The Legendary Musical Group Chicago

It's Saturday in the park, does anybody really know what time it is? It's only the beginning, I just want to celebrate. Colour my world with love, make me smile. Wishing you were here, you're the inspiration. It's hard to say I'm sorry, but I'm feeling stronger everyday. Baby what a big surprise, you're a hard habit to break. If you leave me now, lonliness is just a word. Just you 'n' me.

Last June I had the opportunity to go to a Chicago concert at the Pechanga Resort and Casino, located in Temecula, California, it was fantastic. Although the lead singer Peter Cetera was not with the band anymore, the new members gave the group the sound they needed to still have that jazz, pop, and rock they are famous for.

Originally called The Big Thing, the group started in March 1967 as a cover band and played mostly in clubs on and off campus at the DePaul University, in Chicago. When the group released their first album they changed the name of the band to The Chicago Transit Authority. The original group consisted of seven members, featuring traditional rock instruments combined with a versatile list of brass instruments including a saxophone, trombone, and trumpet. Their first album was a risky investment as it was a double album, almost unheard of for a debut album. It included instrumentals, extended jams with Latin percussion and experimental guitar abstractions involving the use of "feedback" as a new sound.

The band gained it's popularity by receiving heavy air play on the FM radio band, with three shortened versions of "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Beginnings", and "Questions 67and 68." Shortly after the release of this double album, the band shortened its name to simply Chicago, which has remained. The unique quality that the band had from the beginning is notoriety from its logo and the facelessness that went with it. This was in keeping with the style of the 1960's, an era that valued group effort over individual ego.

The band continued to grow in popularity as they have released over 31 albums through the years they have been together. Most of their albums are simply referred to by a number, like Chicago II, Chicago III, and so on down the line. In 2006 they released their newest album entitled, Chicago XXX. This group has achieved something that very few groups in the musical industry do, longevity. The have been producing music now for 40 years, that is quite an accomplishment.

I have always wondered myself, how they came up with the name Chicago. The clue is given on the notes of their first album, "If you must call them something, speak of the city where all save one were born, where all of them were schooled and bred. Call them Chicago."