To Rose and Teddy, thank you for your love, tenderness and devotion to me in our years together. Just know that I loved you, no matter what my actions said. I’m still working on that husband thing but can’t seem to master it.
To my bandmates in California Transit Authority—Peter Fish, Marc Bonilla, Ed Roth, Mick Mahan, Larry Braggs, Eric Redd, and Walter Rodriguez—for being my new musical soul mates and following me on this sometimes perilous journey that we now call the new music business. You’ve all enriched my life more than you will ever know.
To my former Chicago bandmates: Walt Parazaider, Peter Cetera, Jimmy Pankow, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, Bill Champlin, and Jason Scheff. Thanks for the ride of a lifetime—though it was a bit bumpy toward the end—and the amazing legacy of music we created together. I hope someday we can put all that silliness behind us and once again share some laughter, friendship, and, who knows, maybe even some music.
Very special thanks to Pete Schivarelli for being such a good godfather to my son and educating me on the ways of the street; to James William Guercio for showing us the way and how to always treat our music; to Howard Kaufman for continuing what James started and passing on your amazing business skills; to Larry Fitzgerald for being the voice of reason in a sometimes insane world; to David “Hawk” Wolinski for being such a generous friend and creative songwriting partner; to Irving Azoff for always taking my calls and being the best in the business; to Coleman Gibson, Bill Cosby, Gavin Christopher, and Grady Tate for teaching me to be color-blind. Also special thanks to Jeff Munger, Howard Asher, and George Jones. To all my Evergreen friends, you know who you are: I can’t thank you enough for embracing me and my family. You were there during some of our toughest times and not only helped us forge a new life but also inspired us to become better human beings.
To all my friends: Jennifer Mesa, Pete Hayes, Bob Weise, Jerry Vaccarino, Rick Cooper, Mike Unger, Brian Stratton, and John DeChristopher. To my baseball buddies: Tony and Elaine La Russa and Phil and Carol Garner. To my friends at Zildjian, Eric Smith and Auralex Acoustics, Remo Belli, Matt Connors, Steve Smith, and Gregg Bissonette for helping me back into the saddle. To Gwen Riley for helping me keep it together, Scott Prisand (the Hebrew Hammer) for introducing me to Broadway, the Lonely Street Crew—Jay Mohr, John Gerit, and James Brown (the King)—for helping keep Elvis’s memory alive in a positive uplifting movie, and Bruce Lundvall and Phil Ramone for being the classiest men in the record business.
To Wiley: Thanks to my wonderful editors Tom Miller and Dan Crissman for their hard work and dedication to this project.
Credits
Photos
Pages 89, 90, 91, 92 (bottom left), 93, 94 (top), 95, 96, 98, 102 (top), 218 (bottom), 219, 220, 221 (top), 223 (bottom), 224 (bottom), 225 (top), 227, 228, 229 from Danny Seraphine’s personal collection; page 92 (top) Maurice Seymour; page 92 (bottom right) Colin Underhill; page 94 (bottom) © Ron Werntz 1971 reproduced with permission; pages 97, 222, 223 (top) Patty Buscemi Molloy; pages 99 (top), 221 (bottom), 224 (top) courtesy of Martin Derek; pages 99 (bottom) and 100 (top) Peter Duke © 2010 all rights reserved; pages 100 (bottom), 101, 102 (bottom), 103, 104, 217, 218 (top) courtesy of James William Guercio/Caribou Ranch; pages 225 (bottom) and 226 Teddy Newton Seraphine; page 230 Tim Ellis.
Lyrics
TAKE ME BACK TO CHICAGO Written by David Wolinski and Danny Seraphine. Copyright © 1977 BIG ELK MUSIC, HAWKNASH, SPIRIT CATALOG HOLDINGS, S.À.R.L. All Rights for Big Elk Music and Hawknash Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP). All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l. Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP) in the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l Controlled and Administered by Spirit Services Holdings S.à.r.l for the World excluding the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
LITTLE ONE Written by David Wolinski and Danny Seraphine. Copyright © 1977 BIG ELK MUSIC, HAWKNASH, SPIRIT CATALOG HOLDINGS, S.À.R.L. All Rights for Big Elk Music and Hawknash Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP). All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l. Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP) in the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l Controlled and Administered by Spirit Services Holdings S.à.r.l for the World excluding the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
GREATEST LOVE ON EARTH Written by David Wolinski and Danny Seraphine. Copyright © 1979 BIG ELK MUSIC, HAWKNASH, SPIRIT CATALOG HOLDINGS, S.À.R.L. All Rights for Big Elk Music and Hawknash Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP). All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l. Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP) in the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l Controlled and Administered by Spirit Services Holdings S.à.r.l for the World excluding the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
STREET PLAYER Written by David Wolinski and Danny Seraphine. Copyright © 1979 BIG ELK MUSIC, HAWKNASH, SPIRIT CATALOG HOLDINGS, S.À.R.L. All Rights for Big Elk Music and Hawknash Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP). All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l. Controlled and Administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc. (ASCAP) in the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. All Rights for Spirit Catalogue Holdings, S.à.r.l Controlled and Administered by Spirit Services Holdings S.à.r.l for the World excluding the United States, Canada, UK and Eire. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
Index
NOTE: Page numbers in italics refer to photos.
Adler, Lou
“Aire”
Alexenburg, Ron
“Alive Again” (Pankow)
“Along Comes a Woman”
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
“Another Rainy Day in New York City” (Lamm)
Appice, Carmine
Aragon Ballroom
“Are Mafia Mobsters Acquiring a Taste for the Sound of Rock?” (Wall Street Journal)
Arvonio, Angelo
Arvonio, Ashley
Asher, Dick
Atlantic City Pop Festival
Attic
Azoff, Irving
“Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” (Pankow)
Barnaby’s
Basie, William “Count”
Beach Boys
Bee Gees
“Beginnings” (Lamm)
Bell Park (gang)
Berry, Chuck
B.Ginnings
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Thing
formation of
Hollywood move by
Billboard
Birch, Bob
“Birthday Boy” (Seraphine)
Bissonette, Gregg
Black, Jimmy Carl
Black Pearl
Blood, Sweat and Tears
“Bomb, The!” (Bucketheads)
Bombay Dreams (Webber)
Bonham, John
Bonilla, Marc
Bracamontes, John
Bracamontes, Rick
Bradshaw, Beverly
Bradshaw, Kit
Braggs, Larry
Braumbauch, Steve
Brooklyn
Brown, James
Bucketheads
Buckinghams
California Transit Authority
“Call on Me” (Chicago)
Camelia (Kath’s girlfriend)
Caribou Ranch
Carnegie Hall
Cavalcade of Stars
CBS America
CBS Records. See also Columbia Records
CBS Studios
CBS (television network)
Cetera, Janice
Cetera, Peter
Big Thing joined by
Chicago 19 (Chicago) and
on Chicago departure
Dacus firing and
in Exceptions
jaw injury of
Kath and
lifestyle of, on the road
marriage to Janice
move to Hollywood by
Seraphine reunion with
solo career of
songwriting by
vocals by
Chambers Brothers
Champlin, Bill
Charles, Bobby. See also Lamm, Robert “Bobby”
Cheap Trick
Cheetah
Chicago
Cetera’s departure and
Champlin and
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) name change to
Columbia Records contract
Dacus and
disco and
drug use by band members (See individual names of band members)
early international tours of
finances of
firing of Seraphine
Grammy Awards and
image of
joined by Scheff
Kath’s death and
Pinnick and
record sales of
Seraphine’s lawsuit against
songwriting for
on tour with Beach Boys
travel by
See also Chicago Transit Authority (CTA); individual names of albums; individual names of members; individual names of songs
Chicago II (Chicago)
Chicago III (Chicago)
Chicago IV (Chicago)
Chicago V (Chicago)
Chicago VI (Chicago)
Chicago VII (Chicago)
Chicago X (Chicago)
Chicago XI (Chicago)
Chicago 13 (Chicago)
Chicago XIV (Chicago)
Chicago 16 (Chicago)
Chicago 17 (Chicago)
Chicago 18 (Chicago)
Chicago 19 (Chicago)
Chicago (city)
band’s performances in
keys to the city
Chicago in the Rockies (CBS)
Chicago’s Greatest Hits Volume II (Chicago XV) (Chicago)
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Chicago Transit Authority
Columbia Records contract
early shows of
Hollywood house of
name change
naming of
See also Big Thing
Christie, Lou
Clapton, Eric
Clark, Dick
cocaine
“Colour My World” (Pankow)
Colucci, Denny
Columbia Records
Chicago contract with
Chicago XIV as last album with
Dacus firing and
See also individual names of songs and albums
Colomby, Bobby
Conti, Bill
Cooper, Jay
Cosby, Bill
Criteria Studios
Curb, Mike
Dacus, Donnie
Dance Track of the Year Award (ASCAP)
Davis, Clive
DeCarlo, Al
De Francisco, Joe
Demon Dogs
Denton, Bill
de Oliveira, Laudir
DePaul University
Derek, Marty
“Devil’s Sweet”
“Dialogue (Part I & II)” (Lamm)
Dick Clark Productions
“Disco Sucks”
“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” (Lamm)
Donny (keyboard technician)
Doobie Brothers
Dowd, Tom
Duca, Rosario
Duke Ellington . . . We Love You Madly (CBS)
Duryea, Dick
Elsie (Seraphine’s teenage girlfriend)
Endless Summer (Beach Boys)
English, Chuckie
Epic Records
Evans, John
Exceptions
fans
groupies
international audiences and
FBI
“Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” 133, 136
Fillmore West (San Francisco)
Fish, Peter
Fitzgerald, Larry
Flores, Chuck
Ford, Jimmy
Foster, David
Four Seasons
Foxx, Redd
Franklin Park (gang)
Freak Out! (Zappa)
Full Circle (California Transit Authority)
Full Moon Records
Garibaldi, David
Giancana, Sam
Gibb, Barry
Gibb, Maurice
“Glory of Love” (Cetera)
Gorski, Ken
Goudie, Jack
Graham, Bill
Granite, Arny
“Greatest Love on Earth, The” (Seraphine, Wolinski)
Grebb, Marty
Greene, Marc
Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.(Springsteen)
Guercio, Jim, Sr.
Guercio, Jimmy
Beach Boys and
Big Thing and
Blood, Sweat and Tears and
Caribou Ranch and
Chicago-Columbia contract and
Chicago II recording and
Chicago Transit Authority and
Guercio, Lucy
“Happy Man” (Chicago)
“Hard Habit to Break”
“Hard to Say I’m Sorry”
Hendrix, Jimi
Hot Streets (Chicago)
naming of
recording of
release of
House of Igor
“I Don’t Want to Live Without Your Love” (Warren)
“If You Leave Me Now” (Cetera)
Illinois Speed Press
“Introduction” (Chicago Transit Authority)
IRS
Isle of Wight Festival (1970)
“It Better End Soon” (Lamm)
J., Jimmy
Jam Productions
Jans, Tom
Jardine, Al
Jerry-Kelly Band
Jimmy Ford and the Executives
“Johnny B. Goode” (Berry)
Jones, Jo
Jones, Quincy
Joplin, Janis
JPs (gang)
“Just You ’N’ Me”
Kalb, Dwight
Kath, Michelle
Kath, Pam
Kath, Terry
in Big Thing
British press publicity and
Cetera and
daughter of
death of
drug use by
guitar playing by
guns of
Hendrix and
in Jimmy Ford and the Executives
marriage to Pam
in Missing Links
move to Hollywood by
Pignose Amplifiers owned by
songwriting by
Kaufman, Howard
Azoff and
Goudie and
Schivarelli and
on Seraphine’s business investments
Seraphine’s firing and
Kaufman, Lester
Keane, John
Khan, Chaka
“Kind of a Drag” (Buckinghams)
Kleinberg, Ken
Lamm, Karen
Lamm, Robert “Bobby”
“Beginnings”
in Big Thing
drug use by
Goudie and
homes of
lifestyle of, on the road
marriage to Karen
move to Hollywood by
Seraphine’s firing and
songwriting by (See also individual names of songs)
vocals by
Zazou owned by
See also individual names of songs
Led Zeppelin
Lee, Albert
Leonard, Pat
Leonetti, Jimmy
“Lightnin’ Strikes” (Christie)
Little Anthony and the Imperials
Little Artie and the Pharaohs
“Little One” (Seraphine, Wolinski)
Lombardi, Don
Lombardo, Joey
“Look Away” (Warren)
Loughnane, Lee
backup vocals for Bee Gees by
in Big Thing
Goudie and
health issues of
move to Hollywood by
Seraphine’s firing and
Love
“Love Me Tomorrow”
“Lowdown” (Cetera, Seraphine)
LSD
Luccketta, Troy
Lukather, Steve
Lundvall, Bruce
Madden, “Buffalo” Bob
Madden, Chuck
Madura
Maglieri, Mario
Mahan, Mick
“Make Me Smile” (Pankow)
Mann, Bart
MCs (gang)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (CBS)
Mellow Mel
Mickelson, Jerry
Missing Links
Mitchell, Mitch
Mob
Modern Drummer Festival (2006)
Money Tree
“Mongonucleosis” (Chicago)
Moore, Sister
Mothers of Invention
“Motorboat to Mars”
Murphy, Mike
Near Loop (brothel)
Nevison, Ron
Nicholson, Jack
“Old Days” (Chicago)
“Once or Twice” (Kath)
On the Rocks
Oscar Brown Junior and Friends
Ostin, Mo
“Outfit” (Mafia of Chicago)
Padula, Tom
Page, Freddy
Page, Richard
Paich, David
Pankow, Jimmy
in Big Thing
Joplin and
move to Hollywood by
on release of singles
Seraphine’s firing and
songwriting by (See also individual names of songs)
Wall Street Journal story and
See also individual names of songs
“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (Brown)
Parazaider, Jackie
Parazaider, Ruth (mother)
Parazaider, Walt
backup vocals for Bee Gees by
in Big Thing