Chicago

They’re a hard habit to break. Over three decades strong, Chicago ranks second only to The Beach Boys as the most successful American rock group ever.

Chicago formed in the Second City in 1967 by Walter Parazaider (sax, woodwinds), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone), Robert Lamm (keyboards, vocals), Terry Kath (guitar, vocals), Danny Seraphine (drums), and Peter Cetera (bass, vocals). They released their debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, in 1969. The double LP sold more than two million copies on the strength of sweet pop hits and psychedelic rock explorations that appealed to traditional Top 40 fans as well as hipper listeners tuning in to the new free-form FM radio.  

This was just the start of Chicago’s enduring popularity, which includes five consecutive #1 albums, 21 Top 10 singles, and worldwide sales of over 120 million. Chicago continues to be a major concert draw, their lineup now including Bill Champlin (keyboards, vocals), Jason Scheff (bass, vocals), Keith Howland (guitar), and Tris Imboden (drums), along with founding members Lamm, Parazaider, Loughnane, and Pankow.