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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCHICAGOJazz-rock band formed Chicago '67 by Terry Kath (b 31 Jan. '46; d 23 Jan. '78, LA), guitar; Peter Cetera (b 13 Sep. '44), bass; Robert Lamm (b 13 Oct. '44, Brooklyn), keyboards; Danny Seraphine (b 28 Aug. '48), drums; James Pankow (b 20 Aug. '47) and Lee Loughnane (b 21 Oct. '46), brass; Walt Parazaider (b 14 March '45), reeds. All except Lamm from city that gave them their name; known as Chicago Transit Authority until '70, originally the Big Thing: Mafia-inspired name dropped at suggestion of prod. James William Guercio (b '45; played bass in Dick Clark road shows, later with Beach Boys; prod. and managed them, prod. Blood, Sweat and Tears; prod./dir. film Electra Glide In Blue '73 which cast members of Chicago; opened Caribou Ranch studios, recorded Elton John there '74, etc) who'd studied music at De Paul U. with Pankow, Seraphine, Parazaider and Loughnane; quartet picked up Lamm from cabaret circuit, Cetera joining '66 and Kath '67. Debut Chicago Transit Authority '68 was a two-LP set, like BS&T mixing horns with rock, though maintaining rockier sound with cohesive rhythm section better able to bear weight of horns. Side four of the album began with chants of demos from '68 Democratic convention in city, cementing link with Chicago and the counterculture. First Columbia act certified platinum (selling a million albums); had top ten US singles 'Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?', strong cover of Spencer Davis Group's 'I'm A Man' '70. Chicago II, III '70--71 both double sets; Live At Carnegie Hall a triple. The rot set in and the muscular white soul of the first sets went limp, not surprising at this rate of production, effectively ten albums in three years. Top ten singles in USA continued through '77. Lyricist Lamm hit at doubters with 'Critics' Choice' from '73's Chicago IV; made solo Skinny Boy '74. Personnel changes were as rare as musical surprises: Brazilian percussionist Laudir De Oliviera added '74; Kath died in a firearms accident, replaced by Donnie Dacus (ex-Steve Stills), in turn replaced by Chris Pinnick '79; Bill Champlin additional guitarist/keyboardist from '81. Split with Guercio '77; self-prod. until link with David Foster, when Columbia dropped them and they moved to Full Moon label: second flush of success '76 with lush ballad, no. 1 UK/USA 'If You Leave Me Now'; following this direction had transatlantic top tens 'Hard To Say I'm Sorry' '82 (from film Summer Lovers), 'Hard Habit To Break' '84; also USA 'You're The Inspiration' '84: altogether 33 singles in Hot 100 '69--84, 26 in top 40. Latterly they sounded much like former Foster prot‚g‚s Hall and Oates. Cetera released solo Full Moon '81; left band '85 to write with Foster for Julio Iglesias and film Rocky IV; his vocal interplay with Lamm had become the highlight, but with Chicago 17 '84, 18 '86 they seemed likely to continue with ballads. Two Greatest Hits sets on Columbia/CBS charted their evolution from cod anti- establishment to MOR. They were still rolling '90s. |