
in terms of Billboard
singles and albums chart success among American bands, Chicago is one of the longest running and most successful pop/rock and roll groups.
Chicago re-teamed with producer Phil Ramone
in October 2010 to begin work on a new album.
According to Billboard
, Chicago was the leading US singles charting group during the 1970s. They have sold over 38 million units in the US, with 22 gold
, 18 platinum, and 8 multi-platinum albums. Over the course of their career they have charted five No. 1 albums, and have had 21 top ten hits.
students, together with Marvin Cantera and Andre Jugo (music students who had been playing local late-night clubs), recruited a couple of other students from the university and decided to meet in saxophonist Walter Parazaider
's apartment. The five musicians consisted of Parazaider, guitarist
Terry Kath
, drummer
Danny Seraphine
, trombonist James Pankow
, trumpet
player Lee Loughnane
. The last to arrive was keyboardist
Robert Lamm
, a music major from Chicago's Roosevelt University
. The group of six called themselves The Big Thing, and continued playing top-40 hits, but realized that they were missing a tenor
voice (Lamm and Kath both sang in the baritone
range); the voice they were missing belonged to local bassist
Peter Cetera
.
While gaining some success as a cover band, the group began working on original songs. In June 1968, they moved to Los Angeles, California
under the guidance of their friend and manager James William Guercio, and signed with Columbia Records
. After signing with Guercio, The Big Thing changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority.
Their first record (released in April 1969), the eponymous The Chicago Transit Authority
(sometimes informally referred to simply as CTA), was a double album — very rare for a first release — featuring jazz
y instrumentals, extended jams featuring Latin percussion
, and experimental, feedback-laden guitar abstraction. It sold over one million copies by 1970, and was awarded a platinum disc
. The album began to receive heavy airplay on the newly popular FM radio band; it included a number of pop-rock songs — "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
", "Beginnings
", and "Questions 67 and 68
" — which would later be edited to an AM radio-friendly length, released as singles, and eventually become rock radio staples.
Soon after the album's release, the band's name was shortened to Chicago, when the actual Chicago Transit Authority
threatened legal action.
(also known as Chicago II), was the group's breakthrough album. The centerpiece track was a 7-part, 13-minute suite
composed by James Pankow called "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon
" (the structure of this suite was inspired by Pankow's love for classical music). The suite yielded two top ten hits: the crescendo
-filled "Make Me Smile
" (#9 U.S) and prom
-ready ballad "Colour My World
", both sung by Terry Kath. Among the other popular tracks on the album: Robert Lamm's dynamic but cryptic "25 or 6 to 4
" (Chicago's first Top 5 hit, it was a reference to a songwriter trying to write at 25 or 26 minutes to 4 in the morning, and was sung by Peter Cetera with wah-wah guitar by Kath), the lengthy war-protest song "It Better End Soon", and, at the end, Cetera's 1969 moon landing-inspired "Where Do We Go from Here?" The double-LP album's inner cover includes—in addition to the playlist—the entire lyrics to "It Better End Soon", and two declarations: "This album should be experienced sequentially" (this would suggest that Chicago is a concept album
), and, "With this album, we dedicate ourselves, our futures and our energies to the people of the revolution. And the revolution in all of its forms."
The band recorded and released LPs at a rate of at least one album per year from their third album in 1971 through the 1970s. During this period, the group's album titles invariably consisted of the band's name followed by a Roman numeral indicating the album's sequence in their canon, a naming pattern that lent an encyclopedic aura to the band's work. (The exceptions to this scheme were the band's fourth album, a live boxed set entitled Chicago at Carnegie Hall
, their twelfth album Hot Streets
, and the Arabic-numbered Chicago 13
. While the live album itself did not bear a number, each of the four discs within the set was numbered Volumes I through IV.) The distinctive Chicago logo was designed by Nick Fasciano (bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Coca-Cola logo) and has graced every album cover (except #15, Greatest Hits Vol. 2) in one form or another—for example, as an American flag on III, a piece of wood on V, a U.S. dollar bill on VI, an embroidered patch on VIII, a chocolate bar on X, a fingerprint on XIV, a computer silicon chip on 16, and a mosaic on 18.
In 1971, Chicago released the ambitious quadruple-album live set, Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Volumes I, II, III, and IV, consisting of live performances, mostly of music from their first three albums, from a week-long run at the famous venue
; along with the James Gang
and Led Zeppelin
in 1969, Chicago was one of the few rock bands to play the historic concert hall since The Beatles
performed there on February 12, 1964. The performances and sound quality were judged sub-par; in fact, trombonist James Pankow
went on record to say that "the horn section
sounded like kazoo
s." The packaging of the album also contained some rather strident political messaging about how "We [youth] can change The System," including massive wall posters and voter registration information. Nevertheless, Chicago at Carnegie Hall went on to become the best-selling box set by a rock act, and held that distinction for 15 years.
The group bounced back in 1972 with their first single-disc release, Chicago V
, a diverse set that reached number one on both the Billboard pop and jazz albums charts and yielded the Robert Lamm-composed-and-sung radio hit and perennial fan favorite "Saturday in the Park
", which mixed everyday life and political yearning in a more subtle way. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1972. Chicago would long open their concerts with the hit song. Another Lamm-composed hit song therein was "Dialogue (Part I & II)
", which featured a musical "debate" between a political activist (sung by Kath) and a blasé college student (sung by Cetera).
In 1973, the group's manager, Guercio, produced and directed Electra Glide in Blue
, a movie about an Arizona motorcycle policeman. The movie starred Robert Blake
and featured Cetera, Kath, Loughnane, and Parazaider in supporting roles. The group also appeared prominently on the movie's soundtrack.
Other successful albums and singles followed in each of the succeeding years. 1973's Chicago VI
topped the charts buoyed by the hits "Feelin' Stronger Every Day
" (#10 U.S.) and "Just You 'N' Me
" (#4 U.S.) and it was also the first of several albums to include Brazilian jazz percussionist Laudir de Oliveira. Chicago VII
, the band's double-disc 1974 release, featured the Cetera-composed "Wishing You Were Here
", (#11 U.S.) sung by Terry Kath and Cetera with background vocals by Cetera and The Beach Boys
and some fusion jazz. Chicago VII also provided one of the group's enduring signature tunes, the anthemic "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long
", which started with as a soft ballad and culminated in a hard-rock conclusion featuring Terry Kath's electric guitar soloing against the Chicago horn section and a soaring string arrangement by Jimmie Haskell. "Happy Man," another song from Chicago VII, was also a popular favorite on FM radio, was a big hit in South America
and subsequently covered by Tony Orlando and Dawn
on their album To Be With You. Their 1975 release, Chicago VIII
, featured the political allegory "Harry Truman
" and the nostalgic Pankow-composed "Old Days
". Both hits reached the Top 15, with the latter even reaching the Top Five. That summer also saw a very successful joint tour across America with The Beach Boys, with both acts performing separately, then coming together for a rousing finale. The tour was considered one of the highest grossing in rock music up to that time.
Chicago gave a concert in Mexico City
in 1975 at the Auditorio Nacional which was highly appreciated by the audience, contrary to the Mexican press later reviewing it as not one of the band’s better performances, presumably for the band not being "in the best of shape". The tickets for the concert sold so fast that thousands of people were unable to get in, so Terry Kath asked those inside to applaud for those standing outside. Carmen Romano de Lòpez Portillo, the wife of Mèxico's then-President Josè Lòpez Portillo, is said to have been in first row of the audience.
But for all their effort, none of their singles went to number one until Chicago X
in 1976, when Cetera's ballad "If You Leave Me Now
" climbed to the top of the charts and remained there for two weeks. The song also won Chicago their only Grammy award
, for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
in 1977. Ironically, the tune almost did not make the cut for the album; "If You Leave Me Now" was recorded at the very last minute. The huge success of the song would foreshadow a later reliance on ballads that would typecast the group on radio, despite the presence of mellower songs on all the previous albums. The group's 1977 release, Chicago XI
, was another big success for the band; it included Cetera's hit ballad "Baby, What a Big Surprise
", a #4 U.S. hit which became one of the group's last big hits of the decade.
/group co-founder Terry Kath died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot
wound. One account describes Kath's drunken last words to guitar tech Don Johnson: "Don't worry, guys. It isn't even loaded. See?" Kath was the group's leader onstage, and for many longtime fans, its musical soul. Terry Kath's shocking death could have meant the end for Chicago, but encouraged by friends and admirers such as Doc Severinsen
, the group held fast and soldiered on.
After auditioning over 30 potential replacements for Kath, Chicago decided upon guitarist/singer/songwriter Donnie Dacus
, who joined the band in April 1978 just in time for the Hot Streets
album (he was also being filmed for the musical Hair
at the time). Its energetic lead-off single, "Alive Again
", brought Chicago back to the Top 15; James Pankow wrote it "originally as a love song but ultimately as recognition of Kath's guiding spirit shining down from above." The group was briefly re-energized by Dacus, whose long blond hair and rock star image stage presence seemingly overshadowed his musical abilities. The kinetic Dacus may have been out of character for the normally laid-back Chicago, but he could sing and play, and the band responded by delivering some of their tightest live performances ever. Hot Streets, with producer Phil Ramone
now at the helm, was Chicago's first album with an actual title rather than a number and was the band's first LP to have a picture of the band (shot by photographer Norman Seeff
) featured prominently on the cover (with the ubiquitous logo downsized), two moves that were seen by many as a way to indicate the band had changed following Kath's death. To a degree, the band returned to the old naming scheme on its subsequent releases, although most titles would now bear Arabic numerals
rather than Roman numerals. The release of Hot Streets also marked a move somewhat away from the jazz-rock direction favored by Kath and towards more pop songs and ballads. Dacus didn't last long, only staying with the band through the 1979 album Chicago 13
(Dacus is also featured in a promotional video on the DVD included in the Rhino Records Chicago box set from 2003). 13, again produced by Phil Ramone, was the group's first studio album not to contain a Top 40 hit.
1980's Chicago XIV
, produced by Tom Dowd, relegated the horn section to the background on a number of tracks, and the album's two singles failed to make the Top 40. Production values were spare, perhaps due to the lean, stripped-down New Wave music that was popular at the time. Chris Pinnick
handled the guitar duties and came close to the "Kath sound," but did not sing. He would remain with the band through 1985. Believing the band to no longer be commercially viable, Columbia Records
dropped them from its roster in 1981 and released a second "Greatest Hits" volume later that year to fulfill its contractual obligation.
The second major phase of the band's career took off in late 1981—with a new producer (David Foster
), a new label (Warner Brothers), and the addition of keyboardist
/guitarist
/singer Bill Champlin
and guitarist Chris Pinnick
(who had played on XIV and subsequent tour); percussionist Laudir de Oliveira also departed at this time along with former Buckingham and sax player Marty Grebb, who had joined the group briefly for the XIV tour.
Foster brought in studio musicians for some of the tracks on Chicago 16
(including the core members of Toto
), and Chicago once again topped the charts with the song "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away
", which was featured in the soundtrack of the Daryl Hannah
film Summer Lovers
. This was followed up by a string-laden power ballad that barely missed the top 20, "Love Me Tomorrow
". The following album, Chicago 17
, became the biggest selling album of the band's history, producing two more Top Ten singles—"You're the Inspiration
" and "Hard Habit to Break
" (both #3 hits)—and two other singles: "Stay the Night
" (#16) and "Along Comes a Woman
" (#14). Peter's brother, Kenny Cetera, was brought into the group for the 17 tour to add percussion and high harmony vocals.
Lead vocalist Peter Cetera's desire to record a second solo album (he'd done his eponymous first one in 1981) and not continue with the band's gruelling tour schedule caused him to leave Chicago in 1985. Although other band members (including Lamm and Champlin) have released solo material, Cetera has proved the most successful—topping the pop charts with The Karate Kid, Part II
theme song "Glory of Love
", and with "The Next Time I Fall
" (a duet with Amy Grant
). Two more songs—a 1988 solo hit called "One Good Woman
" (#4 U.S.) and a 1989 duet with Cher
called "After All" (#6 U.S.)—reached the Top Ten.
/singer/songwriter Jason Scheff
, who joined the band for the final Foster-produced album Chicago 18
. This album was not as commercially successful as the previous two, but still produced the #3 single "Will You Still Love Me?
", a Top 5 Adult Contemporary and Top 20 Pop song ("If She Would Have Been Faithful...
"), and also a high-tech and highly programmed version of "25 or 6 to 4
" with a concept video that got a lot of airplay on MTV. Soon after the album was recorded, the band hired guitarist Dawayne Bailey
from Bob Seger
's Silver Bullet Band. Bailey and Scheff had previously played in bands together, so Scheff introduced Bailey to the band in time for the Chicago 18 tour (Scheff and Bailey's first concert with Chicago took place on Friday Oct 17, 1986 in Rockford, Illinois).
In 1988, the band replaced producer Foster with Ron Nevison and Chas Sanford, and they topped the charts again with the Diane Warren
-composed single "Look Away
", from the album Chicago 19
. The album also yielded two more Top 10 hits, both with Bill Champlin singing solo lead for the first time and another Top 5 single that would officially be a release from the forthcoming greatest hits record. Chicago 19 was followed in short order by Greatest Hits 1982-1989
, which included the aforementioned #5 hit "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?
", a slightly remixed tune originally included on 19 and sung by Jason Scheff. The album's other Top Ten hit, "You're Not Alone
", reached #10 in early 1989. During 1989, Chicago did a reprise joint concert tour with The Beach Boys (and would do so once again in 1997).
The band continued in the decade of the 1990s, even though their popularity began to decline. There was also another personnel change: founding member Danny Seraphine was fired by the band in 1990 and was replaced by drummer Tris Imboden
, who first appeared on the 1991 album Twenty 1
. Imboden was well-known in the industry as the longtime drummer for Kenny Loggins
. Chicago was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on July 23, 1992.
In 1993, Chicago wrote and recorded their 22nd album, Stone of Sisyphus
. Their record company at the time though, Reprise [Warner Music Group], was unhappy with the finished result, and thus the album was not released, although in succeeding years bootleg recordings of the album went on to surface worldwide, including over the Internet. It is also rumored that the label would not release the album as a result of being unable to reach a licensing agreement with band management over the back catalog. Selected tracks from the unreleased album were later officially released on four international compilation greatest hits CDs and the Rhino Records 2003 box set, and four were re-recorded for band members' solo albums. One track, "The Pull," was performed live during their 1993 appearance at the Greek Theatre (taped for PBS, and released on video in 1993). The album finally did see a release in June 2008, almost 15 years after its completion.
Starting on their 1994 tour, Chicago merged their unique sound with Big Band music for the 1995 album Night & Day Big Band
, which consisted of covers of songs originally recorded by artists like Sarah Vaughan
, Glenn Miller
, and Duke Ellington
(from whom the album mainly got its inspiration). Session guitarist Bruce Gaitsch
handled the guitar work, and the album featured guest appearances by Paul Shaffer
of "David Letterman"
fame, and Aerosmith
guitarist Joe Perry
.
Keith Howland
joined the band as guitarist in early 1995 to replace the departed Dawayne Bailey
.
During a Los Angeles
concert in 1997, Chicago teamed up with the Hollywood Bowl
Orchestra to perform a James Pankow/Dwight Mikelson orchestral arrangement of Pankow's rock epic "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon". Also during this year, the group released The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997
, a compilation album which went gold and yielded the #1 Adult Contemporary hit "Here in My Heart."
In 1998, Chicago released Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album
, which mixed traditional holiday favorites with an original Lee Loughnane composition. It went gold in the US. (The album was re-released with additional tracks in 2003, under the title What's It Gonna Be, Santa?.) The album featured Howland's first (and to date only) lead vocal on a Chicago record.
The band released a live album in 1999, Chicago XXVI
, which included only two of the many songs Cetera helped to write while in the group. In 2000, the group had the opportunity to tell their story in an episode of VH1
's Behind The Music
. This included gems such as Pankow relating this story from the early 1980s: "One record company said, 'Man, if you get rid of the horn section, we'll sign ya...' That's like tellin' Elton John
to get rid of the piano." The show, however, was not without its difficulties. The episode put more emphasis on the death of Terry Kath than on their entire career combined, and Peter Cetera refused to be interviewed or to allow the songs he wrote to be played on it (although the episode did include interviews he gave to others and songs he co-wrote).
As a new century turned, the band licensed their entire recorded output to Rhino Records (after years with Columbia Records and Warner Brothers). In 2002, Rhino released a two-disc compilation, The Very Best of Chicago: Only The Beginning
, which spans the band's entire career. The compilation made the Top 40 and sold over 2 million copies in the US, and includes a new edit of "Make Me Smile
"—which segued together the beginning ("Make Me Smile") and end ("Now More Than Ever") parts of the "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon
" suite like the original single did, but without its numerous cuts. Rhino has also begun releasing remastered versions of all of the band's Columbia albums, each including several bonus tracks. In 2003, they released a 5-CD / 1-DVD box set
—which includes a new edit of "It Better End Soon" (minus the flute solo), a track they had done for USA for Africa: We Are the World ("Good for Nothing"), and 3 tracks from the still-unissued Stone of Sisyphus album (its title track, "All the Years
", and "Bigger Than Elvis"–the latter being Scheff's tribute to his father, who had performed with Elvis Presley
). In 2005, they released a compilation entitled Love Songs.
Chicago continues to appear in big and small venues worldwide. In 2004–2005 they toured jointly with the band Earth, Wind & Fire
; a DVD
recorded during that tour, Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
, was certified platinum just two months after its release.
The group released Chicago XXX
, on March 21, 2006, their first all-new studio album since Twenty 1
. Two songs from this album, "Feel" and "Caroline", were performed live during Chicago's Fall 2005 tour; the studio recording of "Feel" debuted on WPLJ
radio in New York in November 2005. "Feel" was the first single released. The album contains two versions of the song: one with horns and an orchestral tag that echoes "Love Me Tomorrow", and another non-brass version. "Love Will Come Back" was the second single released. While Chicago XXX did manage to debut at No. 41 on the US album chart (besting some other entries, including Chicago XIV, which hit US #71, and Twenty 1, which topped out at only US #66), it only remained in the top 200 for two weeks.
During March 2006, Chicago made a multi-week appearance at the MGM Grand Las Vegas
, which was repeated in May of the same year. In July 2006, the band made a series of US appearances with Huey Lewis and the News
. Highlights of that tour included Chicago's Bill Champlin performing with Huey Lewis and the News on a couple of songs, members of Huey Lewis and the News contributing to Chicago's percussion-laden song, "I'm a Man," and Huey Lewis singing the lead vocal on Chicago's "Colour My World."
At the end of 2006, the band played at CD USA
's New Year's Eve party on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. Chicago toured the summer of 2007 with the band America
. On October 2, 2007, Rhino Records released the two-disc The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition
, a new greatest hits compilation spanning their entire forty years, similar to The Very Best of: Only the Beginning
, released four years earlier.
June 17, 2008 saw the official release of the Stone of Sisyphus album by Rhino Records, recorded in 1993 and originally slated for a March 1994 release until being shelved by Warner Records. The album contains eleven of the original twelve tracks (the raucous "Get on This", considered by many fans to be the best track on the album, was left off), plus four demo recordings.
In 2009 Chicago reunited with Earth, Wind & Fire for yet another joint tour.
In August 2009, Bill Champlin, who was with Chicago for 28 years, left the band to focus on his own music and solo career. His replacement is keyboardist Lou Pardini
. Drew Hester
also joined the band in 2010.
On December 12, 2009, Chicago performed nine songs live on stage at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut as part of Brian Boitano
's Skating Spectacular, taped for a New Year's Day NBC television broadcast. Boitano and other skaters performed live on the ice to the band's music.
Chicago toured with the Doobie Brothers in 2010, and the band appeared on the American Idol
9th season finale.
On July the 24th, 2011, the band performed at Red Rocks in Colorado, accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
. This was the first time Chicago played a full-length symphonic concert.
The band re-teamed with producer Phil Ramone (who produced Hot Streets and Chicago 13) to record a new Christmas album. Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three
was released in October 2011. In the meantime, Rhino released Chicago XXXIV: Live in '75, a concert from 1975.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in 1967 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Second only to The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
in terms of Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
singles and albums chart success among American bands, Chicago is one of the longest running and most successful pop/rock and roll groups.
Chicago re-teamed with producer Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
in October 2010 to begin work on a new album.
According to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Chicago was the leading US singles charting group during the 1970s. They have sold over 38 million units in the US, with 22 gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, 18 platinum, and 8 multi-platinum albums. Over the course of their career they have charted five No. 1 albums, and have had 21 top ten hits.
Beginnings
The band was formed when a group of DePaul UniversityDePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
students, together with Marvin Cantera and Andre Jugo (music students who had been playing local late-night clubs), recruited a couple of other students from the university and decided to meet in saxophonist Walter Parazaider
Walter Parazaider
Walter Parazaider is best known for being a founding member and saxophone player for the rock band Chicago. He also plays the flute and other woodwind instruments in the band, including clarinet. On the hit "You're Not Alone," he played backing rhythm guitar.Parazaider began playing the clarinet...
's apartment. The five musicians consisted of Parazaider, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Terry Kath
Terry Kath
Terry Alan Kath , born in Chicago, Illinois, was the original guitarist and founding member of the rock band Chicago...
, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Danny Seraphine
Danny Seraphine
Daniel Peter "Danny" Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer, best known for being the original drummer and founding member of the rock group Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.-Early life:Danny Seraphine was born in...
, trombonist James Pankow
James Pankow
James Carter "Jimmy" Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument arranger best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago.-Early life:...
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player Lee Loughnane
Lee Loughnane
Lee Loughnane , born 21 October 1946 in Elmwood Park, Illinois to Juanita Wall and Philip Louis Loughnane, is an American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, vocalist, and songwriter, best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago.- Biography :...
. The last to arrive was keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Robert Lamm
Robert Lamm
Robert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
, a music major from Chicago's Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
. The group of six called themselves The Big Thing, and continued playing top-40 hits, but realized that they were missing a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice (Lamm and Kath both sang in the baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
range); the voice they were missing belonged to local bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Peter Cetera
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
.
While gaining some success as a cover band, the group began working on original songs. In June 1968, they moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
under the guidance of their friend and manager James William Guercio, and signed with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. After signing with Guercio, The Big Thing changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority.
Their first record (released in April 1969), the eponymous The Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (album)
The Chicago Transit Authority is the eponymous debut album by the Chicago-based rock band The Chicago Transit Authority, who would later be known as Chicago. It was recorded and released in 1969.-History:...
(sometimes informally referred to simply as CTA), was a double album — very rare for a first release — featuring jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
y instrumentals, extended jams featuring Latin percussion
Latin percussion
The term Latin percussion refers to any number of a large family of musical percussion instruments used in Latin music, which in turn is a very loosely related group of musical styles, mainly from the Latin American region, and ultimately having roots or influences in African tribal...
, and experimental, feedback-laden guitar abstraction. It sold over one million copies by 1970, and was awarded a platinum disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The album began to receive heavy airplay on the newly popular FM radio band; it included a number of pop-rock songs — "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" is a song written and sung by Robert Lamm while in the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority ....
", "Beginnings
Beginnings (song)
"Beginnings" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority, released in 1969. Lamm also provided lead vocals...
", and "Questions 67 and 68
Questions 67 and 68
"Questions 67 and 68" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority , with Peter Cetera and Lamm singing lead vocals...
" — which would later be edited to an AM radio-friendly length, released as singles, and eventually become rock radio staples.
Soon after the album's release, the band's name was shortened to Chicago, when the actual Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
threatened legal action.
Chicago's greatest prominence
The band's popularity increased with the release of their second album, another double-LP set, which included several top-40 hits. This second album, titled ChicagoChicago (album)
Chicago is the second album by Chicago-based rock band Chicago. It was released in 1970 after the band had shortened its name from The Chicago Transit Authority after releasing their same-titled debut album the previous year.-History:...
(also known as Chicago II), was the group's breakthrough album. The centerpiece track was a 7-part, 13-minute suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
composed by James Pankow called "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon
Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon
"Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" , a nearly thirteen-minute song cycle/suite from Chicago's 1970 album Chicago II, was the group's first attempt at a long-format multi-part work....
" (the structure of this suite was inspired by Pankow's love for classical music). The suite yielded two top ten hits: the crescendo
Crescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
-filled "Make Me Smile
Make Me Smile
"Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago. Part of Pankow's Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album Chicago II...
" (#9 U.S) and prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
-ready ballad "Colour My World
Colour My World (Chicago song)
"Colour My World" is a song written by American musician James Pankow, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. Part of Pankow's Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album Chicago II...
", both sung by Terry Kath. Among the other popular tracks on the album: Robert Lamm's dynamic but cryptic "25 or 6 to 4
25 or 6 to 4
"25 or 6 to 4" is a song written by American musician Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. It was recorded for their second album, Chicago , with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. The song was edited and released as a single in June of the year 2009, climbing to...
" (Chicago's first Top 5 hit, it was a reference to a songwriter trying to write at 25 or 26 minutes to 4 in the morning, and was sung by Peter Cetera with wah-wah guitar by Kath), the lengthy war-protest song "It Better End Soon", and, at the end, Cetera's 1969 moon landing-inspired "Where Do We Go from Here?" The double-LP album's inner cover includes—in addition to the playlist—the entire lyrics to "It Better End Soon", and two declarations: "This album should be experienced sequentially" (this would suggest that Chicago is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
), and, "With this album, we dedicate ourselves, our futures and our energies to the people of the revolution. And the revolution in all of its forms."
The band recorded and released LPs at a rate of at least one album per year from their third album in 1971 through the 1970s. During this period, the group's album titles invariably consisted of the band's name followed by a Roman numeral indicating the album's sequence in their canon, a naming pattern that lent an encyclopedic aura to the band's work. (The exceptions to this scheme were the band's fourth album, a live boxed set entitled Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago at Carnegie Hall is the first live album by American band Chicago and was initially released in 1971 as a four LP vinyl box set on Columbia Records. It was also available for a time as two separate 2-record sets....
, their twelfth album Hot Streets
Hot Streets
Hot Streets is the 12th album by American rock band Chicago and released in 1978. In many ways, Hot Streets marked the beginning of a new era for the band...
, and the Arabic-numbered Chicago 13
Chicago 13
Chicago 13 is the 13th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1979. The follow-up to Hot Streets, Chicago 13 is often considered an unpopular release among Chicago's catalog, both critically and with fans...
. While the live album itself did not bear a number, each of the four discs within the set was numbered Volumes I through IV.) The distinctive Chicago logo was designed by Nick Fasciano (bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Coca-Cola logo) and has graced every album cover (except #15, Greatest Hits Vol. 2) in one form or another—for example, as an American flag on III, a piece of wood on V, a U.S. dollar bill on VI, an embroidered patch on VIII, a chocolate bar on X, a fingerprint on XIV, a computer silicon chip on 16, and a mosaic on 18.
In 1971, Chicago released the ambitious quadruple-album live set, Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago at Carnegie Hall is the first live album by American band Chicago and was initially released in 1971 as a four LP vinyl box set on Columbia Records. It was also available for a time as two separate 2-record sets....
Volumes I, II, III, and IV, consisting of live performances, mostly of music from their first three albums, from a week-long run at the famous venue
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
; along with the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
in 1969, Chicago was one of the few rock bands to play the historic concert hall since The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
performed there on February 12, 1964. The performances and sound quality were judged sub-par; in fact, trombonist James Pankow
James Pankow
James Carter "Jimmy" Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument arranger best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago.-Early life:...
went on record to say that "the horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
sounded like kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
s." The packaging of the album also contained some rather strident political messaging about how "We [youth] can change The System," including massive wall posters and voter registration information. Nevertheless, Chicago at Carnegie Hall went on to become the best-selling box set by a rock act, and held that distinction for 15 years.
The group bounced back in 1972 with their first single-disc release, Chicago V
Chicago V
Chicago V is the fourth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1972. It is notable for being the group's first single full-length release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a box set of live material.-History:Following the release of Chicago III in...
, a diverse set that reached number one on both the Billboard pop and jazz albums charts and yielded the Robert Lamm-composed-and-sung radio hit and perennial fan favorite "Saturday in the Park
Saturday in the Park (song)
"Saturday in the Park" is a song written by Robert Lamm and recorded by the group Chicago for their 1972 album Chicago V, with Lamm on piano and lead vocals and Peter Cetera on bass and backing vocals. The single version hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting single...
", which mixed everyday life and political yearning in a more subtle way. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1972. Chicago would long open their concerts with the hit song. Another Lamm-composed hit song therein was "Dialogue (Part I & II)
Dialogue (Part I & II)
"Dialogue" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago V . On the album the song is over 7 minutes long and is divided into two tracks. An edited version of the song was released as a single in October 1972, eventually reaching #24 on the U.S...
", which featured a musical "debate" between a political activist (sung by Kath) and a blasé college student (sung by Cetera).
In 1973, the group's manager, Guercio, produced and directed Electra Glide in Blue
Electra Glide in Blue
Electra Glide in Blue is a 1973 film starring Robert Blake as a motorcycle cop in Arizona and Billy Green Bush as his partner. The name stems from the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle issued to traffic cops....
, a movie about an Arizona motorcycle policeman. The movie starred Robert Blake
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
and featured Cetera, Kath, Loughnane, and Parazaider in supporting roles. The group also appeared prominently on the movie's soundtrack.
Other successful albums and singles followed in each of the succeeding years. 1973's Chicago VI
Chicago VI
Chicago VI is the sixth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1973. Following the streamlined character of Chicago V, this successor would see the group follow more of a pop music approach, relying less on their trademark horns and exploring varied music forms.After recording all...
topped the charts buoyed by the hits "Feelin' Stronger Every Day
Feelin' Stronger Every Day
"Feelin' Stronger Every Day" is a song written by Peter Cetera and James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VI . The first single released from that album, it reached #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
" (#10 U.S.) and "Just You 'N' Me
Just You 'N' Me
"Just You 'N' Me" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VI , with Peter Cetera singing lead vocals. The second single released from that album, it reached #4 on the U.S...
" (#4 U.S.) and it was also the first of several albums to include Brazilian jazz percussionist Laudir de Oliveira. Chicago VII
Chicago VII
Chicago VII is the seventh album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1974. It is notable for being their first double album of new material since 1971's Chicago III, and remains their final studio release in that format....
, the band's double-disc 1974 release, featured the Cetera-composed "Wishing You Were Here
Wishing You Were Here
"Wishing You Were Here" may also refer to a different song by Deborah Gibson."Wishing You Were Here" is a song written by Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VII , with lead vocals by Terry Kath , while Cetera sang the song's bridge...
", (#11 U.S.) sung by Terry Kath and Cetera with background vocals by Cetera and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and some fusion jazz. Chicago VII also provided one of the group's enduring signature tunes, the anthemic "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long
(I've Been) Searchin' So Long
" Searchin' So Long" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VII . The first single released from that album, it reached number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
", which started with as a soft ballad and culminated in a hard-rock conclusion featuring Terry Kath's electric guitar soloing against the Chicago horn section and a soaring string arrangement by Jimmie Haskell. "Happy Man," another song from Chicago VII, was also a popular favorite on FM radio, was a big hit in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and subsequently covered by Tony Orlando and Dawn
Tony Orlando and Dawn
Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "He Don't Love You ".-History:...
on their album To Be With You. Their 1975 release, Chicago VIII
Chicago VIII
Chicago VIII is the eighth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1975. Following the experimental jazz/pop stylings of Chicago VII, the band returned to a more streamlined sound on this follow-up....
, featured the political allegory "Harry Truman
Harry Truman (song)
"Harry Truman" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII , with lead vocals by Lamm. The first single released from that album, it reached number thirteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
" and the nostalgic Pankow-composed "Old Days
Old Days
"Old Days" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII , with lead vocals by Peter Cetera. The second single released from that album, it reached #5 on the U.S...
". Both hits reached the Top 15, with the latter even reaching the Top Five. That summer also saw a very successful joint tour across America with The Beach Boys, with both acts performing separately, then coming together for a rousing finale. The tour was considered one of the highest grossing in rock music up to that time.
Chicago gave a concert in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1975 at the Auditorio Nacional which was highly appreciated by the audience, contrary to the Mexican press later reviewing it as not one of the band’s better performances, presumably for the band not being "in the best of shape". The tickets for the concert sold so fast that thousands of people were unable to get in, so Terry Kath asked those inside to applaud for those standing outside. Carmen Romano de Lòpez Portillo, the wife of Mèxico's then-President Josè Lòpez Portillo, is said to have been in first row of the audience.
But for all their effort, none of their singles went to number one until Chicago X
Chicago X
Chicago X is the tenth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1976. The album is notable for its soulfulness, and it ended up being a turning point in the band's career thanks to one song....
in 1976, when Cetera's ballad "If You Leave Me Now
If You Leave Me Now
"If You Leave Me Now" is the title of a popular hit ballad by the American rock group Chicago, from their album Chicago X. It was written and sung by bass guitar player Peter Cetera and released as a single in July 1976....
" climbed to the top of the charts and remained there for two weeks. The song also won Chicago their only Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
in 1977. Ironically, the tune almost did not make the cut for the album; "If You Leave Me Now" was recorded at the very last minute. The huge success of the song would foreshadow a later reliance on ballads that would typecast the group on radio, despite the presence of mellower songs on all the previous albums. The group's 1977 release, Chicago XI
Chicago XI
Chicago XI is the 11th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1977. As the successor to Chicago X, the album marked the end of an era for Chicago in more ways than one...
, was another big success for the band; it included Cetera's hit ballad "Baby, What a Big Surprise
Baby, What a Big Surprise
"Baby, What a Big Surprise" is a song written by Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago XI , with Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached #4 on the U.S...
", a #4 U.S. hit which became one of the group's last big hits of the decade.
Time of transition
1978 was a tragic and transitional year for Chicago. The year began with an acrimonious split with long-time manager James William Guercio. Then, on January 23, guitarist/singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
/group co-founder Terry Kath died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
wound. One account describes Kath's drunken last words to guitar tech Don Johnson: "Don't worry, guys. It isn't even loaded. See?" Kath was the group's leader onstage, and for many longtime fans, its musical soul. Terry Kath's shocking death could have meant the end for Chicago, but encouraged by friends and admirers such as Doc Severinsen
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.-Early life:...
, the group held fast and soldiered on.
After auditioning over 30 potential replacements for Kath, Chicago decided upon guitarist/singer/songwriter Donnie Dacus
Donnie Dacus
Donnie Dacus is a musician best known for his work in the band Chicago and his role as Woof Daschund in the 1979 movie Hair.-Early life:Don Dacus was born in Galena Park, Texas on October 12, 1951....
, who joined the band in April 1978 just in time for the Hot Streets
Hot Streets
Hot Streets is the 12th album by American rock band Chicago and released in 1978. In many ways, Hot Streets marked the beginning of a new era for the band...
album (he was also being filmed for the musical Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
at the time). Its energetic lead-off single, "Alive Again
Alive Again (Chicago song)
"Alive Again" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Hot Streets , with Peter Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart....
", brought Chicago back to the Top 15; James Pankow wrote it "originally as a love song but ultimately as recognition of Kath's guiding spirit shining down from above." The group was briefly re-energized by Dacus, whose long blond hair and rock star image stage presence seemingly overshadowed his musical abilities. The kinetic Dacus may have been out of character for the normally laid-back Chicago, but he could sing and play, and the band responded by delivering some of their tightest live performances ever. Hot Streets, with producer Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
now at the helm, was Chicago's first album with an actual title rather than a number and was the band's first LP to have a picture of the band (shot by photographer Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff was born March 5, 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work as a photographer and filmmaker has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative process....
) featured prominently on the cover (with the ubiquitous logo downsized), two moves that were seen by many as a way to indicate the band had changed following Kath's death. To a degree, the band returned to the old naming scheme on its subsequent releases, although most titles would now bear Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals or Hindu numerals or Hindu-Arabic numerals or Indo-Arabic numerals are the ten digits . They are descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians, in which a sequence of digits such as "975" is read as a numeral...
rather than Roman numerals. The release of Hot Streets also marked a move somewhat away from the jazz-rock direction favored by Kath and towards more pop songs and ballads. Dacus didn't last long, only staying with the band through the 1979 album Chicago 13
Chicago 13
Chicago 13 is the 13th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1979. The follow-up to Hot Streets, Chicago 13 is often considered an unpopular release among Chicago's catalog, both critically and with fans...
(Dacus is also featured in a promotional video on the DVD included in the Rhino Records Chicago box set from 2003). 13, again produced by Phil Ramone, was the group's first studio album not to contain a Top 40 hit.
1980's Chicago XIV
Chicago XIV
Chicago XIV is the 14th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1980. Recorded at a time of waning interest in the band, Chicago XIV remains one of Chicago's poorest selling albums and was a commercial flop...
, produced by Tom Dowd, relegated the horn section to the background on a number of tracks, and the album's two singles failed to make the Top 40. Production values were spare, perhaps due to the lean, stripped-down New Wave music that was popular at the time. Chris Pinnick
Chris Pinnick
Chris Pinnick is an American guitarist and songwriter, probably best known for his work with the band Chicago from 1980-1985.Pinnick was born in Van Nuys, California and took up the guitar at the age of seven...
handled the guitar duties and came close to the "Kath sound," but did not sing. He would remain with the band through 1985. Believing the band to no longer be commercially viable, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
dropped them from its roster in 1981 and released a second "Greatest Hits" volume later that year to fulfill its contractual obligation.
The second major phase of the band's career took off in late 1981—with a new producer (David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
), a new label (Warner Brothers), and the addition of keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/singer Bill Champlin
Bill Champlin
William Bradford "Bill" Champlin is an American singer, guitarist, keyboard player, arranger, producer, and songwriter. His performance work is principally associated with the bands Chicago and the Sons of Champlin...
and guitarist Chris Pinnick
Chris Pinnick
Chris Pinnick is an American guitarist and songwriter, probably best known for his work with the band Chicago from 1980-1985.Pinnick was born in Van Nuys, California and took up the guitar at the age of seven...
(who had played on XIV and subsequent tour); percussionist Laudir de Oliveira also departed at this time along with former Buckingham and sax player Marty Grebb, who had joined the group briefly for the XIV tour.
Foster brought in studio musicians for some of the tracks on Chicago 16
Chicago 16
Chicago 16 is the 16th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1982. The album marks the beginning of a new era for Chicago. It is the first album in a decade-long association with new label Warner Bros...
(including the core members of Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
), and Chicago once again topped the charts with the song "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away
Hard to Say I'm Sorry
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit ballad performed by American rock group Chicago, written by band member Peter Cetera and producer David Foster from the album Chicago 16, released in 1982. The song hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 11...
", which was featured in the soundtrack of the Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
film Summer Lovers
Summer Lovers
Summer Lovers is a 1982 film written and directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen, and filmed on location on the island of Santorini, Greece. The original music score is composed by Basil Poledouris...
. This was followed up by a string-laden power ballad that barely missed the top 20, "Love Me Tomorrow
Love Me Tomorrow
"Love Me Tomorrow" is a song written by Peter Cetera and David Foster for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 16 , with Cetera singing lead vocals. The second single released from the album, it reached #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #8 on the adult contemporary chart....
". The following album, Chicago 17
Chicago 17
Chicago 17 is the 17th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1984. As the follow-up to 1982's comeback Chicago 16, Chicago 17 capitalized on its predecessor's popularity by delivering their most popular album - currently seven times platinum in the US alone and a Grammy winner -...
, became the biggest selling album of the band's history, producing two more Top Ten singles—"You're the Inspiration
You're the Inspiration
-Charts:-Cover versions:*"You're the Inspiration" was covered by UK singer Elkie Brooks on her 1989 album, Inspiration, and by David Foster as an instrumental-piano version on his 1991 album, Rechordings...
" and "Hard Habit to Break
Hard Habit to Break
"Hard Habit to Break" is a song written by Steve Kipner and John Lewis Parks produced and arranged by David Foster and recorded by the group Chicago for their 1984 album Chicago 17, with Bill Champlin and Peter Cetera sharing lead vocals. Released as the second single from the album, it reached...
" (both #3 hits)—and two other singles: "Stay the Night
Stay the Night (Chicago song)
"Stay the Night" is a song written by Peter Cetera and David Foster for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 17 , with Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached #16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.This song is also remembered for its video...
" (#16) and "Along Comes a Woman
Along Comes a Woman
"Along Comes a Woman" is a song written by Peter Cetera and Mark Goldenberg for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 17 , with Cetera singing lead vocals. The fourth single released from that album, it reached #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The music video featured Peter...
" (#14). Peter's brother, Kenny Cetera, was brought into the group for the 17 tour to add percussion and high harmony vocals.
Lead vocalist Peter Cetera's desire to record a second solo album (he'd done his eponymous first one in 1981) and not continue with the band's gruelling tour schedule caused him to leave Chicago in 1985. Although other band members (including Lamm and Champlin) have released solo material, Cetera has proved the most successful—topping the pop charts with The Karate Kid, Part II
The Karate Kid, Part II
The Karate Kid, Part II is a 1986 American martial arts film and is a sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, respectively. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti...
theme song "Glory of Love
Glory of Love
"Glory of Love" is a 1986 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit song written by Peter Cetera, David Foster and Cetera's wife at the time, Diane Nini, and recorded by Cetera shortly after he left the band Chicago to pursue a solo career. The song was Cetera's first hit single and was included on his 1986 album,...
", and with "The Next Time I Fall
The Next Time I Fall
"The Next Time I Fall" is a 1986 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit song written by Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon, recorded as a duet by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant for Cetera's 1986 album Solitude/Solitaire, and as a solo by Caldwell himself for his 1988 album Heart of Mine. The single reached number one on...
" (a duet with Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
). Two more songs—a 1988 solo hit called "One Good Woman
One Good Woman
"One Good Woman" is a popular song from 1988 by Peter Cetera, formerly the lead singer of the rock band Chicago. Cetera co-wrote and co-produced the track with Patrick Leonard, and the song was included on Cetera's 1988 album One More Story....
" (#4 U.S.) and a 1989 duet with Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
called "After All" (#6 U.S.)—reached the Top Ten.
The post-Cetera era
Cetera was replaced in September 1985 by bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
/singer/songwriter Jason Scheff
Jason Scheff
Jason Randolph Scheff is an American bassist, singer and songwriter. Since 1985 he has been the bassist and singer for the veteran pop-rock band Chicago. He is the oldest son of well-known session bassist Jerry Scheff, who toured for several years with Elvis Presley...
, who joined the band for the final Foster-produced album Chicago 18
Chicago 18
Chicago 18 is the 18th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1986. As the successor to 1984's multiplatinum smash hit Chicago 17, this album marked a new era for Chicago: their post-Peter Cetera years....
. This album was not as commercially successful as the previous two, but still produced the #3 single "Will You Still Love Me?
Will You Still Love Me? (Chicago song)
"Will You Still Love Me?" is a song written by David Foster, Tom Keane and Richard Baskin for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 18 . The second single released from that album, it reached number three on the U.S...
", a Top 5 Adult Contemporary and Top 20 Pop song ("If She Would Have Been Faithful...
If She Would Have Been Faithful...
"If She Would Have Been Faithful... " is a song written by Steve Kipner and Randy Goodrum for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 18 , with Jason Scheff singing lead vocals. The third single released from that album, it was a Top 10 adult contemporary hit and also reached #17 on...
"), and also a high-tech and highly programmed version of "25 or 6 to 4
25 or 6 to 4
"25 or 6 to 4" is a song written by American musician Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. It was recorded for their second album, Chicago , with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. The song was edited and released as a single in June of the year 2009, climbing to...
" with a concept video that got a lot of airplay on MTV. Soon after the album was recorded, the band hired guitarist Dawayne Bailey
Dawayne Bailey
Dawayne Bailey is an American guitarist who has toured and recorded with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band and Chicago.Bailey was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas. While still attending Manhattan High School in Kansas, he founded the band Rathbone, which developed a strong regional fan base...
from Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
's Silver Bullet Band. Bailey and Scheff had previously played in bands together, so Scheff introduced Bailey to the band in time for the Chicago 18 tour (Scheff and Bailey's first concert with Chicago took place on Friday Oct 17, 1986 in Rockford, Illinois).
In 1988, the band replaced producer Foster with Ron Nevison and Chas Sanford, and they topped the charts again with the Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
-composed single "Look Away
Look Away
"Look Away" is the name of a 1989 #1 Billboard Hot 100 Chart hit written by Diane Warren. It was recorded by the band Chicago for their 1988 album Chicago 19, with Bill Champlin singing lead vocals. When released as a single that year, the song proved successful, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for...
", from the album Chicago 19
Chicago 19
Chicago 19 is the 19th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1988. After recording Chicago 18 with David Foster, the band decided to expand their sound with other producers and worked primarily with Ron Nevison and Chas Sandford for this album...
. The album also yielded two more Top 10 hits, both with Bill Champlin singing solo lead for the first time and another Top 5 single that would officially be a release from the forthcoming greatest hits record. Chicago 19 was followed in short order by Greatest Hits 1982-1989
Greatest Hits 1982-1989
Greatest Hits 1982–1989 is the third greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago and released in 1989. Covering the era that stretched from 1982's Chicago 16 to Chicago 19 in 1988, the set is also balanced by the appearances of both Peter Cetera and his replacement Jason Scheff.Greatest Hits...
, which included the aforementioned #5 hit "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?
What Kind Of Man Would I Be?
"What Kind Of Man Would I Be?" is the name of a song written by Jason Scheff, Chas Sandford and Bobby Caldwell and recorded by the band Chicago for their 1988 album Chicago 19. and 1989 album Greatest Hits 1982-1989...
", a slightly remixed tune originally included on 19 and sung by Jason Scheff. The album's other Top Ten hit, "You're Not Alone
You're Not Alone (Chicago song)
"You're Not Alone" is the name of a song written by Jim Scott and recorded by the band Chicago for their 1988 album Chicago 19, with Bill Champlin singing lead vocals. When released as a single early the following year, the song peaked at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.There are two versions of...
", reached #10 in early 1989. During 1989, Chicago did a reprise joint concert tour with The Beach Boys (and would do so once again in 1997).
The band continued in the decade of the 1990s, even though their popularity began to decline. There was also another personnel change: founding member Danny Seraphine was fired by the band in 1990 and was replaced by drummer Tris Imboden
Tris Imboden
Tris Imboden is the current drummer with Chicago. He replaced their original drummer Danny Seraphine following his dismissal in 1990. Prior to joining Chicago, as well as during his tenure with the band, Imboden has had a career as a studio session player...
, who first appeared on the 1991 album Twenty 1
Twenty 1
Twenty 1 is the 21st album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1991. As their first album of the 1990s, Twenty 1 was intended to extend Chicago's continuing success into another decade....
. Imboden was well-known in the industry as the longtime drummer for Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
. Chicago was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on July 23, 1992.
In 1993, Chicago wrote and recorded their 22nd album, Stone of Sisyphus
Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus
Stone of Sisyphus is a studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on June 17, 2008, after a nearly 15-year delay.-History:The album was set to be released as Chicago XXII in the United States on March 22, 1994. However, Warner Bros...
. Their record company at the time though, Reprise [Warner Music Group], was unhappy with the finished result, and thus the album was not released, although in succeeding years bootleg recordings of the album went on to surface worldwide, including over the Internet. It is also rumored that the label would not release the album as a result of being unable to reach a licensing agreement with band management over the back catalog. Selected tracks from the unreleased album were later officially released on four international compilation greatest hits CDs and the Rhino Records 2003 box set, and four were re-recorded for band members' solo albums. One track, "The Pull," was performed live during their 1993 appearance at the Greek Theatre (taped for PBS, and released on video in 1993). The album finally did see a release in June 2008, almost 15 years after its completion.
Starting on their 1994 tour, Chicago merged their unique sound with Big Band music for the 1995 album Night & Day Big Band
Night & Day Big Band
Night and Day: Big-Band is an album by American rock band Chicago that was released in 1995. Their 22nd official album, it marked the band's abandonment of Top 40 material for a more thematic project, the focus here being classic big band and swing music....
, which consisted of covers of songs originally recorded by artists like Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, and Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
(from whom the album mainly got its inspiration). Session guitarist Bruce Gaitsch
Bruce Gaitsch
Bruce R. Gaitsch is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is best known for working with notable musicians such as Richard Marx, Chicago, Peter Cetera, Madonna, Agnetha Fältskog and many others as a session musician and songwriter...
handled the guitar work, and the album featured guest appearances by Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
of "David Letterman"
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
fame, and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
guitarist Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
.
Keith Howland
Keith Howland
Keith Howland is an American guitarist and singer. Since 1995, he has been the lead guitarist for the veteran pop-rock band, Chicago....
joined the band as guitarist in early 1995 to replace the departed Dawayne Bailey
Dawayne Bailey
Dawayne Bailey is an American guitarist who has toured and recorded with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band and Chicago.Bailey was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas. While still attending Manhattan High School in Kansas, he founded the band Rathbone, which developed a strong regional fan base...
.
During a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
concert in 1997, Chicago teamed up with the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
Orchestra to perform a James Pankow/Dwight Mikelson orchestral arrangement of Pankow's rock epic "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon". Also during this year, the group released The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997
The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997
The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 is a greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1997. It was compiled to commemorate the group's 30th anniversary of their formation....
, a compilation album which went gold and yielded the #1 Adult Contemporary hit "Here in My Heart."
In 1998, Chicago released Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album
Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album
Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album is an album of Christmas songs by American rock band Chicago, released in 1998 on the band's Chicago Records label...
, which mixed traditional holiday favorites with an original Lee Loughnane composition. It went gold in the US. (The album was re-released with additional tracks in 2003, under the title What's It Gonna Be, Santa?.) The album featured Howland's first (and to date only) lead vocal on a Chicago record.
The band released a live album in 1999, Chicago XXVI
Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert
Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert is an album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1999. Their second live album to be released in the US, it was Chicago's first of the sort since 1971's Chicago at Carnegie Hall and 1972's "Chicago Live In Japan", though the band had released commercial...
, which included only two of the many songs Cetera helped to write while in the group. In 2000, the group had the opportunity to tell their story in an episode of VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Behind The Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
. This included gems such as Pankow relating this story from the early 1980s: "One record company said, 'Man, if you get rid of the horn section, we'll sign ya...' That's like tellin' Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
to get rid of the piano." The show, however, was not without its difficulties. The episode put more emphasis on the death of Terry Kath than on their entire career combined, and Peter Cetera refused to be interviewed or to allow the songs he wrote to be played on it (although the episode did include interviews he gave to others and songs he co-wrote).
Chicago since 2000
Despite the personnel changes over the years, the group is still active four decades after its founding. They are one of the few major rock groups that have never broken up or even taken an extended hiatus. , four of the six surviving founding members (major songwriters Lamm and Pankow, plus Loughnane and Parazaider) remain providing continuity, while Jason Scheff has been with the band 25 years, Tris Imboden 20 years, and Keith Howland 15 years.As a new century turned, the band licensed their entire recorded output to Rhino Records (after years with Columbia Records and Warner Brothers). In 2002, Rhino released a two-disc compilation, The Very Best of Chicago: Only The Beginning
The Very Best of: Only the Beginning
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning is a two-CD greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago. Released in 2002, this collection marked the beginning of a long-term partnership with Rhino Records which, between 2002 and 2005, would go on to remaster and re-release Chicago's 1969–1980...
, which spans the band's entire career. The compilation made the Top 40 and sold over 2 million copies in the US, and includes a new edit of "Make Me Smile
Make Me Smile
"Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago. Part of Pankow's Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album Chicago II...
"—which segued together the beginning ("Make Me Smile") and end ("Now More Than Ever") parts of the "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon
Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon
"Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" , a nearly thirteen-minute song cycle/suite from Chicago's 1970 album Chicago II, was the group's first attempt at a long-format multi-part work....
" suite like the original single did, but without its numerous cuts. Rhino has also begun releasing remastered versions of all of the band's Columbia albums, each including several bonus tracks. In 2003, they released a 5-CD / 1-DVD box set
The Box (Chicago)
The Box is a five-CD/one DVD career-spanning box set by popular American group Chicago and was compiled and released through Rhino Records in 2003...
—which includes a new edit of "It Better End Soon" (minus the flute solo), a track they had done for USA for Africa: We Are the World ("Good for Nothing"), and 3 tracks from the still-unissued Stone of Sisyphus album (its title track, "All the Years
All the Years
All the Years is a song that was recorded by the rock band Chicago, released on the 2008 album Stone of Sisyphus. It was written by Robert Lamm and studio session musician Bruce Gaitsch, the guitarist from the Night & Day Big Band album....
", and "Bigger Than Elvis"–the latter being Scheff's tribute to his father, who had performed with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
). In 2005, they released a compilation entitled Love Songs.
Chicago continues to appear in big and small venues worldwide. In 2004–2005 they toured jointly with the band Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
; a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
recorded during that tour, Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre is a live concert DVD by American bands Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire. The recording was made at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California at the end of their joint tour in 2004...
, was certified platinum just two months after its release.
The group released Chicago XXX
Chicago XXX
Chicago XXX is an album by the American band Chicago, released on March 21, 2006. Their 30th official album, it is Chicago's first studio release of new and original material since 1991's Twenty 1....
, on March 21, 2006, their first all-new studio album since Twenty 1
Twenty 1
Twenty 1 is the 21st album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1991. As their first album of the 1990s, Twenty 1 was intended to extend Chicago's continuing success into another decade....
. Two songs from this album, "Feel" and "Caroline", were performed live during Chicago's Fall 2005 tour; the studio recording of "Feel" debuted on WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
radio in New York in November 2005. "Feel" was the first single released. The album contains two versions of the song: one with horns and an orchestral tag that echoes "Love Me Tomorrow", and another non-brass version. "Love Will Come Back" was the second single released. While Chicago XXX did manage to debut at No. 41 on the US album chart (besting some other entries, including Chicago XIV, which hit US #71, and Twenty 1, which topped out at only US #66), it only remained in the top 200 for two weeks.
During March 2006, Chicago made a multi-week appearance at the MGM Grand Las Vegas
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
, which was repeated in May of the same year. In July 2006, the band made a series of US appearances with Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
. Highlights of that tour included Chicago's Bill Champlin performing with Huey Lewis and the News on a couple of songs, members of Huey Lewis and the News contributing to Chicago's percussion-laden song, "I'm a Man," and Huey Lewis singing the lead vocal on Chicago's "Colour My World."
At the end of 2006, the band played at CD USA
CD USA
CD USA, which debuted in 2006, is an American music television show airing exclusively on DirecTV's" The 101" network in the United States. The show is an American version of CD:UK, a similarly themed music show on ITV in the UK. Its hosts are John Wynn, Becky Baeling, and formerly, Jonathan...
's New Year's Eve party on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. Chicago toured the summer of 2007 with the band America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
. On October 2, 2007, Rhino Records released the two-disc The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition
The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition
The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary is the two-CD greatest hits and 31st album by American rock band Chicago, released by Rhino Records on October 2, 2007. It consists of two discs containing 30 of Chicago's top 40 singles, similar to The Very Best Of: Only the Beginning, though not quite as...
, a new greatest hits compilation spanning their entire forty years, similar to The Very Best of: Only the Beginning
The Very Best of: Only the Beginning
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning is a two-CD greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago. Released in 2002, this collection marked the beginning of a long-term partnership with Rhino Records which, between 2002 and 2005, would go on to remaster and re-release Chicago's 1969–1980...
, released four years earlier.
June 17, 2008 saw the official release of the Stone of Sisyphus album by Rhino Records, recorded in 1993 and originally slated for a March 1994 release until being shelved by Warner Records. The album contains eleven of the original twelve tracks (the raucous "Get on This", considered by many fans to be the best track on the album, was left off), plus four demo recordings.
In 2009 Chicago reunited with Earth, Wind & Fire for yet another joint tour.
In August 2009, Bill Champlin, who was with Chicago for 28 years, left the band to focus on his own music and solo career. His replacement is keyboardist Lou Pardini
Lou Pardini
Lou Pardini is an American Grammy-nominated keyboardist, songwriter, and vocalist. He has worked with notable musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Santana, and, as of August 2009, has replaced Bill Champlin in the band Chicago. He has also written songs for artists such as Smokey Robinson, Patti...
. Drew Hester
Drew Hester
Drew Hester is a drummer / percussionist / record producer who plays drums with Joe Walsh , Jewel drums, Foo Fighters percussion, Chicago drums and percussion, Lisa Marie Presley drums, Common Sense drums, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders drums and percussion and many others.In...
also joined the band in 2010.
On December 12, 2009, Chicago performed nine songs live on stage at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut as part of Brian Boitano
Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season...
's Skating Spectacular, taped for a New Year's Day NBC television broadcast. Boitano and other skaters performed live on the ice to the band's music.
Chicago toured with the Doobie Brothers in 2010, and the band appeared on the American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
9th season finale.
On July the 24th, 2011, the band performed at Red Rocks in Colorado, accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado’s only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a diverse array of symphonic performances throughout the year...
. This was the first time Chicago played a full-length symphonic concert.
The band re-teamed with producer Phil Ramone (who produced Hot Streets and Chicago 13) to record a new Christmas album. Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three
Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three
Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three is the third album of Christmas songs by the American rock band, Chicago. The album was released on October 4, 2011. The collection includes a variety of holiday classics and a new tune "Rockin' and Rollin' on Christmas Day" co-written by founding trumpet player...
was released in October 2011. In the meantime, Rhino released Chicago XXXIV: Live in '75, a concert from 1975.
Membership
| Bob Roberts Bob Roberts Bob Roberts is a 1992 film written and directed by Tim Robbins. It is a satirical mockumentary, chronicling the rise of Bob Roberts, a conservative politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election... - woodwinds (mid-1969 briefly) |
| Brian Hicks - trumpet (1976) |
| Lee Thornburg Lee Thornburg Lee Thornburg is a trumpeter who has played with many artists, and also has been a member of Supertramp and Tower of Power. Thornburg also played with Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders in the 1970s.-Biography:... - trumpet (1992 and recently) |
| Steve Jankowski - trumpet (1992, 2006, 2007) |
| Nick Lane Nick Lane Nick Lane is a British biochemist. He holds the post of honorary reader and is the first Provost's Venture Research Fellow at University College London and was formerly strategic director at Adelphi MediCine, a medical multimedia company. He is the author of three popular science books and many... - trombone (since 1999) |
| Lou Pardini Lou Pardini Lou Pardini is an American Grammy-nominated keyboardist, songwriter, and vocalist. He has worked with notable musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Santana, and, as of August 2009, has replaced Bill Champlin in the band Chicago. He has also written songs for artists such as Smokey Robinson, Patti... - keyboards, vocals (August 1999, September 2007 and replacing Bill Champlin as of August 2009) |
| Larry Klimas - woodwinds (since 2003) |
| Ray Herrmann Ray Herrmann Ray Herrmann is a saxophonist from Chicago, IL. He performs jazz with other artists such as Kathy Ball and Frank Josephs. His music has also been widely heard on The Weather Channel's local on the 8s segment with popular songs such as "Cocoon", "Above the Horizon", "Park Place", "Northern Lights",... - woodwinds (since 2005) |
| Tom Timko - woodwinds (2005) |
| Drew Hester Drew Hester Drew Hester is a drummer / percussionist / record producer who plays drums with Joe Walsh , Jewel drums, Foo Fighters percussion, Chicago drums and percussion, Lisa Marie Presley drums, Common Sense drums, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders drums and percussion and many others.In... - drums (2009 January–August), percussion (2010) |
| Rock - percussion (since 2010) |