Chicago

Chicago is a Jazz-Rock band in which 5 of its seven original band members are from Chicago.  The man who lead this group in the beginning was woodwind player Walter Parazaider.  He was friends with James Guercio who would later produce Chicago's first eleven albums.  Walter wanted to start a rock band that consisted of horns.  Walter played in several pick-up bands before coming across a band that Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, & Lee Loughanne were involved in.  They started to get some gigs around the Chicago area but were still missing some key elements.  Walter still wanted another horn player and remembered of a guy that played trombone at a Chicago Music Institution.  Walter then got a hold of James Pankow and then he joined the band. The band started to get more and more gigs in the area and called themselves The Big Thing  One night after being an opening act for another band pianist Bobby Charles (Bobby Charles was the stage name for Robert Lamm)  was talking with Walter about the band.  Walter then asked him if he could also play an organ bass with his feet, Bobby lied and said yes, and become the newest member of The Big Thing.  Over time they wanted an actual bass player who could also sing with a higher tone than Terry & Bobby.  One night the band saw Peter Cetera playing with a band called the Exceptions.  Later on that night they had a conversation with Peter then he quit the Exceptions and joined The Big Thing.  Eventually the band changed their time to Chicago Transit Authority, it was producer James Guercio's idea to change it to that.  Chicago Transit Authority is transportation bus line in Chicago.  The band would later move out to L.A, then to New York where they would record their debut album.  It didn't become a hit right away.  It was mainly popular with college kids and never became popular until they started releasing singles.  The band recorded a lot of great records, but over time would start to slip (Mainly after Terry Kath accidentally killed himself). Replacement band members came in who were horrible in comparison to the original lineup.  However the band still makes records.  The horn section and Bobby Lamm recorded on their latest release Chicago XXX, and after 15 years since it was recorded, the band finally released in 2008 Stone Of Sisyphus.

Chicago Transit Authority - 1969         Chicago II  - 1970       Chicago III - 1971       

Chicago at Carnegie Hall - 1971     Chicago V - 1972     Chicago VI - 1973   Chicago VII - 1974

             Chicago VIII - 1975     Chicago X - 1976     Chicago XI - 1977     Hot Streets - 1978

                   Chicago 13 - 1979     Chicago XIV - 1980      Chicago 16 - 1982       Chicago 17 - 1984    

Chicago 18 - 1986      Chicago 19 - 1988     Chicago 21 - 1991     Night & day big band - 1995

Chicago XXVI: Live in concert - 1999     What's it gonna be Santa? - 2003   Chicago XXX - 2006    

Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus - 2008     Ideal Compilation - SG

*Due to owning these tracks on other albums, out of print, and poor quality of songs, I will not own Chicago IX, Greatest Hits Volume II, Greatest Hits 1982-1989, Live in Japan, The heart of Chicago 1967-1997, The heart of Chicago 1967-1998 volume II, The very best of: Only the beginning, Love songs, Group portrait, The box, The best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition*

Scott's Music Library