Chicago is an American rock band that has performed for over 50 years. They got together in 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, and they have been rockin’ ever since.
The city of Chicago has a history of being one of the birthplaces of both jazz, and rhythm and blues. In 1967, seven Chicago musicians formed the group with one dream: to integrate all the musical diversity from their beloved city and weave a new sound, a rock and roll band with horns. Along with the usual guitars, drums and piano, Chicago features a horn section that includes trumpet, tenor saxophone and trombone, and sometimes alto sax or clarinet. This gives the band a full, blended sound like the big bands of the swing era, combined with modern rock. This mix of instruments is what makes them truly unique.
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Our listening example today is the 1970 hit song “25 or 6 to 4”. People have often wondered what the song’s title means, but it’s really simple: it’s about a songwriter writing a song at 3:35 in the early morning hours. In other words, 25 or 26 minutes to 4:00 a.m. This song is a classic example of Chicago’s big rock band style.
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Chicago had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Since at least 2008, Billboard has shown Chicago to be the "greatest of all time" American band in singles chart success.
The original band membership consisted of saxophonist Walter Parazaider, guitarist Terry Kath, drummer Danny Seraphine, trombonist James Pankow, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, and keyboardist/singer Robert Lamm. |
Parazaider, Kath, Seraphine, Pankow and Loughnane met in 1967 while students at DePaul University. Lamm was recruited from Roosevelt University. The group of six called themselves "The Big Thing", and played top 40 hits. Later, they all moved to Los Angeles and renamed their band “Chicago Transit Authority.”
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Imagine that you have had this amazing dream your whole life, and it’s finally starting to actually come true. You’ve worked hard, spent lots of your own money, and tried to find more to spend just to make your dream happen. Then, one day, out of the blue, it hits you that your dream is really coming true. That’s exactly what happened to the band members of Chicago.
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James Pankow, the band’s trombone player, had that moment while in his car one day. "I was driving in my car down Santa Monica Boulevard in L.A.," Pankow remembers, "and I turned the radio on KHJ and 'Make Me Smile' came on. I almost hit the car in front of me, 'cause it's my song, and I'm hearing it on the biggest station in L.A. At that point, I realized, hey, we have a hit single. They don't play you in L.A. unless you're hit-bound. So, that was one of the more exciting moments in my early career."
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