Chicago

Hailed as one of the "most important bands in music since the dawn of the rock and roll era" by former President Bill Clinton, the legendary rock and roll band with horns, Chicago, is the first American rock band to chart Top 40 albums in six decades.   In March of 2013, Chicago’s multi-platinum two-disc bestseller, The Very Best Of Chicago, Only The Beginning charted at #1 on two Billboard charts: the Catalog Chart, and the Digital Catalog chart. In Billboard Magazine's list of Top 100 artists of all time, Chicago came in at #13, the highest charting American band.   Chicago is currently recording new songs.  Fans are being offered clips of works in progress on the band’s website, www.chicagotheband.com. The band is planning on releasing two songs at a time digitally throughout this year and will eventually compile them into a CD or some other format.  One of these songs is a cover of the great Spiral Starecase hit, “More Today Than Yesterday.”   The first new Chicago song released was “Somethin’ Comin,’ I Know,” which was recorded on the road. Chicago has built a new recording system that is flexible, portable, powerful and musical. This new “recording rig” travels with the band.  They have even created an online collaboration portal that allows even more performances to be worked on around the clock from remote locations.   Lifetime achievements include a Grammy Award, multiple American Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Chicago street dedicated in their honor, and keys to and proclamations from an impressive list of US cities. Record sales top the 100,000,000 mark, and include 21 Top 10 singles, 5 consecutive Number One albums, 11 Number One singles and 5 Gold singles. An incredible 25 of their 34 albums have been certified platinum, and the band has a total of 47 gold and platinum awards. Chicago have toured every year since the beginning - they’ve never missed a year.   The line-up includes original band members Robert Lamm on keyboards, vocals, Lee Loughnane on trumpet, James Pankow on trombone and Walt Parazaider on woodwinds, as well as Jason Scheff on bass, vocals, Tris Imboden on drums, Keith Howland on guitar, Lou Pardini on keyboards, vocals and Wally Reyes on percussion.   For the past four years, Chicago have raised over a quarter of a million dollars to fight breast cancer for the American Cancer Society by having a winning bidder come on stage and sing “If You Leave Me Now” at every concert. The band is once again doing it in honor of their friend, Paqui Kelly, the wife of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, who is a breast cancer survivor.   Chicago generously support other charitable causes, donating a portion of ticket sales to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, which seeks a cure for a fatal children’s disease, Niemann-Pick Type C, and Hannah & Friends, an organization that serves children and adults with special needs. Hannah & Friends is the personal mission of Maura Weis and her husband, Charlie Weis, the current coach at the University of Kansas.   From the signature sound of the Chicago horns, their iconic Vocalists, and a few dozen of ever-Classic Songs, this band’s concerts are celebrations.  The band is now in their 46th consecutive year of touring, without missing a single concert date!   In addition, Chicago performed on the GRAMMY stage for the first time in 2014, Chicago performed four songs with Grammy nominee Robin Thicke.   Chicago's album The Chicago Transit Authority was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame this year. The band performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the first time ever on January 25 and 28, and played a benefit concert on Jan. 29 for the Illinois tornado victims.   This summer, Chicago and REO Speedwagon will tour together and both bands will perform onstage for the encore. Quite a finale!