Terry Kath
Encyclopedia
Terry Alan Kath born in Chicago, Illinois, was the original guitarist
and founding member of the rock
band Chicago
. He died in early 1978, eight days before his 32nd birthday, from an unintentional self-inflicted gunshot wound.
, also played in several bands on The Dick Clark Show. Together with drummer Danny Seraphine
they worked to develop the group they called The Missing Links. Practicing at Parazaider's apartment, they soon joined up with trombonist James Pankow
, trumpeter Lee Loughnane
, and singing keyboardist Robert Lamm
to form The Big Thing (known occasionally as The Big Sound). With the addition of The Exceptions' singer/bassist/accordionist Peter Cetera
they moved to Los Angeles
and signed with Columbia Records
. The band was renamed Chicago Transit Authority. In 1970 the name was shortened to Chicago
.
Kath was an important contributor to Chicago, beginning with their first album The Chicago Transit Authority
, released April 28, 1969. The album includes his composition "Introduction" which was described as "Terry's masterpiece" by later Chicago guitarist Dawayne Bailey
. The song displays many varied musical styles, including jazz
, blues
, salsa
, rock and roll
, acid rock
, and pop
.
The same debut album includes an instrumental guitar piece entitled "Free Form Guitar", which consisted largely of feedback and heavy use of the instrument's mechanical vibrato assembly, or tremolo arm
. The album liner notes indicate that the nearly seven minute piece was recorded 'live' in the studio in one take, using only a Fender Showman
amplifier and a Fender Stratocaster
guitar — during which, according to a 1971 Guitar Player Magazine interview with Kath, the Strat's (presumably broken) neck "...was held together with a radiator hose clamp." Kath is pictured inside the album's gatefold sleeve playing a Gibson SG
.
The song "Beginnings
" includes acoustic rhythm guitar by Kath. Another of Kath's highlights as a recording guitarist is his extended guitar solo in the middle of the Chicago hit song "25 or 6 to 4
".
Fascinated by gadgets, Kath once owned close to 20 guitars, though his early staples were the Gibson SG
and Fender Stratocaster
. He was also one of the few well-known guitarists to make regular use of the unique 1969 Les Paul "Professional"
model, which sported a pair of unconventional low-impedance pickups
, requiring a special impedance-matching transformer for use with a standard high-impedance-input amplifier. Kath did not use special tunings or unusual guitar modifications. He later became associated with a specially-decorated Fender Telecaster
and was connected with Pignose
amplifiers. He experimented with a wide variety of amplification and distortion devices and used a wah-wah pedal
frequently.
Kath's singing was also an important feature of Chicago's sound. Kath sings on many of Chicago's songs, including "Colour My World" and "Make Me Smile" from Chicago
. Kath also plays bass and sings lead vocal in the closing song "Tell Me" in the 1973 drama movie Electra Glide in Blue
. "Tell Me" was also used as the last song in the final episode of Miami Vice
.
In September 1997, Chicago released Chicago Presents The Innovative Guitar of Terry Kath, a CD remembrance of their late guitarist, on their own short-lived Chicago Records label.
and other drugs
, including cocaine
. Chicago bandmates have indicated that he was also increasingly unhappy. Bassist Peter Cetera
said that Kath would have been the first to quit Chicago had he lived, and producer James William Guercio has said that Kath was working on a solo album before he died. Former drummer Danny Seraphine
mentions in his autobiography "Street Player: My Chicago Story" that Kath had a high tolerance for drugs.
Around 5 p.m., on January 23, 1978, after a party at roadie/band technician Don Johnson's home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
, Kath took an unloaded .38 revolver and put it to his head, pulling the trigger several times on the empty chambers. Johnson had warned Kath several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to Johnson, "Don't worry, it's not loaded". After showing the empty magazine to Johnson, Kath replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. There was a bullet in the chamber, and he died instantly. It was the week before his 32nd birthday. He left a widow, Camelia Emily Ortiz (whom he married in 1974), and a daughter, Michelle, born in 1976. Camelia was later married to Kiefer Sutherland
from 1987 to 1990.
Kath is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
.
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...
and founding member of the 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 Chicago
Chicago (band)
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...
. He died in early 1978, eight days before his 32nd birthday, from an unintentional self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Career
Kath was a singer and multi-instrumentalist who played lead & rhythm guitar, banjo, accordion, electric bass, and drums. During the mid-1960s he was the lead guitarist in a band called Jimmy and the Gentlemen. He also played bass in a road band called Jimmy Ford and the Executives. Kath's compatriot, James William Guercio (who later became Chicago's producer) was lead guitarist in one of two road bands performing on The Dick Clark Show; Kath was the bassist in the other band. Kath's close friend, saxophonist/flutist Walter ParazaiderWalter 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...
, also played in several bands on The Dick Clark Show. Together with drummer 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...
they worked to develop the group they called The Missing Links. Practicing at Parazaider's apartment, they soon joined up with 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:...
, trumpeter 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 :...
, and singing keyboardist 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...
to form The Big Thing (known occasionally as The Big Sound). With the addition of The Exceptions' singer/bassist/accordionist 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...
they moved to 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...
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...
. The band was renamed Chicago Transit Authority. In 1970 the name was shortened to Chicago
Chicago (band)
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...
.
Kath was an important contributor to Chicago, beginning with their first album 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:...
, released April 28, 1969. The album includes his composition "Introduction" which was described as "Terry's masterpiece" by later Chicago 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...
. The song displays many varied musical styles, including 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...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, acid rock
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
, and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
The same debut album includes an instrumental guitar piece entitled "Free Form Guitar", which consisted largely of feedback and heavy use of the instrument's mechanical vibrato assembly, or tremolo arm
Tremolo arm
A whammy bar, tremolo arm/bar, or vibrato arm/bar is a component of a guitar, used to add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the strings, typically at the bridge or tailpiece...
. The album liner notes indicate that the nearly seven minute piece was recorded 'live' in the studio in one take, using only a Fender Showman
Fender Showman
The Fender Showman was a guitar amplifier produced by the Fender company. It was introduced in 1960 and was discontinued in 1993. Blackface and Silverface models such as the Showman and Showman Reverb employed the same "piggyback head" design as the Bandmaster and the Bassman...
amplifier and a Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
guitar — during which, according to a 1971 Guitar Player Magazine interview with Kath, the Strat's (presumably broken) neck "...was held together with a radiator hose clamp." Kath is pictured inside the album's gatefold sleeve playing a Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
.
The song "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...
" includes acoustic rhythm guitar by Kath. Another of Kath's highlights as a recording guitarist is his extended guitar solo in the middle of the Chicago hit song "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...
".
Fascinated by gadgets, Kath once owned close to 20 guitars, though his early staples were the Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
and Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
. He was also one of the few well-known guitarists to make regular use of the unique 1969 Les Paul "Professional"
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
model, which sported a pair of unconventional low-impedance pickups
Pickup (music technology)
A pickup device is a transducer that captures mechanical vibrations, usually from suitably equipped stringed instruments such as the electric guitar, electric bass guitar, Chapman Stick, or electric violin, and converts them to an electrical signal that is amplified, recorded, or broadcast.-...
, requiring a special impedance-matching transformer for use with a standard high-impedance-input amplifier. Kath did not use special tunings or unusual guitar modifications. He later became associated with a specially-decorated Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
and was connected with Pignose
Pignose
Pignose-Gorilla, commonly known as Pignose, is a manufacturer of portable, battery-powered guitar amplifiers, as well as other musical-gear such as A.C.-powered practice amps and guitars.-Legendary 7-100:...
amplifiers. He experimented with a wide variety of amplification and distortion devices and used a wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
frequently.
Kath's singing was also an important feature of Chicago's sound. Kath sings on many of Chicago's songs, including "Colour My World" and "Make Me Smile" from Chicago
Chicago (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:...
. Kath also plays bass and sings lead vocal in the closing song "Tell Me" in the 1973 drama movie 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....
. "Tell Me" was also used as the last song in the final episode of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
.
In September 1997, Chicago released Chicago Presents The Innovative Guitar of Terry Kath, a CD remembrance of their late guitarist, on their own short-lived Chicago Records label.
Death
Kath reportedly had a history of using alcoholAlcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
and other drugs
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, including cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Chicago bandmates have indicated that he was also increasingly unhappy. Bassist 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...
said that Kath would have been the first to quit Chicago had he lived, and producer James William Guercio has said that Kath was working on a solo album before he died. Former drummer 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...
mentions in his autobiography "Street Player: My Chicago Story" that Kath had a high tolerance for drugs.
Around 5 p.m., on January 23, 1978, after a party at roadie/band technician Don Johnson's home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
, Kath took an unloaded .38 revolver and put it to his head, pulling the trigger several times on the empty chambers. Johnson had warned Kath several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to Johnson, "Don't worry, it's not loaded". After showing the empty magazine to Johnson, Kath replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. There was a bullet in the chamber, and he died instantly. It was the week before his 32nd birthday. He left a widow, Camelia Emily Ortiz (whom he married in 1974), and a daughter, Michelle, born in 1976. Camelia was later married to Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
from 1987 to 1990.
Kath is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
Discography with Chicago
- 1969 The Chicago Transit AuthorityThe 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:...
- 1970 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:...
- 1971 Chicago IIIChicago III-Personnel:*Peter Cetera - bass, vocals*Terry Kath - guitar, vocals*Robert Lamm - keyboard, vocals*Lee Loughnane - trumpet, vocals*James Pankow - trombone*Walter Parazaider - woodwinds, vocals*Danny Seraphine - drums...
- 1971 Chicago at Carnegie HallChicago at Carnegie HallChicago 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....
- 1972 Chicago VChicago VChicago 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...
- 1973 Chicago VIChicago VIChicago 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...
- 1974 Chicago VIIChicago VIIChicago 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....
- 1975 Chicago VIIIChicago VIIIChicago 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....
- 1975 Live in JapanLive in Japan (Chicago album)Live in Japan is a 1975 live album by American rock band Chicago. It was recorded over the course of 3 days at the Osaka Festival Hall on the band's tour in support of Chicago V in 1972. The group recorded Japanese-language versions of "Lowdown" and "Questions 67 And 68" to coincide with their...
- 1975 Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest HitsChicago IX - Chicago's Greatest HitsChicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1975, in both stereo and SQ quadraphonic versions....
- 1976 Chicago XChicago XChicago 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....
- 1977 Chicago XIChicago XIChicago 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...
- 1997 Chicago Presents The Innovative Guitar Of Terry Kath
External links
- Terry Kath official website