Chicago

Few bands defined 1970s American rock like Chicago, performing a driving jazz-rock fusion that made them one of the first stadium bands and have since sold over 38 million records and scored five number one albums and 21 top ten singles. Originally formed at Chicago's DePaul University by Lee Loughnane, Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, Walter Parazaider and James Pankow, they soon added keyboardist Robert Lamm and bassist/singer Peter Cetera to become popular covers band The Big Thing. Introducing their own material, they changed the name to Chicago Transit Authority and released their first self-titled album in 1969, which went on to sell over a million copies. When the real Chicago Transit Authority threatened legal action the band shortened their name to Chicago, achieving an international breakthrough with second album 'Chicago 11' which included the ambitious 13-minute suite 'Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon'. The group was huge throughout the 1970s, releasing the live set quadruple album 'Chicago at Carnegie Hall', full of political comment, and had hit singles with 'Saturday in the Park', 'Feelin' Stronger Every Day' and, most famously, the power ballad 'If You Leave Me Now'. Tragedy struck in 1978 when guitarist and unofficial leader Terry Kath killed himself in a shooting accident, but the band recovered through the 1980s, albeit in a less jazz-influenced, more poppy direction. Singer Peter Cetera left in 1985 to be replaced by Jason Scheff, and although their profile declined and the personnel continued to change, Chicago remained a popular live attraction. After returning from touring with The Doobie Brothers, they were back in the studio working on a new album, the Christmas record featuring Dolly Parton, 'Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three'. They followed this with 2014's 'Chicago XXXIV: Now'. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 with the same honour of the Songwriters Hall of Fame coming in 2017. They revealed that they were working on 'Chicago: XXXVII' with an expected release date of 2018.

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