Chicago (band)

Chicago is a rock band that was formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. Well known for being one of the first (and, indeed, one of the few) rock bands to make extensive use of horns and for producing a number of hit ballads, Chicago had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Time of transition

1978 was a tragic and transitional year for the band. The year began with an acrimonious split with long-time manager Guercio. Then, singer/guitarist/group founder Terry Kath died of a foolhardy, self-inflicted gunshot wound, delivering a devastating blow to the band. Kath's death could have meant the end for the band, but instead the group stood strong and later that year recorded and released Hot Streets, their first album without Kath and Guercio and their first album with a title rather than a Roman numeral (they would return to the old naming scheme immediately afterward, for the most part). The release also marked a move somewhat away from the jazz-rock direction favored by Kath and towards more pop songs and ballads.

Related Topics:
1978 - Terry Kath died - Gunshot - Hot Streets - Roman numeral

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This second phase of the band's career took off in 1982 with a new producer (David Foster), a new label (Warner Brothers), and the addition of keyboardist/guitarist/singer Bill Champlin. Foster brought in additional 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 single "Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away". The following album, Chicago 17, became the biggest selling album of the band's history, with two more Top Ten singles, "You're The Inspiration" and "Hard Habit To Break".

Related Topics:
1982 - David Foster - Warner Brothers - Keyboardist - Guitarist - Bill Champlin - Chicago 16 - Toto - Chicago 17

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But the conflict between Peter Cetera's style of composing and those of the rest of the group caused Cetera to leave the band in 1985 for a solo career (he topped the pop charts with The Karate Kid, Part II theme song "The Glory of Love," and with a duet with Amy Grant, "Next Time I Fall (In Love)"). He was replaced by bassist 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?".

Related Topics:
1985 - The Karate Kid, Part II - Amy Grant - Bassist - Jason Scheff - Chicago 18

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From time to time, other artists contributed to Chicago recordings. For example, Al Green guested on a bonus track on Chicago VI, while The Bee Gees guested on a track off of Hot Streets. Chicago itself guested on a Paul Anka song, "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes", while the horn section made an appearance on the Bee Gees' album Spirits Having Flown.

Related Topics:
Al Green - The Bee Gees - Paul Anka - Spirits Having Flown

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The group also contributed to movie soundtracks, such as Two Of A Kind, Summer Lovers, and Days Of Thunder.

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