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Chicago
Photo: Columbia Records · Public domain

Band · United States

Chicago

American pop rock/jazz fusion band

Formed in 1967

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About

Chicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967. Self-described as a "rock and roll band with horns", their songs often also combine elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music.

Growing out of several bands from the Chicago area in the late 1960s, the original line-up consisted of Peter Cetera on bass, Terry Kath on guitar, Robert Lamm on keyboards, Lee Loughnane on trumpet, James Pankow on trombone, Walter Parazaider on woodwinds, and Danny Seraphine on drums. Cetera, Kath, and Lamm shared lead vocal duties. The group initially called themselves the Big Thing, then changed to the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968, and finally shortened the name to Chicago in 1969.

Laudir de Oliveira joined the band as a percussionist and second drummer in 1974. Kath died in 1978 and was replaced by several guitarists in succession. Bill Champlin joined in 1981, providing vocals, keyboards, and rhythm guitar. Cetera left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Jason Scheff. Seraphine left in 1990 and was replaced by Tris Imboden. Although the band's lineup has been more fluid since 2009, Lamm, Loughnane, and Pankow have remained constant members. Parazaider "officially retired" in 2017. In 2021, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He died in 2026. In 2025, Lamm and Pankow went on hiatus from touring amidst health problems. In April, 2026, Loughnane confirmed that while Lamm and Pankow are not touring because of health concerns, they have not retired and remain members of the band.

In September 2008, Billboard ranked Chicago at number thirteen in a list of the top 100 artists of all time for Hot 100 singles chart success, and ranked them at number fifteen on that same list in October 2015. Billboard also ranked Chicago ninth on the list of the 100 greatest artists of all time in terms of Billboard 200 album chart success in October 2015. Chicago is one of the longest-running and most successful rock groups, and one of the world's best-selling groups of all time, having sold more than 100 million records. In 1971, Chicago was the first rock act to sell out Carnegie Hall for a week. Chicago is also considered a pioneer in rock music marketing, featuring a recognizable logo on album covers, and sequentially naming their albums using Roman numerals.

In terms of chart success, Chicago is one of the most successful American bands in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard history (second only to the Beach Boys), and are one of the most successful popular music acts of all time. To date, Chicago has sold over 40 million units in the U.S., with 23 gold, 18 platinum, and eight multi-platinum albums. They had five consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200, 20 top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and in 1974 the group had seven albums, its entire catalog at the time, on the Billboard 200 simultaneously. The group has received ten Grammy Award nominations, winning one for the song "If You Leave Me Now". The group's first album, Chicago Transit Authority, released in 1969, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. The original line-up of Chicago was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, Cetera, Lamm, and Pankow were elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Chicago received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on October 16, 2020.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also in Français

Chicago (connu sous le nom « The Chicago Transit Authority » entre 1967 et 1968) est un groupe américain de pop rock et jazz-rock originaire de la ville de Chicago, troisième métropole des États-Unis, au nord-est de l'Illinois.

Parmi les nombreux succès du groupe, les trois titres qui sont classés 1er aux États-Unis : If You Leave Me Now (1976), Hard to Say I'm Sorry (1982) et Look Away (1988), et les standards comme 25 or 6 to 4 (N°4 en 1970), Saturday in the Park (N°3 en 1972), Street Player (1979), You're the Inspiration (N°3 en 1984) et Hard Habit to Break (N°3 la même année).

En septembre 2008, le magazine Billboard a classé Chicago au treizième rang dans une liste des 100 meilleurs artistes de tous les temps pour le succès des charts Billboard Hot 100, et les a classés au N°15 sur cette même liste en octobre 2015. Billboard a également classé le groupe au neuvième rang sur la liste des 100 plus grands artistes de tous les temps en termes de succès dans les palmarès des albums Billboard 200 en octobre 2015.

Chicago est l'un des groupes de rock les plus anciens et l'un des plus vendeurs de tous les temps, ayant vendu plus de 100 millions de disques dont 21 singles classés dans le Top 10, 5 albums N°1 consécutifs, 11 singles N°1 et 5 singles d'or. Un nombre considérable de 25 de leurs 34 albums ont été certifiés platine, et le groupe compte un total de 47 récompenses d'or et de platine.

En 1971, Chicago fut le premier groupe de rock à remplir le Carnegie Hall pendant une semaine. Chicago at Carnegie Hall (N°3 aux États-Unis) est le premier album live du groupe et constitue leur quatrième album. Il est également considéré comme un pionnier du marketing de la musique rock, avec un logo reconnaissable sur les pochettes d'album et un nom séquentiel de leurs albums par l'utilisation des chiffres romains.

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Discography

Albums

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EPs

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