The Buckinghams in Concert

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 18TH...Check it Out- Up Close and Personal with The Buckinghams in Rosemont, Illinois

2011-04-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 18th, at 8 pm, Chicagoland fans are going to have an opportunity to spend an intimate evening "up close and personal" with The Buckinghams. A special event will take place at 8 pm in the Montrose Room of the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare Hotel. Located at 5300 N. River Road in Rosemont, The Buckinghams will perform as part of the hotel's "Up Close @ Montrose" concert series.

Songs from The Buckinghams' most recent DVD/CD, coincidentally titled "Up Close", will be performed, along with favorite 60s classics for audiences to enjoy.

Carl and Nick will debut some new classic rock songs, and Bruce Soboroff (keys/vocals), Dave Zane (guitars/vocals), and Rocky Penn (drums/vocals) will add new songs, all the hits, and other guaranteed favorites that audiences count on hearing.

Seating is limited for this very special event, so you're encouraged to order tickets today. Click here to order tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3655045

Looking Ahead to Labor Day Weekend, 2011--Italian Heritage Festival in Clarksburg, WVA

2011-04-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

September 4th, The Buckinghams are pleased to be participating in the 33rd Annual West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival in Clarksburg, WVa. The event is the 33rd annual festival and will take place at 340 West Main Street, in downtown Clarksburg, as always.

This event will be a great vacation destination idea for the Labor Day 2011 weekend. Future posts will share more info on where to stay and event details, Sept. 2-4th.

Web site link for more information is: http://www.wvihf.com/

Click here to hear a little music to get you ready for a fantastic festival!
http://www.wvihf.com/Amici%20-%20Tarentella.mp3

This is a community-wide major event with many sponsors already committed to its success. A partial list includes:
* Antero Resources Appalachian Corporation
* Budweiser
* Buffing Studios
* Citynet
* City of Clarksburg
* City of Shinnston
* Clarksburg Enterprise Rental Car
* Clarksburg Exponent Telegram
* Clarksburg Nursing & Rehab. Center
* Dan Riggs Garage & Towing
* Day's Inn Suites
* Enterprise Rental Car
* EQT
* Frontier Communications
* Greater Clarksburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
* Harry Green 7 Acres
* Kroger's
* Lamar Advertising
* MCM Business Systems
* Medbrook Mall
* Medbrook Medical Associates
* Mike Ross, Inc.
* Nardelli Audiology
* Pepsi
* Precision Oil & Gas
* Rose of Sharon
* Secret & Shields, A. C.
* Shinnston News & Harrison County Journal
* Village Square Conference Center
* United Sound & Electronics
* WDTV, News Channel 5 & Fox10
* WV Department of Agriculture
* WV Radio Corporation
* Wells Fargo Ins. Services of WV
* WesBanco

"Kind of a Drag" Named one of Chicagoland's Top 10 Songs in 2009 issue of "Illinois Entertainer" Magazine

2011-03-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

From a Jan. 5, 2009 article in the Illinois Entertainer magazine, Jim Holvay's "Kind of a Drag" receives top song honors as made a signature tune of The Buckinghams:

Songs 1-10
Illinois Entertainer picks the 25 greatest songs in Chicago history, continued below:

"Hearing how much Magic 104.3 used to blast this song from my mom’s Chevy Citation while on garage-sale rounds, one gets an appreciation of what 1967 was like for Chicago and The Buckinghams. What we know today as the “Chicago horn sound” was astonishingly new when “Kind Of A Drag” landed, and the song seemed to encapsulate every sound from their ensuing album: stately pop, garage rock, blue-eyed soul, British invasion. True, Chicago (the band) had already formed at this point, but “Kind Of A Drag” contained a lot of ideas they’d pillage."

Full story link at: http://illinoisentertainer.com/2009/01/songs-1-to-10/comment-page-1/

About Oldies Music--A Classic Discussion

2011-03-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

For several weeks, Chicago-based blogger Kent Kotal has been exploring, with readers and contributors to his list, the concept of what, exactly, is an Oldie? The refreshing consensus is basically...what it means to you personally. The Buckinghams are a unique musical entity because to so many across the country, they are a national pop act who topped the charts. Yet, to anyone from Chicago, they are still considered a 'local' sensation who did well outside of town. Nevertheless, however you perceive The Buckinghams or their music of the 1960s, here's an excerpt from Kent's wrap-up post today:

"Just because it's old ...
Doesn't mean it's an "oldie"!!!
That seems to be the general consensus of our recent "What Is An Oldie?" Poll.

In fact, when tabulating and analyzing all of the responses we received, it seems that the majority of the oldies music fans out there seem to think that "The Oldies Era" ends at about 1975 ... or right before the dawn of The Disco Era.

(Sure, we still had folks insist that it shouldn't run beyond 1963 ... that The British Invasion began another new era in music ... but if I'm going to cover "oldies" and retain any sense of passion about it, I've at least got to include the music that means the most to ME ... and that would be that so-called "Beatles Era" of 1964 - 1970. Music changed in SO many ways during these years ... and British Rock was just one aspect of this.)

We had the whole Motown / Atlantic / Stax Soul Thing going on ...

Psychedelia found its way on to the charts ...

As did HUGE country cross-over hits by artists like Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller.

West Coast and East Coast falsetto sounds by the likes of The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons ...

Pop sensations like The Monkees, Tommy James and the Shondells, The Turtles and Paul Revere and the Raiders ...

Local Acts like The Buckinghams, The Cryan' Shames and The New Colony Six ...

Girl Groups like The Chiffons, The Shirelles, The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las and The Dixie Cups ...

And so much more. (And they all got played side by side every single day and nobody thought ANYTHING at all about it!)

Of course a REAL Oldies Station has GOT to include "Roots of Rock" artists like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and The Everly Brothers ... this is an absolute MUST ... as are break-out stars like Connie Francis and Brenda Lee ... Bobby Darin and Ricky Nelson ... the list truly does go on and on and on ..."

Check out Kent's blog at: http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Kent, for another series and lively discussion on a favorite topic. DLW

Concert News for Ohio and Illinois Music Fans

2011-03-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last Minute Weekend Plans?

TONIGHT'S SHOW IN OHIO
**Reminder in this morning's Youngstown newspaper online, "The Vindicator", www.vindy.com
Today’s entertainment picks:
The Buckinghams, 8 p.m.: Hey baby, they’re playing our song. Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown; 330-743-2717.

CHICAGOLAND FANS GET WISH FOR HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR APPEARANCES THIS YEAR
Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna return as the Buckinghams join The Turtles, Mark Lindsay, Grass Roots, and The Association in concert for the Happy Together Tour. Last year's tour played in 24 cities, but missed coming through Chicago. This year, they'll be in two great locations for area fans: the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, IL, an annual favorite for The Buckinghams to perform, and the Effingham Performance Center in Effingham, IL.

Happy Together Tour at the Genesee Theatre, Sat. Aug. 6 in Waukegan, IL
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 19th via Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com, at 10 am, for the Happy Together Tour in concert at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, IL, on Saturday, Aug. 6th. For more information, including possibilities of upgrading seats to their Platinum Performance Package, visit https://host26.webserveralpha.com/geneseetheatre/index.php

The Platinum Package is a private event, requiring advance reservations, in the Red Carpet Lounge on the 4th floor of the Genesee, and is open one hour prior to show time. For a modest price, you will enjoy an open bar and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres in a comfortable and relaxed setting. The Platinum Party experience is available for most shows and space is limited. Please check the event calendar for show availability.

Event ticket purchase is required to upgrade to the Platinum Package. You may add the Package at the time of purchasing your event ticket through Ticketmaster phone, internet and outlet sources. Or you may add the Package later by visiting or calling the Genesee Theatre Box Office at 847-263-6300.

Effingham, Illinois to host Happy Together Tour, Thur., Aug. 25, at Effingham Performance Center

On Thursday, August 25th, The Turtles, The Buckinghams, Grass Roots, Mark Lindsay, and The Association will perform as the HTT 2011 plays at the Effingham Performance Center.

Tickets to this show also available via Ticketmaster. Visit http://www.theepc.org/ for more details.
This was taken in winter, but by summer, everything will be much warmer!

John Benson's Story in the Youngstown, OH, Vindicator Newspaper

2011-03-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

John Benson interviewed Carl Giammarese recently about The Buckinghams' concert this Friday, March 18th in Youngstown.

The concert is sponsored by the Monday Musical Club there, that has more than 100 years of great history in bringing memorable music to the Stambaugh Auditorium.

Story begins:
Somewhat out of breath but apparently in great shape is how The Buckinghams’ Carl Giammarese sounded when a recent phone call found him at a Chicago-area gym putting some time in on the step-machine.

“You know us old rockers — we have to stay in shape,” Giammarese said, laughing.

Invariably, the guitarist is getting ready for another walk down memory lane with fans when the group comes to Youngstown on Friday for a show at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Full story online at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/mar/17/the-buckinghams-these-rock-8217n8217-rol/

Tickets Available for Asbury Park, NJ Happy Together Tour Show, July 16th

2011-03-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Tickets are on sale now for the Happy Together Tour to stop in Asbury Park, NJ, on Saturday, July 16th, and the evening promises great music from The Buckinghams, The Turtles, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders), The Grass Roots, and this year, The Association will join them. Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna look forward to returning to Asbury Park for another great concert experience with the great fans from New Jersey and New York at the Paramount Theatre.

Act early to purchase limited VIP Meet and Greet, premium seat tickets while they last.

When you're in the aea, dining is available in the Langostina Lounge, Stella Marina Bar & Restaurant, Tim McLoone's Supper Club, and the Aqua Bar and Restaurant.

On Sale: Now

Ticket Prices: $29-$79 ($99 VIP Meet and Greet, Premium Seat Packages)

Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, Phone Charge at 800-745- 3000, Outlets including select Walmart locations, The Stone Pony Box Office 732-502-0600 and The Paramount box office on the day of show if any tickets remain.

Partial proceeds to benefit the Light of Day Foundation
Produced by Concerts East and Sammy Boyd.

Event Details

Saturday, July 16 2011, 8 pm
All Ages

Best Parking: 1300 Ocean Avenue Asbury Park, NJ 07712

Tickets/more information is available at:
http://apboardwalk.com/events/2613

Directions on how to get to the Paramount:
http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Paramount+Theatre%2C1300+Ocean+Avenue+Asbury+Park%2C+NJ+07712

Buckinghams' Fan, Steve Merry, Shares Memories of the Happy Together Tour 1985-1986

2011-03-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

When The Buckinghams toured the country on their first Happy Together Tour, they were part of one the year's Top 10 Most Popular Tours, according to Pollstar, which keeps track of concert attendance and ticket sales. The Happy Together Tour '85-'86 was produced by Howard Silverman and David Fischoff, and the tour was sponsored by Members Only, quite popular at the time.

Steve heard The Buckinghams and the Happy Together Tour at the Hulman Center, in Terra Haute, Indiana. Steve graciously shared photos from several pages of his Souvenir Tour Booklet for others to enjoy on Chicagosveryown Buckinghams' Facebook page. Reproduced here with his permission.

Top photo-Encore with everyone on stage.
Bottom photo--(L to R: Tour co-producer, Howard Silverman, today of Paradise Artists, Carl Giammarese, Rob Grill(Grass Roots), Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman(The Turtles), 3 reps from Members Only, Tour co-producer, David Fischoff.

About Members Only, Tour Sponsor.

About The Buckinghams--Tour Bio.

The Buckinghams-Photos from the 60s and '85/'86.

About The Grass Roots.

Photos of The Grass Roots.

Gary Lewis & The Playboys Photos.

About Gary Lewis & the Playboys.

Photos of The Turtles.

About The Turtles (Mark Vollman and Howard Kaylan, aka Flo & Eddie).

Family Album, page 1.

Family Album page 2.

Cousin Brucie, WABC-AM Radio Legend, and MC who came out to launch the Happy Together Tour that year. Bottom panel is an ad for music by The Turtles.

Discography for all the bands, plus the bottom panel is an ad for The Buckinghams new single release, "Veronica", from their album, "A Matter of Time" on Red Label Records. Carl, Nick, and the band did this song as part of their set that tour.

Happy Together Tour Production Team.

A Message from Tour Co-producer, David Fischoff.

Back cover of the Souvenir Tour Program.

Thanks again to Steve for taking the time to share his memories. He's ready to attend the HTT 2011 when the tour comes to Effingham Perfomance Center, Thursday, August 25, 2011.

Music of Our Heart Blog Previews The Buckinghams in Happy Together Show, July 9th in Wallingford, CT

2011-03-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see blogger MusicofourHeart's post today about the concert date in Wallingford, CT, with the Happy Together Tour. On Saturday, July 9th, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna will join The Turtles, The Grass Roots, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders) and the Association for the 2011 return in the "25th Anniversary Plus 1" national tour. Audience response last year wsa tremendous and everyone who came to the shows had a great evening of music.

Journalist Musicofourheart writes:
"I was thinking about The Buckinghams this morning. Their song, “Kind of a Drag” popped into my head so I cruised over to YouTube to watch a video of them playing their #1 hit from 1967."

The Buckinghams will also return to Connecticut for a Christmas Show on Sunday, December 18th at the beautiful Infinity Hall, where they've played before.

It's great to have such loyal friends of their music in Connecticut. Buckinghams' fans are serious music enthusiasts, who indeed keep the songs in their hearts alive across the country, and have all these many years.

Check out his full blog post at http://musicofourheart.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/the-buckinghams-in-2011/

Some Behind-the-Scenes Photos of Conway, Arkansas from the Reynolds Performance Hall

2011-03-12T07:17:00.001-08:00

From the Reynolds Performance Hall's blog re The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat & Tears in Concert:

"One thing that most human beings have in common is the tendency to revisit our youth in memory. Old pictures, favorite restaurants, the house we grew up in…all can be welcome remembrances of times long past that we still treasure today.

Music is also a way to remember, and especially being able to see some of our favorite musicians still going strong after many years. So we (along with the audience) were delighted to be able to watch The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat, and Tears do what they’ve been doing well for decades now: play GREAT music."...

Full blog post can be found here.
http://ucareynolds.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/the-buckinghams-blood-sweat-and-tears/

All photos courtesy of Reynolds Performance Hall, Conway, Arkansas.

Great Night of Music--The Buckinghams in Concert with Blood Sweat & Tears--Photos from the Reynolds Performance Center, Conway Arkansas, March 4th

2011-03-12T06:45:00.001-08:00

Conway, Arkansas is a beautiful town to visit, with great Southern hospitality shown to us by the staff at the Reynolds Performance Hall. These are a few of their photos taken at the concert and we appreciate their sharing with us.

The band and the audience at the Reynolds Performance Hall in Conway, AR.

(L to R) Carl Giammarese, Bruce Soboroff, Nick Fortuna, Dave Zane

(L to R) Dave Zane, Bruce Soboroff, Nick Fortuna

The view from the balcony, The Buckinghams on stage.

(L to R) Bruce Soboroff and Rocky Penn.

Rocky Penn, drummer/vocalist, and a great drum kit.

Guitarist/vocalist Dave Zane in the foreground.

(L to R) Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, and Dave Zane.

View from the balcony, photo 1.

View from the balcony, photo 2.

Thanks again to the Reynolds Performance Hall for sharing these pictures. Find Reynolds Hall on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ucareynolds?ref=ts

Review of The Buckinghams' Recent Concert at the California Theatre of Performing Arts in San Bernardino

2011-03-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

From the March 10th online edition of the "Highland News", an excerpt of the review posted by Jules E. Beuck for The Buckinghams, Grass Roots, and Turtles in concert.

"Opening the show was Chicago’s Buckinghams. Fronted by original members Carl Giammarese and bassist Nick Fortuna, The Buckinghams went through a set that had them perform many of their hits and covers of other artists’ hits.

One song of theirs they performed that had been left off of many of their shows was their cover of “I’ll Go Crazy” that was sung by recent addition guitarist Dave Zane. Other hits they performed were “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “Kind Of A Drag,” and “Susan.”

Covers they performed included “The Worst That Could Happen,” “Expressway To Your Heart” and “Time Won’t Let Me.”

They received a standing ovation and when they went to the lobby to sign autographs, the line was quite long to see them up close and personal."

Full story at: http://www.highlandnews.net/articles/2011/03/10/entertainment/doc4d7934ea9bf24645339216.txt

Happy Together 2011 Tour Dates

2011-03-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Summer fun is just around the corner with The Buckinghams. The 25th Anniversary Happy Together Tour was so well received by fans across the country that this summer is sure to be filled with more great classic rock sounds on the Happy Together Tour 2011.

Fri. July 8, Westbury, NY North Fork Theatre at Westbury
Sat. July 9, Wallingford,CT Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre
Mon. July 11, Bethlehem, PA Musikfest Cafe presented by Yuengling
Wed. July 13, Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
Thur. July 14, Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent
Fri. July 15, Cohasset, MA South Shore Music Circus
Sat. July 16, Asbury Park, NJ Paramount Theater at Convention Hall
Tues. July 19, Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall
Thurs. July 21, Columbus, GA, River Center
Thur. Aug. 4, Kettering, OH Fraze Pavillion for the Performing Arts
Fri. Aug. 5, Sylvania, OH Centennial Terrace
Sat. Aug. 6, Waukegan, IL Genessee Theatre
Sun. Aug 7, West Allis, WI Wisconsin State Fair--Main Stage
Wed. Aug. 24, Louisville, KY Kentucky State Fair--Fairgrounds Stadium
Thur. Aug. 25, Effingham, IL Effingham Performance Center
Fri. Aug. 26, Aurora, IL Paramount Theatre
Sat. Aug. 27 Mitchell, SD Corn Palace Festival
Mon. Aug. 29 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair

Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna are delighted to return and perform for the 2011 Happy Together Tour. The Buckinghams join again The Turtles, Mark Lindsay, former lead singer for Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the Grass Roots. Also this year, their friends The Association ("Cherish," "Windy", Never My Love", "Along Comes Mary" and "Time for Livin'") will join the tour. Night after night of great classic rock will fill summer skies. Make your plans now and check The Buckinghams' Facebook Events page regularly for the latest date information.

Look for us The Buckinghams (Official Administered Fan Page) on Facebook

Click on the Events Tab to see all our latest concert information.

The tour was also announced in Steve Smith's Classic Rock, Pop and Country blog in Long Beach, CA. That story is found at http://www.presstelegram.com/lifestyle/ci_17573585

Conway, AR Concert Review--Crowd Grooves to 60s Rock

2011-03-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt that The Buckinghams are beloved in the South, just as much as they are in the Midwest, Northeast, and Western United States. After all, "Kind of a Drag" went to #1 in the country in Little Rock, AR before it was #1 across the country on the Billboard charts. Friday, March 4th, The Buckinghams traveled to Conway, Arkansas to the campus of the University of Central Arkansas and the stately Reynolds Performance Hall for a concert with Blood, Sweat and Tears, who opened the evening with a superb concert with a rich, royal version of "Spinning Wheel."

The Buckinghams first releases on Columbia Records were produced by the band's manager, James William Guercio. Following on an excellent first Blood, Sweat and Tears album, produced by band member Al Kooper, Columbia Records asked Guercio to produce BSandT's second album, "Spinning Wheel," which was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, before winning for Best Instrumental Arrangemeent for Fred Lipsius, sax player for BSandT. The concert in Conway was a musical 'full circle' for the two great bands to present audiences with the great pop rock horn sounds initiated by The Buckinghams and carried to further success by BSandT. The roots of rock and roll are rich and run wide indeed. DLW

From a review by Allyson McNabb, posted March 6, 2011 in My Fountain online:

"After intermission, The Buckinghams took the stage to roaring applause and cheers. They opened with their 1967 chart- topping hit, “Don’t You Care.” The audience loved their “60s Medley,” which had the crowd clapping and nodding in time with the music. The Buckinghams chatted with the audience and told stories about their rise to fame." and

"They played their hit “Susan,” which they debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show. They closed with the classic rock song that made them famous, “Kind of a Drag.” The audience quickly rose to their feet with cheers. The band played an encore, then greeted people in the atrium of Reynolds."

Full review found at: http://www.myfountainonline.com/crowd-grooves-to-60s-rock

Moonlight Mojo Man's "Sun Day" Interview with Carl Giammarese, February, 2011

2011-03-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna, joined by Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane, and Rocky Penn, performed at the Sun City Community in Huntley, IL, March 2nd. This interview appeared before their concert.

"Sun Day" journalist/rocker "Moonlight Mojo Man" interview with Carl Giammarese, transcript here:

The following is an excerpt to a February 2011 interview between journalist, “Moonlight Mojo Man” and Carl Giammarese. Permission to share an edited version of the interview for Buckinghams’ fans has been granted by the Managing Editor of “Sun Day”, the publication serving the Sun City community in Huntley, IL. The link to the original, published article is: http://www.mysundaynews.com/?cat=14. Our thanks to all.

February 24, 2011 | By Moonlight Mojo Man

All hail!

Sun Day’s Moonlight Mojo Man sat down recently with The Buckinghams co-founder and lead singer Carl Giammarese for a little quick and casual Q&A, as the popular Chicago band readies to head to Sun City at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 in Drendel Ballroom.

Moonlight Mojo Man(MMM): The MMM is pleased to be joined today by Carl Giammarese, one of the founders and lead singer of Chicago’s The Buckinghams and that name will bring back great memories for many of us children of the 60’s. Welcome, Carl.

Carl Giammarese (CG): Well thank you Mojo, thanks for interviewing me, I’m looking forward to it.

MMM: Thanks, Carl. I know that the group will be playing in Sun City this coming March 2nd in the Drendel Ballroom, I know I’ve got my tickets already. Probably most everybody knows who The Buckinghams are, but I’m betting that not as many know how this big adventure started for you all. Can you tell us a little bit about how the group got started and found its success?

CG: Well, of course, we started in the Chicago land area, mostly on the north side of the city. We sort of merged a couple different bands, you know, I played in the group with Nick Fortuna, called the Centuries and another guy Curt Bachman. Anyway, and then there was this other band called the Pulsations with Dennis Tufano and John Poulos and George Legros was in the band at the time. So, when the Centuries broke up they asked me to join them and I did. I saw a lot of potential there and I thought it was a great group. I thought Dennis & George were singing well and it just had a lot of potential, so I joined them and then, you know, initially Curt Bachman joined us as a bass player but then he left after a short time and Nick Fortuna came in. So, you know, we played for a short time as the Pulsations in 1965 and then we landed a TV show on WGN, a short- lived variety show called “All Time Hits.” It was a 13-week show and they were responsible for changing our name to The Buckinghams.

MMM: I see

CG: It’s a funny thing the producer of the show, his name was Sheldon Cooper and when you talked to him I liked to build it up and say, “we won the audition and a lot of bands tried out”. If you talked to him, though, he said “well, yes we picked those guys ’cause they were the least worst band.”

MMM & CG: laughter

CG: It really deflates your ego.

MMM: Well, I guess, but there are any number of moments like that, aren’t there? I know I was in a band in the 60’s as well and we played a lot of high school dances and so forth, did the Centuries play those sorts of things, too?

CG: Oh yeah, when we were leading up to that audition, we were playing all around Chicago and mostly in the Midwest and we played the Holiday Ballroom on the north side, The Embassy, Antoine’s, The Vogue Ballroom, The Wild Goose, and you know. So we did a lot of that. There was a club in Old Town on Wells street that we used to play and then we would play dances and hops around the Midwest and the tri-state area and we were always loading our manager Carl Bonafede’s station wagon with equipment and a trailer and we would get in that thing and drive. Eventually we got sponsored by Mr. Norm, the car dealer, and we sang this commercial, “Get with the go-group”. He gave us a van and then we had a van we used to pile our gear in. Then we would all lie on top of the equipment and drive all over the place

MMM: Well that was a great advantage wasn’t it? I think I read somewhere where the Centuries once played in front of an appliance store in Morton Grove, is that right?

CG: Well, that was one of our first gigs when we first got together. It might have been our first public show because up until then, the Centuries, we mostly played parties, you know a lot of weekend parties in Morton Grove area, and they would pay us with free beer or somebody would slip you 20 bucks or whatever. Then we had a chance, I think my cousin Jerry got us that gig, at Dempster Street in Morton Grove. Right in downtown Morton Grove, there was an appliance store and somewhere I have a picture in my file of us standing out in front with these little amplifiers. And we are standing in between all the appliances. So you’ll see me, then see a refrigerator, then Nick Fortuna, then you’ll see a television set and so forth. It was a funny, funny thing and that was probably our first public gig and I don’t even think we got paid for it.

MMM: And if it was an appliance store you probably didn’t get free beers either?

CG: No, no.

MMM: Well take us from, I guess, the All Time Hits show, to that moment when magic hit.

CG: Well, from All Time Hits, you know, they changed our name to The Buckinghams. They were looking for a British sound, you know the British invasion was happening and they came up with that and we were surprised that nobody was using the name and “The Buckinghams” worked. It sounded good. There was this guy who was the security guard who worked for the show; he came up with the name, so we went on the show with that name using The Buckinghams. The exposure was really good for us and that led to a recording contract. Our manager Carl Bonafede got us a contract with a Chicago-based local called USA Records and, you know, we recorded several songs. At that time we were a cover band, you know, we played cover material around the city, different places. We were doing everything from James Brown to the Beatles. We did soul tunes, we did British invasion songs, we did the Kinks, the Hollies, whatever. So when it came time to record we just covered some of those songs, you know. We did James Brown’s song, “I’ll Go Crazy”. That was a single, got some Midwest play and thank God, great radio stations like WLS and WCFL were very supportive of local bands. They put your song on rotation and that certainly helped a lot, especially your station like WLS, you could hear all over the country, that was a 50k watt station.

MMM: How about “Kind of a Drag”, where did that come from - that was not a cover, I gather?

CG: No, you know after doing a few cover songs and getting some exposure, we were looking for an original tune and our manager Carl Bonafede tapped on a guy by the name of Jim Holvay. Jim was a songwriter who also played with the band called The Mob. They were a big show band. I guess the material wasn’t right for the band and Holvay gave Carl a song on tape and he says, “Here, maybe they can do something with this song, it’s “Kind of a Drag”.” It was just him, strumming on a guitar, playing a little slower than we recorded it and we felt the song had a lot of potential. The hook of the song opens up with right away, not only that big intro, but (singing) “Kind of a Drag”. It’s right there as soon as you start, and so we figured let’s give it a shot, and we went into the old Chess studios on South Michigan Ave, and recorded it. And it was one of our producers, Dan Belloc, who owned the Holiday Ballroom; and, Dan was a band leader of the big band sound and he had a horn section and he thought “Hey this will be great with horns” and came up with the idea. Then he had his trombone player Frank Tesinsky do an arrangement. So we put the horns to it after we recorded the track and that really spiced it up.

MMM: Yeah, the horns were a little unusual at the time weren’t they?

CG: Yeah, and I always say this in our show, you know, we were first famous for a two and a half minute recording called ‘Kind of a Drag”; it was a number one record for us. But we were also, which some people don’t realize, credited with starting the pop/rock horn sound. You know that trombone-driven sound, which I would have to say was Belloc and Tesinsky were responsible for. Then, of course, later on when we went to Columbia records and Jim Guercio produced us, he continued that sound with “Don’t You Care”, “Mercy Mercy”, and “Hey Baby”, “Susan” and so forth. And, of course, Jim went on to produce Chicago, which has this similar horn arrangement sound to it.

MMM: All together, I think from what I can recall, it was 6 or 7 songs in the top 40 over the span of about a year and a half, wasn’t it something like that?

CG: Yeah, cause you figure “Kind of a Drag” was released in late ‘66 and all the hits in ’67; “Susan” was in ’68. Then we did the Ed Sullivan Show in ‘68 and we performed “Susan” on that show.

MMM: “Back in Love Again” was ‘68, wasn’t it?

CG: Yeah, late ‘68, you know it was at the most a 2-year period.

MMM: Well how exciting for a bunch of kids from North Chicago, huh?

CG: Yeah, it was very exciting. You know, who would have imagined a bunch of kids rehearsing in their parents’ basements would take it that far and have that kind of success and be named by Billboard magazine, the “Most Listened to Band” back in 1967, you know.

MMM: And by Cash Box as “The Most Promising Band”, I think, of 1967.

CG: Right, right, exactly.

MMM: The group actually continued up to about 1970 before you disbanded at that point, right?

CG: Right, after having all that success people ask me a lot of time “why’d you guys break up, or what happened?” And I would have to say you couldn’t put your finger on one exact thing; it was a combination of things. One was we were having some disagreements with management and changing producers and managers. In retrospect, that didn’t help us with our relationship with Columbia Records. But the main thing too, is that the music scene was changing so drastically in ‘69 and was a more underground heavier sound and albums started to sell more than singles. And you had Monterey Pop, you had Woodstock, groups like that. Columbia was signing Janis Joplin and Santana and so forth. So it was changing the way groups like us and the Association and the Turtles and the Beach Boys were kind of like becoming a little passé, I’d have to say, at that point.

MMM: Late 60’s was a very different sound wasn’t it?

CG: Right, it changed all at once. I think the Beatles went that way with Sgt. Pepper and that’s when things like the concept albums started coming out. We gave it a shot, we did a wonderful album called “Portraits” that was a concept album, the way the songs script together and was really different for the Buckinghams. But, you know, our audience was used to “Kind of a Drag” and “Hey Baby” to buy into that from us. So that was changing and we were kind of losing interest in that, but still excited about making music. And so then Marty Grebb left us first, he was our keyboard player and he went on to do some other things. He played with a group called the Fabulous Rhinestones and later on, he did play with Chicago and as a back-up player for many musicians, including Eric Clapton, and so forth. Nick was more interested in R& B music at that time and John Poulos, our drummer, was more interested in the business end of things.

MMM: I know that you and Dennis did kind of a duo thing for a period of time?

CG: I was going to say Dennis and I wanted to get into the singer/songwriter mode as a duo and we landed a record deal after playing small venues around Chicago for a couple of years. We kind of went back to our roots and we were writing a lot and we were just a couple of guys with acoustic guitars and we landed a record deal with the great Lou Adler back in ‘72. And Lou had just come off winning about 7 Grammy awards with Carole King. So he signed us and we did three albums with him and the first album got a lot of attention, but we were just never able to pull out that big hit. While the exposure was different, we didn’t have that success with it.

MMM: Obviously The Buckinghams are back now, how did that happen?

CG: Well, after going through the 70’s and it just seemed like there was no interest in 60’s music, Dennis & I finally called it quits in ‘77 and I came back to Chicago, because we were out in LA a lot and I started singing commercial jingles, because Chicago was a big “jingle town”. I probably sang on about 170 commercials over a period of a few years.

And then all of a sudden it was 1980 and I got a phone call from John Gehron, who was the program director at WLS. John asked me if I we would be interested in doing a Reunion show at Chicago Fest on Navy Pier, which was just happening. And I don’t know; we had never really able to pull it together and I always thought “if I could get all the guys together,” but it never seemed to work out. John Poulos, our original drummer was a big fan of doing that for many years and he passed away in the summer of 1980, so I called Dennis Tufano and I called Nick Fortuna, and I called Marty Grebb. Marty was unable to join us because he had just started playing with Chicago, but Dennis and Nick were up for it, so the three of us got together and pulled a couple other musicians in with us: another keyboard player John Cammelot and we picked a couple different drummers at the time: Tom Radtke and Tom Osfar.

Anyway we rehearsed for a couple weeks and went and played Chicago Fest in 1980 I think it was July, a gigantic turnout. We had about 12 thousand show up on the Pier. It was so exciting and so much fun, that we did a few other dates around the Chicago area. We played the Park West Theatre a few times; we did it on New Year’s Eve, I think, in ‘81 I think it was. But what was happening was you felt this insurgence and excitement of 60’s music again, in the early 80’s. And every year for a few years we were getting offers to play more dates and Jam Productions was booking us for some of the dates and so forth.

Then I talked it over with Nick and Dennis, who was living in LA at the time, and we talked about, well, we could feel this building, “why don’t we just go out and put the band together permanently and go play nationally and record again” and so forth. Nick was up for it and we approached Dennis Tufano and initially he was excited about it. He sounded like he wanted to do it and this was like early ‘83, and so we were in the studio doing some recording and all of a sudden Dennis turned to us and said, “you know what guys, I really don’t want to be a Buckingham any more”. He had his acting career going on in LA; he was doing a lot of things and so we were a little deflated, as you can expect.

MMM: And that’s how Carl Giammarese became the lead singer?

CG: Yeah well, Nick said to me, “Why don’t we do it anyway?”, and my initial reaction was “I don’t want to do that, that’s too weird, I don’t know what that would be like”. But that was the turning point for me and I said, “Well, I’ll give it a shot”. I had been singing a lot on jingles and I had been singing with Tufano and Giammarese on lead half the time, so I had sort of put the lead guitar down back in 1970. So, we did it and we found out immediately that what people wanted to hear was those great songs again and they weren’t that concerned, as long as they had some originality in the band, they accepted it. So it kept building. We tried different band members back and forth and then in ‘85 we were offered the “Happy Together Tour” with the Turtles and the Grass Roots and Gary Lewis and Playboys, and that was the biggest tour that year; we played probably 200 cities over a period of 7 months.

MMM: Did I read that that Tour is going to be renewed this year or last year?

CG: Right, so what happened was last year, we went on to play and tour every year since. We would play 60/75 dates a year and having put a great band together, Nick and I. And it’s been a lot of fun and then last year we were offered the Happy Together Reunion Tour, the 25th Anniversary Tour. We didn’t make it anywhere near as long as the first tour, because we’re a lot older now, but I was still in my 30’s during that first tour. Anyway, all in all we played about 30 dates over the summer and it was with not only us, but with the Turtles, Grass Roots, Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees and Mark Lindsay from the Raiders. And it was very successful; it really was received well and we played a lot of nice venues and big venues. So they’re re-tapping it again this year. We will be out probably in July doing “Happy Together” dates.

MMM: Any stops in the Chicago land area?

CG: Well, to be honest I haven’t seen the schedule yet. I’m sure that there will be a Chicago land date. So along with that we’ll, of course, be playing with our band. Nick and I have a great rendition of The Buckinghams now, with Bruce Soboroff on keyboards and Dave Zane on guitar and Rocky Pennon drums, and Steve Frost with Carlo Isabelli on trumpet, and Rich Moore on sax and Chuck Morgan on trombone. Those guys have been working with us for a long time.

MMM: And for a group that actually started at an appliance store, you’ve also played a couple Inaugural balls, now haven’t you?

CG: Right, we played the last two, we played President Bush’s inaugural ball and more recently President Obama’s.

MMM: Wait a minute; you were hired by both the Republicans and Democrats?

CG: Yeah, we don’t show any preference here.

MMM: Maybe we should be sending you to Washington to get something done?

CG: Yeah, maybe I can create that bipartisan deal that we need so badly, you know…

MMM: Well I know the group has continued to record. In fact, I recently bought a copy of “Reaching Back,” which is, for our readers, a CD that blends both the new and old. It’s got some of the hits on there but it’s interesting that the new stuff sounds very much like very vintage Buckinghams. How are you able to achieve or recreate that sound on entirely new songs?

CG: I appreciate it, thank you. Well, that album was an act of love for me to put together because I produced it. We tried doing some things through the years. Back in ‘85, we created a sound on an album called, “A Matter of Time” that was very 80’s-sounding and that didn’t work out so well. Then we recorded with Nation Records in Chicago, Phil Vaughn’s label, we did an album called “Terra Firma,” which was real cutting edge. I thought a great sounding album - a little too maybe, eclectic, as far as the way the songs connected to one another because it was a bunch of tunes that Bruce Soborroff and I wrote at different periods of time. And it just wasn’t Buckinghams enough I guess, so then fans kept asking me, “Well why don’t you tap into that sound you guys had from the 60’s more?” I started thinking about it and I was like “well, I don’t know if I can go back to that”. And so then what I did was I started listening to and it had been years since I listened to “Time and Charges” and “Portraits” and those albums and, of course, I’ve certainly over a period of 40 yrs, become a much better musician and arranger and producer. I think you learn a lot over all those years, so I listened to all those albums and I’m going, “that’s how Guercio did it; this is what he did here and this is where he put this and this is what the arrangements were” and I locked in and pretty soon I found myself writing songs that were sort of in that bag, in that mode with the Buckingham sound, which was very progressive at the time. The horn arrangements, the string arrangements, it was almost symphonic, and some of it with the augmented and diminished chords and the way the chord changes and the voicing of the chords.

MMM: Well it’s a remarkable achievement to listen to entirely new music and be transported back to that Buckingham sound.

CG: Well, that was my idea, to create an album of new songs with going back through to that sound, but with new songs.

MMM: Well, Carl that CD “Reaching Back” and other CD’s that the group has are available on your website. Can you give us that please?

CG: Sure, www.thebuckinghams.com is our website and all our albums, “Reaching Back” and we’ve got the new “Up Close” CD/DVD and it’s both, of a show we did at the Star Plaza Theater not too long ago. It came out really great and, of course, our Christmas album is available and they are all available. We have a bunch of things and you can purchase them right off the website; everything is up on ITunes now and all the downloads, they’re there for us.

MMM: And there’s a Facebook page for The Buckinghams, I imagine?

CG: Right, we’ve got or Facebook page “Chicagosveryown Buckinghams”, “The Buckinghams”, and there’s a Carl Giammarese, Singer/Songwriter Facebook page also. Hey, you know, we’re cutting edge!

MMM: From appliance store to White House, that’s a pretty amazing ride, hasn’t it been?

CG: It sure has and you talk about that ride from the appliance store to where we are now, I’ve been writing a book with a really great writer, Dawn Lee Wakefield. She and I are co-writing an autobiography. We’ve been working on it for 3 years and hope to have it done before summer this year. And it’s just reconnecting with so many people that we’ve interviewed through my career and it should be a really fun book, really interesting, a lot of insight into the business and things we’ve done - some funny stuff. So I’m excited about getting that out there, too.

MMM: That is exciting. That will be a lot of fun to read. Well, tell us what can folks attending the concert on March 2nd look forward to?

CG: Well, we always do a pretty high energy, exciting show, I think. And it’s not only can you guys expect to hear all our hits and maybe some of the album cuts too, but we like to cover a lot of material that were on the charts with us back in the 60’s. So we may do a medley tribute to the “Solid Gold 60’s Tour” that we did with the Turtles & the Grass Roots and Tommy James and so forth. We will do that and cover some tunes. I love to sing like “The Worst That Could Happen”, a ballad, “Good Lovin’” we’ll do, too. It’s just the whole idea is to take a trip down memory lane for that period of time in the middle to late 60’s.

MMM: Are we going to get to hear some of the new songs as well?

CG: Yeah, we will do some of the songs from “Reaching Back”. We’ll probably do “We Were Living a Dream” off there. I don’t know what else; we haven’t made up the set list. You know, Nick likes to sing “Expressway” and “Domino”, the old Van Morrison tune and, of course, we like to joke around and kid around with the audience, too. We always have a good time. Its pretty high energy, you know. We have a good time. By the time we’re done, everybody should really be taken back to that time period and hopefully some really good memories.

MMM: Well that’s great, I know I’m looking forward to it and last time I checked, there were a few seats still available, so buy your tickets folks and Carl, thanks so much for joining us today, we all look forward to it.

CG: Oh you’re welcome and I’m always happy to do it.

###

http://mysundaynews.com is the web site for the latest news from Sun City, Huntley, IL.

Video Memories of The Buckinghams in San Berardino, California

2011-02-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

Two YouTube videos of The Buckinghams, in concert with the Grass Roots and the Turtles. Find them also on Facebook at their official page, "The Buckinghams".

Carl Giammarese (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Nick Fortuna (Bass/Vocals)
Keyboards/Vocals: Bruce Soboroff
Guitar/Vocals: Dave Zane
Drums/Vocals: Rocky Penn

Carl Giammarese singing "The Worst That Could Happen", released by the Brooklyn Bridge, dedicated to the memory of the late, great Johnny Maestro, and The Buckinghams' hit, "Susan," which went all the way to the #2 spot on the Canadian Billboard Magazine charts back in 1968. Thanks to Lora Evans of Toronto for the video. Filmed at the beautiful California Theatre in San Bernardino, Feb. 19, 2011.

and

Nick Fortuna singing "Expressway to Your Heart", released by the Soul Survivors. Thanks to YouTube user, Vinylfreak4 for the video. Filmed at one of The Buckinghams' favorite venues at the Star Plaza, Jan. 29, 2011, in concert with the Grass Roots and Davy Jones.

Nick Fortuna (Lead Vocals), Carl Giammarese (Bass Guitar/ Vocals),
Keyboards/Vocals: Bruce Soboroff
Guitar/Vocals: Dave Zane
Drums/Vocals: Rocky Penn

Happy Together 2011 Tour Poster

2011-02-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

Here's the new poster for the 2011 Happy Together Tour that begins July 8th in Westbury, NY.

and another Concert poster from www.thebuckinghams.com

San Bernardino Concert -- Fun Memories of the California Theatre

2011-02-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

The Buckinghams performed with The Turtles and The Grass Roots on Saturday, February 19, 2011, at the California Theatre in San Bernardino. Photo memories of the concert by Lora Keyes (used with permission).

Marquee outside the California Theatre.

Carl Giammarese and Mark Dawson of the Grass Roots, backstage at The California.

Artists traditionally autograph the back wall behind the stage.

Showtime.

L to R: Carl Giammarese and Dave Zane.

Shadows spotlight Bruce Soboroff on the keyboards and Rocky Penn on the drums.

Twin Fender Stratocasters, Dave Zane and Carl Giammarese.

Dave Zane and Carl Giammarese.

Carl Giammarese.

Dave Zane.

L to R: Rocky Penn, Bruce Soboroff, Nick Fortuna, Dave Zane, and Carl Giammarese.

Dave Zane and Carl Giammarese.

Bruce Soboroff and Dave Zane.

View from the Front Row: Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane, Rocky Penn, Carl Giammarese, and Nick Fortuna.

Bruce Soboroff and Carl Giammarese.

San Bernardino: Turtles and Buckinghams are Happy Together

2011-02-17T00:47:00.000-08:00

01:02 PM PST on Thursday, February 17, 2011

By LYNN LIEU
Special to The Press-Enterprise

The Turtles, The Grass Roots and The Buckinghams are bringing back the '60s and '70s on Saturday in a greatest hits concert at the California Theatre of the Performing Arts.

"We've all been friends for many years, there's no doubt about it," said Mark Volman of The Turtles. "This is going to be a show that centers itself around the greatest hits of each group. I think audiences like that because there won't be a lot of filler music. When you narrow it down and each group gets to play their best songs, people really enjoy that."

Rodrigo Pena / Special to The Press-Enterprise
Mark Volman, left, a.k.a. "Flo" and Howard Kaylan, right, a.k.a. "Eddie" from The Turtles, perform during the Happy Together Tour at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto on Sunday.

Carl Giammarese, of The Buckinghams, agreed.

"It's always great to do a show with The Turtles and The Grass Roots," he said. "They've had a lot of hits also and it's just a show with one hit after another. They like us have a pretty energetic show."

Both Volman and Giammarese believe the bands are able to survive after so many years because of the fans.

"Most of the fans that will be there have grown up with these acts. There's a relationship between the audience and the songs," Volman said. "That's what makes them keep coming back year after year and that's why these groups can play year after year ... The Turtles are going to be doing close to 75 concerts this year."

"The audience that's there is to hear you and your music, your songs. It's really fun for us and hopefully for the audience," Giammarese said. "The shows now have a lot to do with bringing back a lot of great memories. We always do a meet-and-greet after the show and it's always great to have people come up to you and tell you their memories. So, it's always about bringing that and hopefully good memories."

The Turtles and The Buckinghams continue to create and write new music. Giammarese is also expecting to release his autobiography soon.

The Press-Enterprise
The Buckinghams feature original members Carl Giammarese, lead vocals and guitar, left, and Nick Fortuna, bass.

The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots and the Turtles

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: 562 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino

Tickets: $29-$49 plus fees. 909-885-5152, www.californiatheatre.net
Full story link at:
http://www.inlandsocal.com/iguide/music/content/news/stories/PE_News_Local_D_turtles18.2fdf4f.html

"Chicago Reader" Archives--Blast from the Past

2011-01-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

From the publication, Chicago Reader, Jan. 12, 1989, an article by Adam Langer, entitled, "Glory Days," here are excerpts of Q&As with The Buckinghams-Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna. As we note today, The Buckinghams did indeed reunite, to the enthusiastic encouragement and support from fans across the country for, now 22 years since this article was published. Great music, like fine wine, just gets better with time, and the chance to appreciate it again.

Story begins: "January 12, 1989 News & Commentary » Feature

Glory Days
Members of five Chicago pop bands--the Buckinghams, Shadows of Knight, Cryan' Shames, American Breed, and New Colony Six--look back to the 60s, when they were making it, and look forward to making it again.
By Adam Langer

"Hardly anybody had heard of the Beatles. Steve Lawrence topped the Billboard charts with "Go Away Little Girl" and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were defying puberty while advising us to "Walk Like a Man." John Kennedy was entering the twilight of his presidency and Lawrence of Arabia was scooping up a bunch of Academy Awards.

In the basements of Chicago suburbs, small groups of teenage boys were forming rock 'n' roll bands with names like the Travelers and the Nitelites. They played at parties and high school hops and hoped that one day they might appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.

In time, a surprising number of them did indeed appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. They made hit records and toured the country and appeared on all of the talk and variety shows. They were chased by groupies and swamped with letters from fan-club members. Then, just as quickly, they fell victim to competition and infighting and the inevitable ups and downs of the business. The bands broke up and the members went their separate ways, fighting the horrifying suspicion that perhaps they had peaked before turning 21.

Today several of these bands are back together in one form or another, trying to recapture their past success. Some are doing it just for fun, while others are seriously trying to be stars again. Twenty-five years later, they're still playing clubs in Chicago and they're still singing the same songs."

Nick Fortuna, bass player, the Buckinghams:

"We played in a couple of bands before the Buckinghams. I had two friends from my neighborhood who played guitars, and I played on the basketball team with one of them. We would hang around together and he said, "I have an electric guitar--you should come over and check it out." So I did, and I was like "Oh, wow." I was awed by this. There was this great guitar and this great amplifier. I think it was a Silvertone; it was some kind of Sears product. And I thought, "Oh, this is the greatest thing." And he would just let me mess with it and it was like everything he learned, I would pick up. Eventually I ran into a person who had an acoustic guitar and didn't want it and I got it from them. Later, I got an electric guitar of my own and I'd mess around with some friends, It wasn't like a working band or anything. Once in a while, we would get together and have parties and play a couple of Ventures songs.

Eventually, I ran into Carl [Giammarese's] cousin and he said, "We're putting together a band--do you want to come over and jam?" And that's basically what we did. It started progressing. We played the basement circuit. We played dance-type places and ballrooms where they would throw dances on weekends. It was usually the basement of a restaurant or something like that."

Nick Fortuna, Buckinghams:

"Long hair was in, but it was a different kind of fashion. It was a different type of styling. The image was a little bit more of a continental-type look. The Buckinghams were always a pretty clean-looking band anyway.

The Beatles had a really big influence on us. The players and musicians really got touched by the Beatles. And that whole English scene. That little country really did a lot of damage here and it was a change of life, a change of thinking, a change of attitude, everything. Everyone that used to be wearing the motorcycle boots and the jeans and hanging out on the street corner, and getting into trouble, all of a sudden all of these guys I knew from back then were wearing these bell-bottom pants and growing long hair and walking around with flowers a few years later.

It was like everyone went to this place someplace else and came back different. I don't think it had anything to do with chemicals, even though everybody wants to put it that way. The reason they say people got like that is because they all got high. But it was more than that. I never even got high at the beginning of all that stuff. It was a way of life. Everybody changed their thinking."

Nick Fortuna, Buckinghams:

"One day, everything is basically normal and you're living in this normal everyday situation, and one day you wake up and you walk into a store and you open the door, and it's like walking into a new world. It wasn't a slow process. It wasn't an overnight situation, but it sure seemed like it. It happened very quickly.

We didn't think at all about any of our business. The only thing we thought about was what we were going to wear that day and how hard we were going to party afterwards. Back then, mostly, we were existing. That merry-go-round was never going to end, but it does. Everything comes to an end."

Carl Giammarese, lead guitarist, the Buckinghams:

"It was great meeting Ed Sullivan. You really felt like you'd made it. 'Cause here you were on the show of shows, so to speak, and it was a great opportunity. We were mostly just goofing off then. I was 18 years old, and musically we weren't very developed. The music was kind of secondary. It was an exciting period, though. We had a good time. There was all that excitement and glitter that was happening around us."

Nick Fortuna, Buckinghams:

"Before "Kind of a Drag" came out, we all played basically the same circuit and we were all striving for the top rung on the ladder. After "Kind of a Drag," it was like we weren't in their league anymore. We went to the majors and they were still in the minors. I feel that, then, the competition and the resentment was left back with them. We didn't really look at it that way anymore. When we went on the road and we did interviews, we would talk about a lot of the local groups.

While the bands were making it big, the country was going through a period of change. Even though none of the bands from Chicago was particularly political, they all were affected by the "generation gap" and the civil-rights and antiwar movements. The American Breed, whose bassist, Charlie Colbert, was black, were particularly affected by the times."

Carl Giammarese, Buckinghams:

"We were a bunch of arrogant little kids. We thought we knew it all and we weren't taking crap from anyone. We had that kind of attitude. We started to realize that rock music was a big business and there was big money to be made, and our managers were making it all and we weren't....Finally, at the beginning of 1970, we decided to break up."

...Adam Langer continues:
"To varying extents, these groups have all re-formed in the 1980s.

The Buckinghams are the most successful of the re-formed bands. Giammarese and Fortuna lead this group, which performs over 150 dates a year and has a rather large fan club. Chuck Colbert, Al Ciner, and Gary Loizzo have returned to the American Breed, playing small venues and festivals. Bruce Gordon and Ray Graffia began fronting a new New Colony Six about a year ago; Ronnie Rice, who performs mostly as a solo act, joins them for an occasional performance. Jimy Sohns leads a Shadows of Knight that has remained faithful to the group's garage-band sound. Even though Tom Doody lives in California now, he flies in about 15 times a year to do concerts with Jim Pilster and the new Cryan' Shames. The bands have different goals. The Buckinghams and the American Breed expect to have new albums out within a year. The Cryan' Shames will probably never go into the studio again."

Carl Giammarese, Buckinghams:

"There seems to be this tremendous demand for 60s bands and 60s clubs. There's the baby boomer thing. They grew up listening to our music, all the tunes remind them of stuff they were doing back in the 60s. They broke up with their girlfriend, they were dating this person, the Vietnam war--all kinds of stuff. There are so many of us that want to hear that music again. That's why there's such a demand for it. Fifteen-year-old and 16-year-old kids go nuts for the music. It's like they're hearing it for the first time. They're hearing it on the radio. They're responding. It's new music to them.

We've built up a whole momentum thing in the last couple years. We've built up quite a following in the midwest again. We actually have a great working fan club again. We're starting to get interest from record companies. There's still a lot of music left and a lot of time left. We'll have to see what happens."

Another great blast from the past. The music of The Buckinghams lives on, thanks to Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna and the talented men, Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane and Rocky Penn, who play those great songs with them as they continue to tour the country, and the DJs and radio stations who continue to play their songs, and most of all, the fans, first and second generation, who keep their music alive in their hearts, on their music players (iPod, iPad, Tablet, Walkman, you name it, in their lives.

The full story can be found at http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/glory-days/Content?oid=873250

Best Wishes for 2011 from The Buckinghams

2010-12-31T23:51:00.000-08:00

When we began the year 2010, we had no idea of the wonderful things that would be happening for The Buckinghams. It has been a year filled with joy, with new beginnings, and with days and nights filled with your enthusiasm and appreciation for our work. For several weeks again this summer, the two of us will again join the Happy Together Tour 2011. All year long, you’ll still see The Buckinghams, including Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane, and Rocky Penn, and our horn players, Carlo Isabelli, Chuck Morgan, Rich Moore, and Steve Frost. We thank each of you for being a part of our music mosaic this year, and we extend our gratitude and best wishes to all, for a very special New Year 2011.

Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna

Christmas Wishes from The Buckinghams

2010-12-24T23:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

During this season as we celebrate with our family and friends, we consider you a very special gift in our music career lives. For those who join us in celebrating Christmas, we send our best wishes for a feeling of joy. Amidst the celebrations and festivities, we remember that many of us find holidays poignant, minus one or more special loved ones who made Christmas ‘complete’ simply by their presence, their faith, and their leadership of generations before us. Our thoughts and prayers are with each of you, and we extend special thanks for the blessings of your attendance at concerts, orders of our music, and continued postings on Facebook to let us know you appreciate our music. Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane, and Rocky Penn join us in wishing you a very Merry Christmas and may your hearts be always filled with joy.

Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna

Image courtesy of freedigitalimage.net

Christmas Concert at The Beverly Arts Center, Dec. 18, 2010

2010-12-20T23:58:00.000-08:00

We want to thank everyone who came out and joined us last night at The Beverly Arts Center and made it a sold-out show. We are so grateful to our fans who have been so support of through the years. It was a magical and festive night with Buckinghams music which included songs from "The Joy Of Christmas."

Once again to our fans, thank you for a wonderful evening.

Merry Christmas,

Carl Giammarese & Nick Fortuna

Photos of The Buckinghams' Christmas Concert at the Beverly Arts Center

2010-12-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

On December 18th, a sold-out crowd at Chicago's Beverly Arts Center enjoyed the Buckinghams Christmas concert, featuring rock and roll hits and upbeat versions of holiday favorites, creating an evening of musical memories and continuing the tradition of holiday entertainment The Buckinghams perform each year.
Photographer S. D. Aigo captured these images (photos used with permission).

L to R: Nick Fortuna, Chuck Morgan (trombone), Carlo Isabelli (trumpet), and Rich Moore (sax).

Nick Fortuna sings "Tighten Up," as Carl Giammarese plays the bass.

Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna joke around when Carl's guitar strap got loose.

Bruce Soboroff concentrating on his keyboard.

Bruce Soboroff and Dave Zane mid-song.

Nick Fortuna thanking the crowd after singing,"Time Won't Let Me."

The view from the balcony. Holidays are always fun Buckinghams-style.

A Time to Give Thanks

2010-11-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

As a member of a band that has been in your minds and hearts for 45 years, without question, my first thought is to share thanks, on behalf of Nick and myself, for your continued support and enthusiasm for our music. Whether the time-tested hits played in concerts in your cities and home towns, or whether you travel long distances to hear us, we are thankful for your support.

When you buy a hard ticket to a theatre or concert hall, when you buy a CD or download our music, we hear you. We feel your love when you applaud, cheer, stand in line for hours to shake hands and ask us to autograph our records preserved carefully from your precious collections, and then your willingness to step forward and buy our DVD, CDs, and photos to take part of our professional work product home with you, adding to your collection.

Not for a minute do we take you for granted. The Buckinghams continue to ‘be’ because you continue to ‘be here now’ with us. We are grateful to have three professional musicians, Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane, and Rocky Penn gracing our stage regularly and then when we add any and all of our regular exemplary horn players, Carlo Isabelli, Chuck Morgan, Rich Moore, Steve Frost, and Lou Curalli, we are doubly blessed to recreate the sounds just the way you heard them on the radio.

Thanks are easy to give when you feel blessed and though life is going well. Each of you— on our Facebook pages, MySpace page, Constant Contact list, and mailing list of customers—is a part of our world, for which we give thanks. To all of those entertainment professionals and colleagues we work with at shows, who book our shows, and stage our shows, we are truly indebted. You make our music magic.

On a personal note, you validate our creativity and originality when you buy the CDs that might include songs on them that you haven’t heard yet. You fill my heart with joy when you sing along to songs that I have written, from my heart, for you. You share your joy when we see you out in the audience singing along with us or swaying to the music.

On behalf of The Buckinghams, we all extend our thanks to you at this important holiday mile-marking week. Before the football games, before the turkey dinners shared with family and friends, before the worship services that remind us to give thanks, we take this opportunity to ask you to share your thoughts and memories with us.

—Carl Giammarese

Image courtesy of freeimages.co.uk

Bob Stroud Hosts "The Drive's" (WDRV) Fundraiser at Borders Bookstore, Schaumburg, IL, November, 2010

2010-11-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

Bob Stroud's annual CD release party for Rock and Roll Roots was a fun time for The Buckinghams. Stroud, who DJs with his Rock and Roll Roots show on Chicago's radio station, WDRV, The Drive, invites his fellow musician friends to join him for a good cause, two Sundays in November each year.

Volume 12 of the Roots series was released this year, and the Schaumburg Borders was the scene of great music by native Chicago musicians who joined Stroud for this benefit concert. Proceeds from the limited-edition CD went to support "Life Source," area blood bank.

Borders bookstore, a live event favorite in Schaumburg, Sunday, November 14th, was packed as people crowded in to hear their favorites. Carl Giammarese, Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane, and Rocky Penn were there (Nick was out of town) and entertained with an acoustic set of some favorites. Thanks to S. D. Aigo for photos, used with permission.

Carl Giammarese entertains the audience during a great Sunday afternoon in Schaumburg.

(L to R): Carl Giammarese, Rocky Penn, Dave Zane, and Bruce Soboroff.

Cal Giammarese and Dave Zane.

The crowd has a great time hearing their favorites support such a great cause.

Bruce Soboroff, the keyboarding singer/singer keyboardist.

Rocky Penn, the singing drummer/drumming singer.

Dave Zane and Bruce Soboroff, with Rocky Penn in the background.

Bob Stroud is a great host for an afternoon of music and memories. Proceeds benefit Life Source--to donate or learn more, visit www.wdrv.com.

This event achived on The Buckinhgams' Facebook Events at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162691103770559

Remembering Robert Fitzpatrick

2010-10-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

In memory of and with respect for Robert Fitzpatrick, one of the great men of music, who managed The Buckinghams in the late 1960s, during the time we released 'In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow'. He passed away October 23rd after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.

Bob was formerly partners with Robert Stigwood, in their firm Stigwood-Fitzpatrick, where they managed Cream and the Bee Gees. When The Buckinghams selected him as their manager, his credentials were indeed sterling. Bob had been the attorney for The Beatles in the 1960s, and he also represented rock acts including The Rolling Stones and The Who, plus he also represented Miss Peggy Lee, Taj Mahal, and actor Don Johnson.

In his early years, Bob worked his way through Princeton University and, as a member of the Marine Corps, he attained the rank of Captain and served in Vietnam. His legal education was obtained at UCLA Law School, where he earned an LLB and JD degrees, specializing in entertainment law throughout his career. Bob had most recently been President of the Eclecto Groove record label and he'd had his own firm, The Robert Fitzpatrick Organization for most of his career.

Bob was our manager in the final stages of our career in the late 1960s, and we were proud to have him be a part of our musical heritage. His civic activities included serving as a member of the Board of Directors of RADD, Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk Driving.

We extend our sympathy to his family upon his passing, and are grateful that we had the opportunity to be associated with this talented industry executive.

--Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna

A full tribute to Robert Fitzpatrick was printed in Variety:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118026232.html?categoryid=16&cs=1

From the Archives of Music Preservation, Bob shares a few memories about The Beatles:
http://archivesofmusicpreservation.com/videovault_8RF.htm

Buckinghams' Fan, Paula Monaco, Shares Photos from Schaumburg, IL Festival, September, 2010

2010-09-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Paula Monaco shared these photos first on The Buckinghams' Facebook page. They're reposted here as a mini-concert album of a great evening. WLS-FM DJ Dick Biondi, a great friend of The Buckinghams, was on hand to introduce the entertainers. The evening's entertainment began with The Ides of March, Jim Peterik and the entire band offered a great show. Schaumburg's special event celebrated its 40th anniversary of Septemberfest.

The fest was also a great opportunity to introduce several talented Schaumburg high school students, pageant finalists for college scholarships. As the young ladies were introduced, they announced their intention to study in colleges across the country in demanding, challenging academic majors.

As the sun went down, the Schaumburg Township was in good voice and full force, as a crowd-18,000 strong-as Dick Biondi announced, had assembled.

Time to celebrate Chicagoland and hear The Buckinghams as Mr. Biondi introduced Carl Bonafede, former Manager of The Buckinghams, who congratulated the band on 45 years of great rock music still being played on the radio and in concert, Buckinghams-style. Dick Biondi kidded Carl Bonafede that he must have been wearing the same suit 45 years earlier, and Mr. Bonafede kidded back that he'd bought it on sale for that very evening, at a thrift store. "A bargain is a bargain," Mr. Bonafede joked.

The Buckinghams open with "Don't You Care" to resounding applause from the crowd. Dave Zane and Rocky Penn join the horns in setting the tone for the evening.

Carl Giammarese and the horns at the Schaumburg fest.

Rocky Penn, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna. Two of the horn players, Chuck Morgan and Steve Frost, are seen in the background.

Ronnie Rice (former lead singer of the New Colony Six ("I Will Always Think About You" and "Things I'd Like to Say") and Carl Giammarese joke as Ronnie walks onstage to kid Carl about his 1960s-style jacket.

Carl, wearing his vintage Buckinghams jacket from the 60s, walks out into the crowd, where they are singing along to the chorus of "Susan" with their part, "I love you, yes I do, I do."

Carl keeps the beat going while the horn section is in full force. L to R, Chuck Morgan (Trombone), Steve Frost (Trumpet), Carlo Isabelli (Trumpet) and Rich Moore (saxophone) are the Buckinghams' Horns (Buckinghorns, Horn Dogs) for the show.

Rocky Penn and Carl Giammarese kicking it on another song.

Thanks again to Paula Monaco for taking the pictures, from the very front row behind the orange netting, with a great vantage point of the stage.

The Buckinghams Perform at the Music in the Park Concert Series in Bensenville, August, 2010

2010-08-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

Early in the afternoon of August 4, 2010, the rain had come and gone from Bensenville, and cooled off a hot summer's day. The rain had prepared the air for a tremendous evening concert by The Buckinghams for Bensenville's Music in the Park concert series. A capacity crowd of music-lovers showed up with camp chairs in hand, all set to enjoy an outdoor concert. Photos courtesy of S. D. Aigo Photography (used with permission).

Dave Zane and Carl Giammarese on Fender Stratocasters, singing the songs of the 60s, starting the evening's entertainment.

Bruce Soboroff sings "Make Me Smile," while Dave Zane, Carl Giammarese, and Nick Fortuna play.

A fan had brought a copy of the 1969 Columbia release, "The Buckinghams' Greatest Hits" and Carl and Nick enjoyed holding up the album, asking the crowd if they still looked the same as they did back then.

Dave Zane playing to perfection, while singing "I'll Go Crazy." The crowd loved it.

Group shot on stage, L to R: Dave Zane, Rocky Penn, Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, Carlo Isabelli, and Rich Moore.

Bruce Soboroff, Dave Zane and Carl Giammarese perform "Good Lovin'" in the show.

Bruce Soboroff's soulful voice is always a great accompaniment to his keyboard wizardry.

Rocky Penn combines a great singing voice with superb talent on the drums.

Dave Zane is Guitarman.

Nick enjoys the crowd's reaction to his on-stage comments.

Thanks to S. D. Aigo for these photos of summer fun in Bensenville with The Buckinghams.

Nation Records Includes The Buckinghams' "Terra Firma" in Gifts to U.S. Navy Troops

2010-08-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

Our friend and my co-producer in The Buckinghams' "Terra Firma" CD, Phil Vaughan, recently shared some very special correspondence with us. Phil is the owner of the Nation Records label and head of the nonprofit Secret Agent Foundation, which honored Nick Fortuna as their "Man of the Year" this past Spring.

One of the charitable endeavors of the Secret Agent Foundation is to make musical instruments available to talented youngsters who would not otherwise have the option to study music. Another worthwhile endeavor is Phil's personal gift of CDs from Nation Records, in conjunction with the Foundation, to make music available to our men and women currently serving in the military.

It is heartwarming and humbling to know that Phil sent copies of our CD, "Terra Firma" to the troops aboard these two Navy vessels. We are grateful that Phil also shared copies of correspondence he received in response to his generous gifts. As we did in the 1960s, and as we do today, we pray for world peace and the safety of our men and women who wear the uniforms of our military branches, and we salute each person who gives their service to our country.

We can only hope and pray that those serving on these ships will be able to come home safely to their loved ones and give us the opportunity to perform for them, in person, when they return. Our thanks to Phil, the Secret Agent Foundation, and for all Buckinghams’ fans who continue to enjoy this CD and write and tell us so.

Carl Giammarese

Reflections of a Wonderful Summer with the Happy Together Tour

2010-08-04T00:41:00.000-07:00

We want to thank all our fans for helping make The Happy Together 25th Anniversary Tour a huge success! We are blessed to play alongside so many talented entertainers, including The Turtles' Flo and Eddie, the great ones, Micky Dolenz and Mark Lindsay, The Grass Roots' Rob Grill, Dusty Hanvey and Mark Dawson, and the exceptional guitar of Wayne Avers.

Touring for many weeks with our friends gave us great opportunities to catch up and experience the joy of an exciting tour, reminiscent of the whirlwind schedule we kept in 1967. No matter how many times we sing our songs, we sing them new for you each concert. We thank you for the opportunities to be, again, a part of your lives in song. It was a privilege to meet many of you after the show, and many emotional, poignant moments were shared when you brought vinyl albums and pictures from our 'first' tours in the late 1960s. Its humbling to be a part of your greatest memories, and we appreciate you honoring us, yesterday and today, choosing our music as part of the soundtracks of your lives. It was also rewarding to find many new fans among teenagers and young adults who grew up hearing our music on their parents' stereos, and later CD players.

We were very fortunate to work with one of the most professional, fabulous bands this tour. We salute Godfrey Townsend on Guitar and vocals, John Montagna on Bass and vocals, Manny Focarazzo on Keyboards and vocals, and Steve Murphy on Drums and vocals. They accompanied us with the same pro style they've shown with the Alan Parsons Project and numerous outstanding touring artists. Their backing vocals were an added bonus, and they brought enthusiasm that recreated the fun of the 1960s tours again. You can hear them again as the Yellow Submarine (thanks, JM) is on the road for Hippiefest throughout the country right now.

No tour can be successful without a professional crew...Jason Craig, Earl Driggers, Warren Fambrough and Larry Green were integral to our success, worked quickly and tirelessly to make each show happen and then packed it up and got on the road--their days and nights were endless as they traveled less glamorously between shows, yet they're pros, and kept a bright outlook, even at the most demanding times.

Our producer and tour production manager, Ron Hausfeld, ran a tight ship and kept everything running smoothly. Ron was a gracious director of the Happy Together Tour, and a great gentleman with whom it was a pleasure to work.

Once again, thanks to all of you, our fans, who keep our music alive for coming out to the show and supporting us. Because of you, we are confident there will be another Happy Together tour.

Review of Happy Together Tour, Keswick Theatre, July 20, 2010

2010-07-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

Shared this on Facebook, and wanted to post it here as well. Thought our friends would enjoy one of the many great reviews from the Happy Together Tour.
Carl

Review from Examiner.com, from Keswick Theatre, show:

Twenty-five years ago, the “Happy Together” tour brought together some of the signature artists from the 1960s pop/rock sound to help celebrate the music’s influence and longevity. Now the tour is back for its 25th anniversary, and it brought a lot of fun and excitement to the Keswick Theatre last night, July 20th. Everyone in the room, on stage or in the audience, young and old, felt the 60s experience wash over them when the show began.

As I entered the sold out show, I saw a lot of fans wearing various band T-shirts and discussing the music they grew up with. There was barely any room to move (which is a testament to the Keswick’s ability to book very popular shows). I actually expected to see more children. On the stage hung two peace symbols (orange and yellow), and that was really it for the decoration (but it was enough). At 8:00 pm exactly, the lights dimmed and the announcer began welcoming us to the show with some humorous, tongue-in-cheek banter involving key 1960s phrases. It was purposefully clichéd and successful. The crowd cheered at the first act took the stage.

The Buckinghams’ Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna opened the show with a great energy and some funny exchanges. They were clearly happy to playing their hits again. And speaking of hits, they performed favorites “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “Susan,” (which turned into a sing-a-long), “Don’t You Care,” and my favorite, “Kind of a Drag.” They also covered the Soul Survivors’ “Expressway to Your Heart.” It’s surprising how well these guys can still sing, and the back-up band (who stayed for the entire show) played the tracks confidently. After they finished the set, the lights dimmed again and we were introduced to Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders (one of my dad’s favorite bands of all time).

Mark ran out on stage with sunglasses and a rock start attitude. He jogged across the stage as he sang famous tracks like “Stepping Out,” “Kicks,” “Just Like Me,” and “Good Thing.” He even did a medley with “Louie, Louie” that included snippets of “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Everyday People,” and “My Generation.” It was cool to have him pay homage to other artists who shared the spotlight in the 60s. He was having a lot of fun performing, and when he was done, The Grass Roots took over.

Highlights of their performance included “Midnight Confession” and “Let’s Live for Today” (their first top-ten hit), but they also played “Temptation Eyes,” “Heaven Knows” and “I’d Wait A Million Years.” Honestly, their music was a bit too commercial and bubble gum for me, but the audience loved it. People sitting next to me were singing with every word. After their performance, there was a brief intermission.

Monkee drummer Micky Dolenz ran out on stage next. His set didn’t focus as much on the songs he sang as it should’ve, but he still performed “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “I’m a Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville,” and his voice was pretty much the same as it was on those late 60s classics. He also sang “Daydream Believer,” “That Was Then, This Is Now,” “A Little Bit of Me, A Little Bit of You” and “Stepping Stone” (Mark Lindsay came out and sang with him). Dolenz recounted a story of what it was like for Jimi Hendrix to open for him and how he was in the studio when the Beatles’ recorded “Oh, Darling” (which may have been a falsification, but it was a good story anyway).

Finally, The Turtles’ Flo & Eddie (Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) closed the show. As they always do, they poked fun at pop culture and the trends, stating that they’re the newest American Idols. Volman made a poignant comment about how popular taste has changed over forty years by comparing Jim Morrison to Justin Bieber. And of course, classics like “You Baby,” “It Aint Me Babe,” “Eleanor,” and “She’d Rather Be With Me” were played. Kaylan’s voice isn’t what it used to be, but you have to give the guys credit for still touring. My favorite moment of the night was when they paid homage to Frank Zappa with a brief version of “Peaches En Regalia.” They received a standing ovation when they ended the night, as expected, with their biggest hit, “Happy Together.” It’s still a great song after all these years and it was another great night at the Keswick Theatre.
###

2010-07-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Village of Hoffman Estates was a beautiful venue for The Buckinghams to celebrate Independence Day at their concert July 3, 2010. This concert was the first show where Founding Members Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna, plus longtime keyboardist/vocalist, Bruce Soboroff welcoming guitarist/vocalist Dave Zane and drummer/vocalist Rocky Penn to the Buckinghams lineup. An enthusiastic audience gathered early and filled the lawn from front to back by sundown. Some regular festival and concert attendees came prepared. They brought small crates as tables, added linen tablecloths and candlelight as the sun set across Hoffman

These videos were recorded by Buckinghams' fan Art in Illinois, and we appreciate his sharing these memories of a great evening.

Congratulating Dick Biondi for Chicago Naming Dick Biondi Way in His Honor

2010-06-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

On behalf of The Buckinghams, we would like to congratulate Dick Biondi. June 29 is the date for the dedication of "Dick Biondi Way." We can't think of anyone who deserves the honor of having a street named after him more than Dick. You have helped so many in the music business, including The Buckinghams. We will all be there to honor you.

We love you Dick--always your friends, Carl and Nick

Radio station/studio image courtesy of Robert Feder's blog:
http://www.wbez.org/blog/robert-feder/after-50-years-dick-biondi-gets-his-own-way-chicago

Happy Together Tour 25th Anniversary Part 1

2010-06-10T00:35:00.000-07:00

The First leg of The Happy Together Tour 25th anniversary just ended, and I must say it went by quickly. Nick and I are very proud to be a part of it, once again being reunited with The Turtles Mark and Howard, man those guys are funny! and Rob Grill of The Grass Roots. As you know the one and only Micky Dolenz and the talented Mark Lindsay also joined us on the tour. They are both good people and very talented entertainers, it was a pleasure to get to know them better. Every one of them brings something special to the show.

I had the opportunity to sit back and watch the performance one night, and they are all so incredibly talented and entertaining. I want to mention our fantastic band, Godfrey Townsend, Steve Murphy, Manny Focarazzo and John Montagna, we are fortunate to have such gifted musicians playing with us, they add tremendous authenticity to the entire show. Kudos to our tour/production manager, Ron Hausfeld, who runs a tight ship and keeps the entire tour running smoothly. Thank you to the great crew we have, especially Jason and Earl; couldn't do it without them. And last but not least, thank you to our dedicated fans who continue to come out and support us. There would be no tour without you.

Nick and I can't wait until part 2 starts July 20, you will be hearing a lot about it as the dates play.
Carl Giammarese

Pictures from Havana, IL: Buckinghams' Concert

2010-05-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Hippie Radio 101.1, and Doc Watson, here are several great photos of The Buckinghams' concert in Havana, Illinois last month, at the Havana High School Auditorium.

The link to the photos on the radio web site is:
http://www.myhippie.com/pages/7012729.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1844263#imgXR

Hippie Radio 101.1 is radio for the Baby Boomer generation! The music you hear on this station spans from the mid-60's through the late 70's! It's the hits you remember and tunes you won't hear anywhere else.

Preview of The Buckinghams' New DVD, "Up Close"

2010-05-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

Preview of long-awaited release of "Up Close". DVD/CD box set now available from The Buckinghams. Preview the DVD here:

The DVD/CD Box Set can be ordered at www.thebuckinghams.com

Happy Birthday to Nick Fortuna, May 1

2010-05-01T06:51:00.001-07:00

The Buckinghams' bass player/vocalist, Nick Fortuna, celebrates his birthday today.

Check out McCracken's video and hear Nick sing "Only the Beginning" as part of The Buckinghams/Chicago Medley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJsqiBLxO1E&feature=related

Bucks Set to Play 2 Concerts in Hershey Park, Pennsylvania, Saturday, May 1st

2010-04-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

From York Newspapers' Blog, The Flip Side:

The Buckinghams, Jordin Sparks open Hersheypark
By
Erin McCracken
posted on April 27, 2010 9:57 AM

Hersheypark opens its gates for its 103rd season this weekend. Join the celebration from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Ride coasters and check out "TAP: The Show" in the Park's Music Box Theatre.

Travel back to the '60s with American rock band The Buckinghams. They perform at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Hersheypark Amphitheatre. "American Idol" season six winner Jordin Sparks performs at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday...Seating for ampitheatre shows is first-come, first-serve. Admission is included with Hersheypark tickets. Click here for ticket details.

McCracken's Story at: http://www.yorkblog.com/flipside/2010/04/the-buckinghams-jordin-sparks.html

"One sure sign of summer’s arrival is the opening of Hersheypark. You’ll hear the roar of the roller coasters — and screams that accompany them — during the grand opening Saturday and Sunday.

The park will be open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. Hours of operation will vary through May 19, when the park will be open daily. All of the park’s rides will be in operation this weekend with the exception of The Boardwalk at Hersheypark. It’s too chilly for water rides. So plan on bringing those swimsuits starting May 29.

Hersheypark has 11 roller coasters, more than 20 kiddie rides, live daily entertainment, games, foods and shops. Admission includes entrance to ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park. The 11-acre walk-through zoo with 200 animals is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

This weekend, the entertainment in the park’s amphitheater includes American rock group The Buckinghams 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday and season six “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $52.95 for adults, $31.95 for ages 3-8 and seniors, $20.95 for seniors age 70 and free to children 2 and under."

Park admission includes free concert.
Original story by Sue Gleiter link at:
http://blog.pennlive.com/go/2010/04/hersheypark_kicks_off_summer_s.html

Today's Lancaster Online Entertainment Column featured a story by Jon Ferguson on the concert this weekend in Hershey Park, PA in the Intelligencer newspaper:

he Buckinghams, a Chicago band that hit it big in 1967 with the single "Kind of a Drag," led the way for horn-driven rock bands like, fittingly, Chicago, and Blood Sweat & Tears.

That's not surprising since the Buckinghams -- which will perform Saturday at the Hersheypark Amphitheater in the amusement park -- had producer James William Guercio in its corner.

"He (Guercio) was a great producer and a great musician," says Carl Giammarese of the Buckinghams, "and we had a lot to do with introducing him to some friends of ours who in 1968 had a band called the Big Thing. He signed them and they became Chicago."

Guercio went on to produce Chicago, helping that band on its way to a long, hit-laden career.

"If you listen to our last album with (Guercio)," says Giammarese, "Chicago's first album is a continuation. It's not so much the same type of songs but the same type of arrangement.

Ferguson's story continues at http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/252478

Sue Gleiter's story in The Patriot-News (pennlive.com) notes:
"Hersheypark Kicks off Summer Season with Grand Opening Weekend"

Concert details from:

The Buckinghams live
Thursday, April 29, 2010 11:58 AM By CPBJ Staff
CPBJ Staff Close

Saturday: Hersheypark Ampitheatre, Derry Township

The Buckinghams arrived on the music scene in 1966, gaining wide popularity with the hit single “Kind of Drag.”

Some of the band’s other hits include “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” “Don’t You Care” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.”

The Chicago-born group broke up in 1970. It reformed in 1980 and has been touring ever since.

For more information, call 717-534-3900 or visit hersheypark.com.

York Weekend Online Reports:

Hersheypark, Dutch Wonderland open
2010 April 28
by York Weekend

Are you ready for roller coasters, whirling gut-busters, boardwalk games and as much bad-for-you food as you can fit on a stick? Two regional amusement parks start their summer fun Saturday, May 1.

Hersheypark

Hersheypark opens its 103rd season with special performances by The Buckinghams and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks.

The park, at 100 W. Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 1, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 2.

The Buckinghams will perform at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and Sparks will perform at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Both of the shows will be in the Hersheypark Amphitheatre, where admission is free with regular park admission and seating is first come, first served.

One-day tickets at Hersheypark are $52.95 for ages 9-54, $31.95 for ages 55-69 and 3-8, $20.95 for ages 70 and up, and free for children 2 and under. A variety of other packages are available.
Original story at: http://ydblogz.com/yorkweekend/2010/04/28/hersheypark-dutch-wonderland-open/

The Buckinghams Set to Play Havana, Illinois, Spring Fling This Weekend

2010-04-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

From a story in the Pekin Daily Times by Tara Mattimoe, The Buckinghams are to be the featured attraction for the Spring Fling Saturday, April 24th in Havana, IL. The event is presented by the Havana Chamber of Commerce, with primary sponsor Havana National Bank, and includes an antique and custom car show.

Mattimoe's story notes:

"The event’s main attraction lies in the featured band, The Buckinghams, said Chamber of Commerce board member, and Havana’s Economic Development Coordinator, Terry Svob.
“The chamber has never put on an event with someone of this stature,” Svob said of the band. Getting The Buckinghams into Havana is quite a coup for the community, he said, and the group will hopefully bring in a sizable crowd — particularly from the baby boomers both in and out of town."

...

"Hippie Radio out of Peoria and Cool Radio out of Springfield will both conduct live feeds during the afternoon, Svob said. There will be food and snack booths available during the car show and concert, and The Buckinghams will have a souvenir booth as well."

Full story at: http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x863091317/Havana-chamber-of-commerce-ushers-in-spring-with-concert-and-car-show

The concert begins at 6 pm. Concert tickets are now on sale at the Havana City Hall, the Mason County Democrat, County Market, Bleem’s Chiropractic, Heaven Scent, all Capitol Music locations, some Casey’s General Stores, online at www.etix.com, or by calling 309-543-3528.

The Buckinghams Featured at Punta Gorda Block Party

2010-04-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

The Buckinghams will perform as the headline entertainment for the 24th annual Punta Gorda Block Party, Saturday, April 17th, in Punta Gorda, Florida. The annual Block Party Days event attracts close to 40,000 people each year, and The Buckinghams take the Retta Esplanade Stage at 6:30 pm.

Today's Sarasota, Florida, Herald Tribune features a story by Chris Gerbasi on the event here:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100417/ARTICLE/4171043/2055/NEWS?Title=Punta-Gorda-Block-Party-today

noting:

"The Block Party, which typically draws about 40,000 people, includes food booths from local restaurants, arts and crafts, and a children's area. The party is the latest in a string of events, including a wine and jazz festival, a college baseball tournament, the annual air show and other music shows, that have brought thousands of people into the area this year."

Next weekend, The Buckinghams are in concert in Havana, Illinois.

The Buckinghams' First Album Named "One of the 40 Best Music Albums by Chicago Artists"

2010-04-13T22:17:00.001-07:00

In the April edition of Chicago Magazine (www.chicagomag.com) readers will note in Jeff Ruby's article that The Buckinghams' "Kind of a Drag" comes in at #39 of the top 40 of 'any' Chicago records. We're not talking about 'of the 1960s' but instead, of any time period. As the first page of the article shows, The Buckinghams' album debut on Chicago's USA Records label was selected to be included among contemporaries including Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, The Staple Singers, The DJ Fast Eddie, Screeching Weasel, the inimitable Howlin' Wolf, The Chi-Lites, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

The digital version of Ruby's article can be reviewed online Chicago Magazine and explores the questions "What counts as a Chicago record"? and "What does 'greatest' mean"? This distinction was first noted by Johnnie Putman of the WGN Radio "Steve and Johnnie Show", whose keen eye saw it first. The story is in time for the magazine's 40th anniversary, appropriate to rank the 40 best albums 'ever' by Chicago artists.

Robert Feder Reports "Who Was There" at Bob Sirott's Interview with Dick Biondi and Herb Kent

2010-04-12T06:51:00.001-07:00

Veteran Chicago journalist Robert Feder had a nice item this morning in his Vocalo blog about how the crowd gathered to hear the Bob Sirott's interview with radio DJ legends Dick Biondi and Herb Kent filled the auditorium and then "overflowed into three satellite rooms" this weekend.

Excerpt follows:

# Hundreds of fans packed the Columbia College auditorium and overflowed into three satellite rooms Saturday when Bob Sirott interviewed Chicago radio’s greatest living legends, Dick Biondi and Herb Kent, onstage together for the first time. What made a great night even more unforgettable was the presence of many local music legends in the audience to pay tribute to Biondi and Kent. They included Gene “Duke of Earl” Chandler, Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites, Ronnie Rice of the New Colony Six, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna of the Buckinghams, Jim Peterik of The Ides Of March and Survivor, Fred Glickstein of the Flock, and Al Lathan of Four Days and a Night. Among radio luminaries in the crowd were Greg Brown, Connie Szerszen, Stan Lawrence, Marv Dyson, Michael Damsky, Michael LaCrosse and Sirott’s wife, Marianne Murciano. Even Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers was there.

Quoted from http://blogs.vocalo.org/feder/2010/04/tweet-all-about-it-suppelsa%E2%80%99s-crowning-achievement/20194

The Buckinghams' Friends Together for Interview Tonight; Bob Sirott Hosts Dick Biondi and Herb Kent Interview, April 10th, at Columbia College Chicago

2010-04-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL EVENT SET FOR TONIGHT

As Dave Hoekstra reported in today's Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, well-known journalist Bob Sirott will host a special evening, conversation-style tonight at Columbia College Chicago.

Hoekstra notes "Herb Kent the Kool Gent" and Dick (the Wild I-Tralian) Biondi are members of The Chicago Radio Hall of Fame.

The event is free and open to the public. The interview will be taking place at 7:30 pm in Columbia's Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th floor.

For the full story check out http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/hoekstra/2150208,CST-FTR-radio10.article

Bob Sirott promises an evening that will be the most interesting history lesson ever taught about five decades of Chicago radio and two of its most beloved DJs.

From Christmas 2009,the UCan Food Drive hosted by Dick Biondi. Here, Carl enjoys annual holiday appearances with Dick for True Oldies 94.7's community endeavors.

[Image credits: Dick Biondi's photo by Fred Winston, originally posted on Robert Feder's blog 9.1.09 and Herb Kent's from the HistoryMakers Video Oral History Interview with Herb Kent (www.thehistorymakers.com); Photo of Dick Biondi and Carl Giammarese from YouTube video filmed by Ed McCracken. Photo of Bob Sirott from cpsalumni.org alumni journalists and media personalities site.]

In Memory of John Poulos, March 31, 1947 - March 26, 1980

2010-03-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Five days before his 33rd birthday, we lost John Poulos, a dear friend who was like a brother to us, as well as The Buckinghams’ drummer. Often described as the heartbeat of our band, he was known to most Buckinghams’ fans of the 60s simply as Jon-Jon.

To know John was to love him. With his outgoing personality, he never met a stranger. His talent is remembered best in the style he displayed on drum fills and riffs on our hits, including “Don’t You Care,” “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song,” and “Kind of a Drag.”

It’s not surprising that Jon-Jon was included as one of the Top 10 drummers in Modern Drummer Magazine. Contemporary MySpace profiles of aspiring amateur and professional musicians today include the name John Poulos among their musical influences. That’s an honor both fitting and accurate for a musician who was truly one of a kind.

Nick and I recall that one of John’s own musical influences was Bobby Elliot, drummer for The Hollies, whose signature beret and tossing of his head in time to the beat marked an external rhythm, which kept time to the beat he was sharing on the skins. Next, Ringo Starr had a similar distinctive trait that set him apart from the other 3 Beatles. It was a look, a style, an attitude that said, “I’m not exactly like the other ones. I’m following...my own different drummer.”

As founding members of The Buckinghams, we had the chance to spend years together on the road, in recording studios, and in our family’s homes. John grew up the youngest child in a family of proud Greek heritage. His olive complexion and bright eyes set him apart on stage. He was insistent in wanting The Buckinghams to have “a look” just as importantly as “the sound” as dual components of who we were as a band.

When John was around, we truly were a band of brothers, though none of us were related. His wild sense of humor made the long days on the road bearable and his indefatigable spirit reminded us that optimism is a more powerful attitude than cynicism.

When The Buckinghams broke up and Nick departed for a career in R&B and Marty wanted to go a different direction, Dennis Tufano and I decided to form a duo, Dennis and Carl. We put together a demo CD, with the help of Peter Shelton and his wife, and John determined to manage us and find us a recording deal. Reaching for the stars, he reached a zenith: John brought us to Ode Records, where we signed with Lou Adler, became “Tufano and Giammarese” and spent 7 years of our career together.

As we toured the country, John searched for a new identity and became a band manager, and saw he preferred the business side of the music industry, making friends, doing deals, and putting people together. One of his bands, “The Boyzz from Illinoizz” is still in concert, reunited by Michael Tafoya and friends. Coincidentally, before joining The Buckinghams, drummer Tom Scheckel had played for The Boyzz, though not when drummer John managed and promoted them. Everything comes full circle, given time.

John was a casualty of the rock music scene of the late 1970s. His strength was tested in his battle with drugs and alcohol, and the greatest tragedy in my life personally was to receive a call that he was simply ‘gone.’ Staring into blank space, searching for answers as to how, why, and what if, I experienced a turning point in my life.

From that day forward I determined to make every decision count, to preserve and maintain friendships and business relationships that were positive and building. Determined—not to waste a minute in remorse, but instead to remember John, with love, and with kindness, in honor and tribute to a young life, most of which was lived well, with devotion to his friends and family, whose spirit stays with Nick and me, every time we take the stage.

John’s greatest dream, unfulfilled from 1970 when we broke up, until August, 1980 when Dennis, Nick and I reunited for ChicagoFest, was to get the band back together, at least one more time. John died only five months before his dream for us came true. For the past 30 years, Nick and I have had the joy of performing for our fans, the way John could not. We feel like he’s with us at the best times of our career, and in the days and nights when we face challenges, our faith is such that we feel he is by our side, over our shoulder, like a big brother would be, and we feel his love.

This day marks 30 years we’ve been without him. In the autumn of our lives, as we reach back to remember him, we know that one day we will all be together again, and it’s not hard to imagine him counting us off, yet one more time, as we break into song. Godspeed Jon-Jon, you remain forever in our hearts.

Carl Giammarese

[Excerpted from “My Journey with The Buckinghams”, the forthcoming book by Carl Giammarese and Dawn Lee Wakefield]

Forgotten Hits Founder Re-Discovers Buckinghams' Video from the CD "Terra Firma" on YouTube

2010-03-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kent Kotal for his Forgotten Hits Sunday Comments today, noting the video of "I Knew You When", an audience favorite featuring Carl Giammarese.

********
re: THE BUCKINGHAMS:
I recently found this hot new video of Carl Giammarese and The Buckinghams performing the Joe South / Billy Joe Royal tune "I Knew You When" ... pretty nice version of a FAR too under-played oldie. The band sound great ... and it's neat to see a brand new "concept video" interpretation of this tune!
YouTube - The Buckinghams I KNEW YOU WHEN
******

Video credits go to L. A. Franicich, of Transient Organs Productions, for creating and posting this video. It's Vintage Buckinghams from 1998, and their "Terra Firma" CD release on Nation Records. Of note for collectors, there's two releases of "Terra Firma". Only the 2003 special edition CD (see cover below) of "Terra Firma" includes this particular video.

1967 Remember When Publication Inspires Memories, Notes the Music of The Buckinghams

2010-03-09T13:01:00.001-08:00

While traveling recently, we paused to stop in at one of the famous Cracker Barrel Restaurants found on major highways and couldn't wait to shop for the unique greeting cards. An interesting find was the "Remember When" series of cards, published by Seek Publishing, and there's a card for each year you were born.

With a card for every year over a 60-year period, you can find a car for the year you were born, or one for your parents, and grandparents. The "kardlets" contain info pertaining specifically to that particular single year.

Zoom in and see that among the favorite hit songs of the year 1967, "Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinghams is right there in favorite memories.

Special highlights of the card series include:
• News
• Hollywood highlights
• Price index of cars, houses, milk, gas, and more
• Year specific magazine advertisements

If you see this where you like to buy greeting cards, be sure and check out the one from 1967. For more info, check out seekpublishing.com
And the next time you think of "Songs that went to #1 on the Billboard charts in 1967", Remember When...The Buckinghams had a multimillion selling hit that year.

The Buckinghams and Freddy Cannon--Memories of Minnesota, 1986

2010-02-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

Minnesota is a favorite state for Buckinghams' concerts, and a particularly great concert was the Faribault County Fair, held July 26, 1986. Featuring The Buckinghams and Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon, the concert was considered 'retro' as "Back to the 50s and 60s". Today 'retro' is 'classic'. Sponsored by radio station KBEW-AM, whatever the event was part of the festival/fair heydey of the mid-80s. No matter how high the hair piled atop their heads, Carl, Nick, Bob, Bruce, and Tom, are ever much the same today as back in 1986.

43 Years Later, a #1 Hit Still Going Strong, Thanks to The Buckinghams' Fans, Keeping Great Music Alive

2010-02-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

According to the Billboard Magazine music charts, today marks the 43rd anniversary of the day when "Kind of a Drag" reached the number one spot. The Top Five Songs for the Week of Feb. 18, 1967 include:

1 Kind of a Drag, The Buckinghams
2 I'm a Believer, The Monkees
3 Ruby Tuesday, The Rolling Stones
4 Georgy Girl, The Seekers
5 (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet, The Blues Magoos

Released originally on the USA Records label, the song was coproduced by Carl Bonafede and Dan Belloc, recorded at Chess Studios at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. The office and studio was designated as a Chicago Landmark in May, 1990 and is home to timeless rock, blues, and jazz classics that, like the music of The Buckinghams, remain a commodity, even 43 years after their original release date.

Columbia Records bought the masters for The Buckinghams' music after the band signed as Columbia recording artists, so you'll find Kind of a Drag as hits on both labels.

Most recently, Carl Giammarese produced a new DVD/CD "Up Close", recorded live at The Star Plaza Theatre. The video features founding members Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna as well as Bob Abrams, Tom Scheckel, and Bruce Soboroff in concert performing all of the favorite Buckinghams' songs as well as other favorite 60s hits. Also on the video are the Buckinghams' horns, Chuck Morgan (trombone), Carlo Isabelli (trumpet) and Rich Moore (sax), bringing back that same Chess Studios sound created by a talented team of: (1) musician, writer, and band leader Dan Belloc, who owned the Holiday Ballroom, (2) arranger Frank Tesinky and (3) founding manager, Carl Bonafede, created as a 'signature sound' for The Buckinghams, as identifiable as the band's hits, written by Jim Holvay and Gary Beisbier. The founding Buckinghams members (Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, John Poulos, Dennis Tufano, and Dennis Miccolis, later replaced by Marty Grebb) created a great sound whose music performed continuously since 1986 by Giammarese, Fortuna, Scheckel, Abrams and Soboroff) continues to interest fans of a new generation, proving that time only makes great musical memories even greater.

The Buckinghams' new DVD, "Up Close" is available for order at
http://www.thebuckinghams.com/merchandise.html

43 Years Later, the hits come alive, bigger and better than ever.

History Repeats Itself--The Villagers Perform Hits By The Buckinghams on TV Show "The Village Square" from WAGA-TV, Atlanta (1965-1968)

2010-02-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

One popular nationally syndicated show, "The Village Square" was broadcast each week between 1965-1968. The program was 30 mins of variety entertainment featuring the house band, The Villagers, Jeannie Le Bois, and the Village Dancers. The current hits on the charts were performed by The Villagers, and it's like deja vu all over again for The Buckinghams, who for 13 weeks were on the show All-Time Hits, doing this exact routine, performing the popular hits of the day.

Kind of a Drag, performed by The Villagers

It wasn't long before The Buckinghams were the hitmakers being emulated by groups of talented musicians across the country. And, All-Time Hits, on Chicago's own WGN-TV was the first local Chicago program broadcast in color. The Village Dancers are also an important part of the formula The Buckinghams had accompanying them on their TV performances.

An even more subtle feature is the silver drum kit in the background looks very much like the kit Jon-Jon used on All-Time Hits. Nothing succeeds like success, and it was a great delight to hear these renditions of 'Buckinghams' hits of the day'. The lead singer appears at home with the hits of the day, as though he'd recorded them himself.

Thanks to YouTube user WNWEST, here we can watch two Buckinghams hits, as performed by talented young men known to TV audiences as The Villagers.

This clip is their performance of "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song." Listen at the very beginning of the clip for the true-to-form record performance including the laughing and quickly spoken words, just like you'll hear on The Bucks' record. The Village Dancers keep up quite nicely.

New Buckinghams' Concert Videos Posted on YouTube from Highland Park, IL, August, 2009

2010-02-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

Festivals and fan cams are a great way to give those couldn't attend a chance to be there for part of the fun. These videos are new from YouTube user, Hal109. Taken with his Canon digital camera at the Highland Park, IL festival in August, 2009.

In the first video, Carl Giammarese sings "Happy Together" by The Turtles from a great part of the concert. Carl, Nick, and Tom Scheckel were part of the Happy Together Tour in 1985, one of the Top 10 Grossing Tours of 1985-1986.

and here's Bob Abrams on lead vocals in an excerpt of Tommy James' "Crystal Blue Persuasion" in The Buckinghams' Solid Gold 60s Medley, a crowd favorite.

In a tribute to Chicago, Carl Giammarese sings "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It is?" In this compilation of still picturea and video, catch the festival fever and enjoy the show. Look for Steve Frost on trumpet solo in this standout performance.

Part Deux--Stories and Pictures from Musicman Buck Munger and Sunn Amps

2010-02-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

Inquiring minds want to know: when did Pete Townshend decide to destroy perfectly incredible guitars? Who, who came up with this attention-getting ploy? Was it in a band 'group meeting' or did he just strike out on his own one day, and Keith Moon followed suit by kicking his drums, and Roger, not to be left out, mauled the microphone...

People who watch any version of the CSI shows, whether CSI New York, CSI Miami, CSI Las Vegas, etc., are treated to a carefully controlled wildboy version of Pete Townshend's remakes of songs at the opening and closing of the episodes. Because audiences hear them each week, it's easy to expect that a second and third generation of young rockers think the tunes, made famous by The Who, are now enjoying new life as considerably more 'contemporary' music. Little do they suspect that some 45 years ago, the lads were new in town, new in the USA and new to the simple courtesies of not destroying the equipment for the next guys on stage. Buck Munger, storyteller and guitar anthologist continues on in last month's posting re The Who, The Buckinghamsm, Sunn Amplifiers, and the Eve of Destruction...but not the kind in the song.

From Buck's blog:
"I watched Pete get especially active with the solid body Gibson SG, chipping chunks out of the beautiful floor. Moon’s cymbals were digging nice scratches too. The school officials were going ballistic waving their arms trying to stop the performance but attracting no attention. Pete whirled and kicked over the PA-head, …which bounced off the floor and immediately started to hum loudly. The teachers may have been freaking out but the kids loved it. After a few more minutes of mayhem Pete threw his mangled guitar down and stomped off. The other band members followed. The Buckinghams’ roadies swarmed the PA, swearing. Bobby Pridden sprang into action rallying his volunteers to pack the stage and load the truck. The school officials were looking for an official representative of the band to complain to, and I seemed to be the only one not involved in the load-out. They asked me to follow them to a school office where they closed the door and informed me there had been extensive damage and the fire marshal had been called about the smoke machine. I assured them the band was fully insured and any damage would be covered. I then let them chew on me long enough for Bobby and the kids to get the truck loaded, handed them my Sunn card and excused myself. As I walked through the gym I could still hear the PA humming loudly. Back at the motel I was greeted like a hero when Bobby told the story."

Check out the link for the full story:
http://www.guitararcheology.com/2010/01/the-who-and-sunn-amps-part-4-by-buck-munger/

Peter Shelton, former Buckinghams' road manager and bass player for several bands, including The Outsiders and The Robin Hoods, is calmly testing out Sunn Amps at the showroom...little did he know what awaited his group's musical fate a bit later in the week. Shelton dealt with every kind of situation as road manager, but this one was, by far, one of the most challenging.

From The Buckinghams' online vintage archives, here are some calmer pictures of the concert, post-technical repair in Kansas City. The roadies really earned their salaries that night. Courtesy of www.thebuckinghams.com

Buck Munger's Sunn Amplifiers and Memories from Kansas City, 1968

2010-02-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

The Who's Pete Townshend with Sunn Amplifier's Buck Munger

Unparalleled raconteur Buck Munger recently provided powerful words and great memories in photos from his blog on www.guitararcheology.com and the only way to do his words justice is to direct you specifically to his site. He spins a fascinating tale as a roving representative of Sunn Amplifiers, which was carving out quite a reputation as a musician-owned business in the midst of fierce competition to blast the sounds from a burgeoning revolution in amplifiers.

In a recent radio interview, Carl Giammarese told a story about how The Who was once an opening act for The Buckinghams. The Bucks were ill prepared for the onstage antics of their then warm-up act. An excerpt from Buck's blog "The WHO and Sunn Amps Part 3", by Buck Munger:

"In Kansas City, the Who were opening for the Buckinghams (“Kind of a Drag”) who were on their fifth hit single on Columbia from producer Jim Guercio. The sound check was short and friendly and the Buckinghams agreed to let the Who use their PA to keep the set change to a minimum. The mostly teenaged audience filed into the hall looking white, upper middle class and bored. When the Who walked out on the stage in their Carnaby clothes the first few rows of standing students pressed forward to get a better look. The venue for the Who/Buckingham confrontation was a new high school gym. The bands performed on a stage made from beautiful inlaid wood. The Who launched into their set and got a good reaction to “Boris The Spider”, which I had learned that afternoon, Entwistle wrote. The rest of their set was received politely, but attentively. For the finale, Pete announced a song that would be released in the US within weeks “I Can See For Miles”. A few chords in, the audience came alive, and I found my new favorite Who song. As the finale built Bobby switched on the tiny smoke machine and the shit hit the fan. Pete started swinging his guitar like a pickaxe, Moonie kicking over his drums, Roger swinging the microphone in large arcs and bouncing it off the floor. I noticed several school officials spring into action. Nobody had warned them about this madness."

Read the full post at:

http://www.guitararcheology.com/2010/01/the-who-and-sunn-amps-part-3-by-buck-munger/

To be continued...

The Buckinghams Inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame

2010-01-28T20:26:00.001-08:00

Kent Kotal scooped the media today in announcing the latest news from John Rook, legendary national record program director and cofounder of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. The Buckinghams are among "the sixty-four recording stars who have been inducted into the 2009 Hit Parade Hall of Fame." Formed in 2006, the organization is considered a prestigious, if not refreshing, alternative to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nominees for this honor are made by a powerful array of industry professionals. Fans then have an opportunity to cast their votes for "recording stars who have had two or more top ten hits in the '50s, '60s or '70s."

It was the vote of fans and the decision of the
Nominating Committee that the following recording artists are inducted for 2009:

America, the Ames Brothers, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass,
Louis Armstrong, Frankie Avalon, Brook Benton,
Buckinghams, Glen Campbell, Chordettes,
Petula Clark, Sam Cooke, Dave Clark Five,
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buddy Holly & the Crickets,
Sammy Davis, Jr., Doors, Drifters, Tommy Edwards,
5th Dimension, Eddie Fisher, Fleetwood Mac,
Johnny Horton, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Four Aces,
Four Lads, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore,
Michael Jackson & the Jackson Five, Joni James, Sonny James,
Billy Joel, George Jones, Kitty Kallen,
KC & the Sunshine Band, Andy Kim, Carole King,
Gladys Knight & the Pips, Little Richard, Barry Manilow,
Al Martino, Mamas & The Papas, McGuire Sisters,
Les Paul & Mary Ford, Peter, Paul & Mary, Gene Pitney,
Platters, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, Helen Reddy,
Marty Robbins, Rolling Stones, Jimmie Rodgers,
Bobby Rydell, Del Shannon, Simon & Garfunkel,
Jo Stafford, Barbra Streisand, Temptations,
Three Dog Night, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton,
Dionne Warwick and Andy Williams

..."among the largest group of inductees of any given year since the formation of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2006."

Once nominated, recording stars who have had two or more top ten hits
in the '50s, '60s or '70s have three years in which to be inducted
into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Each January, inductees of the past year are announced with the new nominees for the New Year in the second week of February.

John Rook, creator of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame said, “in announcing this, the largest class of inductees to the Hit Parade Hall of Fame, the nominating committee attempted to pay tribute to many recording stars who are long overdue the recognition they so richly deserve.”

The nominating committee includes producer Shelby Singleton, music label executive Joe Smith, the late programming expert, Bill Drake, TV dance show host, Clay Cole, record label executive Barney Ales, radio exec John Gehron (the man who is partially responsible for The Buckinghams' 1980 ChicagoFest reunion concert at Navy Pier), Jerry Osborne, syndicated columnist and music publisher, broadcast exec Allen Shar, on-air radio personality Mike Harvey, personal manager and producer Michael Glynn, Music editor and A&R director Ira Howard, Los Angeles TV host and radio talent Sonny Melendrez, radio programmer Bill Young, entertainment executive Jerry Sharell, radio personality and TV host Wink Martindale (to be heard regularly on Hit Parade Radio later this spring), record promotions exec Steve Resnik, Canada's own radio programming director Red Robinson, media consultant Michael Sigman, DJ/actor Gary Theroux, recording executive Bob Fead, "Inside Radio's founder Jerry Del Colliano, record exec John Rosica, intellectual property executive Jim Long, record producer Michael Lloyd, radio programmming chief Ed Salamon, Texas Radio Hall of Fame inductee, Kent Burkhart, radio station owner Pat O'Day, broadcaster George Klein, "Radio and Records" CEO and Publisher Erica Farber, label president and Grammy-winning producer Steve Popovich, label exec Russ Regan, label exec and talent promoter Ron Alexenburg, broadcast exec George Wilson, the voice of nighttime radio talk, Rollye James, DJ and publishing account executive Jason Rook, and Hit Parade Hall of Fame cofounders, John Rook and Gil Bateman, who launched this initiative in 2006.

For more on the Hit Parade Hall of Fame, visit http://hitparadehalloffame.org and for more on the dynamic debut of Hit Parade Radio later this year, visit:
www.HitParadeRadio.com and check out Larry Lujack and Wink Martindale as on-air talent.

Chicago Daily Herald Previews Salute to the 60s Concert Weekend, Jan. 29, 30-Genesee Theatre/Star Plaza, w/Herman's Hermits, Grass Roots

2010-01-27T22:43:00.000-08:00

Story in Today's Chicago Daily Herald is a concert preview for two shows this coming weekend. Full story link at: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=354017

Herman's Hermits, Buckinghams set to salute the '60s
By Gregory Harutunian | Daily Herald Correspondent

The Buckinghams still draw fans to hear "Kind of a Drag" and other hits from the '60s.
Peter Noone says Herman's Hermits will tailor its Waukegan show to the audience.
Published: 1/28/2010 12:01 AM

Sparked by Beatlemania, 1964 marked the start of the "British Invasion" on the American music scene, and prompted the formation of many stateside bands to meet the challenge.

Prime examples of that period hit Waukegan's Genesee Theatre stage at 8 p.m. Friday for a "Salute to the '60s."

The lineup includes British band Herman's Hermits with Peter Noone, The Grass Roots with Rob Gill, and The Buckinghams with Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortunato. Far from being classed as nostalgia, it's a rekindling of happy memories for older fans and a showcase for curious youngsters of what it was all about.

"It's not really nostalgia because it keeps renewing itself - I represent a generation, and at my age, there's only a few others left still performing like Mick Jagger, and Paul McCartney," said Peter Noone, during a phone conversation. "Iconic? To a younger generation, I try to point out that you can do the same, make the music that's upbeat, enthusiastic, and be different."

Noone maintains an astute global viewpoint on music, and knows why Herman's Hermits racked up numerous top 10 hits in the mid-1960s - among them "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Into Something Good."

The competition "to make it" during that time still has relevancy today.

"The bands that were successful were different from their peers, and identifiable - we chose to be the first British band with songs in our natural accent," said Noone. "The Beatles and Stones were using American accents, when they sang, which is what separated us. You hear Billy Joel on the radio, you immediately know it's Billy Joel; no one sounded like Elton John before him - it's a singular style."

The band will play all its big hits. But with a bag of more than 300 songs, even Noone will be surprised. "We don't have a setlist, and (we) tailor it to the audience, and Waukegan is special. I love the Genesee, the promenade in front - it reminds me of the little English towns and venues we used to play like the London Palladium or the Liverpool Empire."

While British bands were making themselves known across the world, Chicago became a hotbed for regional and national acts with AM radio stations like WLS, WMAQ and WCFL playing and pushing the songs of local acts. The Buckinghams rode the crest, and the early touring days also hold memories of Waukegan for Carl Giammarese, its lead singer and guitarist.

"We played a lot of the clubs there like Dex Card's Wild Goose - " said Giammarese. "I really see myself as blessed, more than 40 years later, to make a living doing something that I love. Never had a real job, just staying in the music business, and with the longevity, I thank God and feel like I'm 40, not 62."

With their own handful of top 10 hits, Giammarese still gets a charge when "Kind of a Drag" comes on the radio. "It's that same excitement from when we heard it on the radio for the first time. I remember times of rehearsing with the band in the basement of our house, and my Dad would say 'your song is on the radio' and we'd all stand around, listening.

"We were pretty busy, basically a covers band, we'd appear on WGN-TV's All Time Hits, and rehearse a lot," he said. "The 'Kind of a Drag' album was our stage act, and (we) recorded all the music in two days and came back to do the vocals. It has that crude garage sound, which added to the charm of it."

The horns on the record were an afterthought "to sweeten the pot," but the fact that Al Kooper claims it inspired him to form his band Blood, Sweat, and Tears is a true legend.

"We still play about 70 dates around the country and our fans make the pilgrimage," Giammarese said. "Each of the bands, on the bill tonight, have their own sound and bring back memories of good times and good people - it's appropriate to call that a blessing."

Salute to the '60s

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29

Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan

Tickets: $45 and $75; call (847) 358-9150 or go to www.geneseetheatre.com

You've Never Heard "Kind of a Drag" until you've heard it on the Ukelele...

2010-01-22T21:55:00.001-08:00

Said it before, will say it again. The Internet is a great invention. YouTube is even greater. Where else in the world but the Internet and YouTube could you ever hope to hear a #1 song played on the Ukelele and it actually sounds terrific? Admit it, you think ukelele, your mind races to Don Ho's "Tiny Bubbles." Right? But after a viewing of this gentleman, known only as "kharmachanic" it's quite a special rendition. And the talented troubadour has more videos on the Net of other songs, each video hosting a regular cast of characters, including the cockatoo (shades of Baretta) and a cat that answers to either Tiki-Tiki or Aku-Aku.

So, expect the unexpected when you catch this version of a song you only thought you knew:

Buffalo Oldies Radio Blog Reminds Us "Kind of a Drag" broke into the Top 40 today, in 1967

2010-01-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

On this day in history

A history lesson from "Good Time Oldies Buffalo radio veteran Tom Schuh - the greatest Top 40 hits of the 60s and 70s: Beatles, Brits & Beach Boys; Motown & Memphis and more! Plus "Hall of Fame Hits" from the 50s, and even a few "Modern Oldies" from the 80s."

BIRTHDAYS:

The Troggs guitarist Chris Britton is 65.

Richie Havens is 69.

MUSIC HISTORY:
In 1957
Filming began on Elvis Presley's movie "Loving You."

In 1961
Elvis Presley signed a five-year movie deal with producer Hal Wallis.

In 1962
Jackie Wilson performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1965
The Animals had to cancel a show at New York's Apollo Theater when the U.S. Immigration Department refused to allow the group to work at the venue.

The Rolling Stones arrived in Sydney, Australia to begin a tour with Roy Orbison.

The Kinks released the single "Tired of Waiting for You" in the UK.

In 1966
George Harrison married his first wife, actress and model Patti Boyd.

In 1967
The Monkees filmed a concert in Phoenix, Arizona. Highlights were aired on the band's TV series later in the year.

The Velvet Underground with Nico began a week long stint at the Expo '67 in Montreal, Canada.

The Mamas and the Papas' "Words of Love" peaked at number five on the pop singles chart.

The Four Tops' "Standing in the Shadows of Love" peaked at number six on the pop singles chart.

The Four Seasons' "Tell It To The Rain" peaked at number ten on the pop singles chart.

The Buckinghams' "Kind of a Drag" broke into the Top 40.

In 1970
The Rolling Stones' Altamont concert was featured on the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine.

In 1972
Loggins and Messina released the album "Sittin' In."

In 1974
Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter invited Bob Dylan to a post-concert party at the governor's mansion at the request of his son, Chip.

In 1978
The soundtrack to the movie "Saturday Night Fever," featuring the music of The Bee Gees, hit number one on the album chart.

Kansas' "Point of No Return" peaked at number 28 on the pop singles chart.

For the rest of the events in subsequent years, check:

http://oldies-buffalo.blogspot.com/2010/01/oldies-daysheet-thursday-january-21.html
Oldies Daysheet: Thursday, January 21

The Buckinghams as Noted Influence on the Band "Checkered Past"

2010-01-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

A recent Morris Daily Herald story noted the band, Checkered Past cited contemporary concerts by The Buckinghams as a place where today's college students were familiar with all the music of the popular 60s Chicago band. Event producer Ron Romero decided, after watching audiences at a Buckinghams' concert, that he wanted to form a 60s band. The group Checkered Past performed recently at the Morris Country Club in Grundy County, IL. An excerpt from Jeanne Millsap's Daily Herald story follows:

It only makes sense that guitarist/vocalist Ron Romero started up a band that plays 60s classics.

Music from that era seems to have grown to appeal to every generation, and Romero’s interest in music spans several generations in his own family.

Romero, of Minooka, plays the drums and guitar, and he sings. His older brother is an accomplished guitarist and organist; his father played trumpet in jazz bands; and his grandmother played piano, classical guitar, the mandolin, and other instruments.

“And she didn’t play any of those halfway,” Romero said of his grandmother. “She was quite an accomplished musician.”

Romero remembers getting his first drum kit when he was only four years old. He learned to play by just winging it. Later on, his brother Rick, who he said has been his greatest musical influence, taught him to play guitar.

Over the past 30 years, Romero has played in several bands. The area musician who has been the most influential for him is John Bednarcik.

Romero used to play blues with them in the 80s and even wrote some songs for their band, The Phones.

One of those original compositions — Undone — was played last week on an area radio station.

Romero picked up on music from the 1960s early on, even though that generation was a bit older than his. His brother and two sisters were older, and that’s the music he was exposed to when he was young.

“Sixties music has always been my thing,” he said. “It’s timeless.”

An event producer by profession, Romero noticed at a Lewis University concert featuring The Buckinghams how many college kids loved the group. They even knew the words to the songs and were singing along.

Involved in bands here and there for the last 30 years, Romero made the decision that night that he should get a 60s band together. It was music he loved, and it was becoming obvious to him that a lot of other people loved it, as well, even the younger generations.

The complete story can be found at:
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2009/12/18/71242423/index.xml

A Recent Newspaper Tribute Published, Remembering Don Schoenborn, Early Buckinghams' Road Manager

2010-01-17T18:58:00.001-08:00

In the earliest days of The Buckinghams' career, they were introduced to many new acquaintances and people were added to their team as the recording artists took to the road. Among their first road managers was a gentleman named Don Schoenborn, also known to the band as "Dano" and his memory is saluted with the reprinting of this Daily Herald story, written in October, 2009, by Eileen O. Daday. An excerpt follows.

Don Schoenborn made the transition most teenage music lovers only dream of: he parlayed his connections at The Cellar teen dance club in Arlington Heights into becoming the road manager for nationally recognized bands.

Mr. Schoenborn passed away on Sunday. The longtime Palatine resident was 67.

Family members say "Dano," as he was called, loved The Cellar and its draw as a local music venue accessible to teens. He had graduated from Palatine High School in 1960 and was not a musician himself, but he loved the sound of rock 'n' roll.

One of the hit bands to come out of The Cellar was the Shadows of Knight, originally formed by Prospect High School students. With its release of "Gloria" in 1965, the single drew lots of regional play on its way to topping the charts.

As the band began touring, Mr. Schoenborn went with them, earning the role of road manager.

"He handled all the business aspects of their tours," his brother, Paul, says, "from the bookings and support systems, to travel arrangements. He was the detail guy."

Mr. Schoenborn later moved to take on the same role with a split-off band, called Bangor Flying Circus, before he hit the big time, serving as road manager for the Buckinghams.

"He was with the band in the beginning, when they had their first two hits, 'Don't You Care,' and 'Kind of a Drag,'" Paul Schoenborn adds. "Those were the songs that put them on the map."

The story story continues at:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=328861

New Keep Rockin' Magazine has Feature on Carl Bonafede and the Early Days of The Buckinghams, Plus Exclusive New Beatles' Photos

2010-01-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of The Screaming Wildman of Chicago Radio?

Carl Bonafede was one of the 'most heard' voices in Chicago on any 50,000 watt station broadcasting across the country. Fast-talking, quick-witted, one-of-a-kind DJ, Bonafede was more than just a DJ.

Carl Bonafede was the manager of The Buckinghams in the 1960s, among several other popular groups of Chicagoland. He and Dan Belloc also co-produced several records on the USA label for The Buckinghams, including the #1 "Kind of a Drag".

The latest issue of Keep Rockin' Magazine has a feature story on Carl Bonafede by Dawn Lee Wakefield, as well as a cover story on never-before-seen photographs of The Beatles, and the story behind them, written by Ian Wright.

Chicago teens will also appreciate a feature by Kenn Petzke "Bandstand Matinee with Jim Lounsbury," with great nostalgic event tickets, bandstand matinee club cards, and a "I am a Jim Lounsbury Fan" pin-on lapel button. It's a great trip back to yesteryear.

To get a copy of the magazine with more on The Buckinghams, Carl Bonafede, The Beatles and more, check out www.keeprockinmag.com.

New Carl Bonafede Web Site Features both The Buckinghams and The Centuries

2010-01-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Carl Bonafede, original manager of The Buckinghams and The Centuries (Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, Gerald Elarde, and Curtis Bachman) features musical memories from The Centuries and The Buckinghams on his web site, http://www.carlbonafede.com.

Chicago radio fan favorite commercial track, "Get with the Go Group" that The Buckinghams recorded for Norm Kraus' Grand Spaulding Dodge (Mr. Norm) is included.

Bonafede also produced and managed The Daughters of Eve, the Rail City 5, The Delights, Thee Prophets, among others, and booked bands, including Mickey, Larry & the Exciters, The Lost Souls, Lincoln Park Zoo, Ral Donner, Gene Pitney and more, into clubs across Chicago. If you heard or saw Carl and Nick as part of The Fabulous Centuries or The Buckinghams, anywhere in the Midwest in the early 60s, you saw firsthand the management and production of Carl Bonafede.

Also check out two of Joseph Pytel, Jr's. blogs and learn more about Carl Bonafede's own vocal stylings on USA Records, Cadet, and Impala records, among other labels.

Carl Bonafede is better known to Chicago radio audiences as "The Screaming Wildman" because of his rapid-fire speech and delivery for commercial spots on the air. He also recorded some singles under that name.

The blog addresses are:
www.carlbonafede.blogspot.com
www.thescreamingwildman.blogspot.com

Blast from the Past--Get with the Go Group, See Mr. Norm, Jingle by The Buckinghams, featured in Kent Kotal's Forgotten Hits

2010-01-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to WLSClark and Kent Kotal, here is the cover art that goes with The Buckinghams’ jingle for Norm Kraus, also known as Mr. Norm. Carl Bonafede, original manager of The Buckinghams, booked them often at Mr. Norm’s Sport Club for Grand Spaulding Dodge. Mr. Norm gave the band a van in exchange for this jingle that was played across Chicago radio stations.

The LP pictured is full of drag strip stuff at Ubly Dragway. The Buckinghams jingle is 20 seconds that show up on the end and beginning of the LP side which runs a full 13 minutes of drag stuff similar to the Capitol Records series of Lps. Note it sold for $1 then. Now, it would bring $100 probably.
WLSClark

“Get With the Go Group!” by The Buckinghams

Bloggers Start off New Year Noting The Buckinghams in Concert

2010-01-01T12:05:00.001-08:00

Rogers Park-based blogger, Toni, showcased The Buckinghams in her first post of the new year, entitled: "Here's to Good Memories," and she links the title to The Bucks' web site, which is greatly appreciated. The blog, 24/7 north of howard watchers, noted how she and her friends and family "went to see The Buckinghams every chance we get." And, Toni and her friends are a major reason that The Buckinghams remain in demand in Chicago and around the country, because of faithful fans who spread the word to others, in blogs, on the phone, e-mails, and by ordering music from The Bucks' web site.

Happy New Year to Toni, the 24/7 north of howard watchers readers, and everyone who enjoys great sounds of 60s music today. Great music will always stand the test of time.

Read the entire blog post at:

http://howardwatchers.blogspot.com/2010/01/heres-to-good-memories.html

Buckinghams to Play Two Shows at the Riverside Casino Resort Show Lounge. Riverside, IA

2009-12-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

7 and 10 p.m. Saturday (12/26)
Riverside Casino & Golf Resort Show Lounge, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside, Free, (319) 648-1234, www.riversidecasinoandresort.com

From the Iowa City Press-Citizen online site:

Riverside Casino Show Lounge, Riverside

7 and 10 p.m. Saturday

Chi-town quintet pounded the charts and Midwestern ballrooms in the late-sixties (I saw 'em at The Surf with the Cryan Shames), hitting No. 1 in 1967 with "Kind of a Drag." Other hits include "Don't You Care," "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," "Susan" and a vocal version of Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." This re-formed edition, featuring two original members, has been on the road for some 25 years.

Carl Giammarese Appearing on WGN Radio's Steve and Johnnie Show, December 17th at 11pm

2009-12-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

From the blog on wgnradio.com,
Steve & Johnnie Schedule - Dec 17th - THURSDAY NIGHT / FRIDAY MORNING

We get another musical treat for the holidays as Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams joins us in studio to perform songs from their holiday album The Joy of Christmas and other Buckingham hits. TUNE IN at 11 pm, on 720 WGN-AM or listen online at wgnradio.com.

PLUS

Missed something from this week? A comment you didn't get to share with us? We do our best to get to it all in our 3 AM Unfinished Bidnezz Hour.

PLUS

Where to chill out after all that holiday shopping? Who's in town? What's new on the big screen? We spill it all in our 4 AM hour as we present The Weekend!

Kent Kotal's Forgotten Hits Blog Features The Buckinghams' The Joy of Christmas Today

2009-12-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

Kent Kotal, Chicago music lover and originator of the blog "Forgotten Hits," features Christmas music from Chicago bands in his daily blog. Today's post, available at:
Forgotten Hits: More Christmas Music

Excerpted here...
And I was very happy to receive this note from another one of Chicago's legendary bands, The Buckinghams:
Hi Kent,
From "The Joy Of Of Christmas," I would like to feature the Buckinghams Christmas song "Have A Little Faith." It is a song of faith and hope and the promise that things will get better. I would like to dedicate it to all our fine men and women that are making the ultimate sacrifice by putting their lives on the line serving us in Iraq and Afghanistan with the hope and faith that they will soon be rejoined with there families ... our prayers are with them.
Kent, your readers can also download the track by going to www.thebuckinghams.com/20081110
Have a blessed Christmas.
Carl Giammarese

Thanks, Carl. In fact, The Buckinghams have their entire Christmas Album, "The Joy Of Christmas", available for downloading FOR FREE on their website from now until New Year's Day!!! It's a GREAT collection of Christmas classics along with some brand new Christmas music written by the band. And we are VERY happy to feature "Have A Little Faith" on the website today ... a BEAUTIFUL song that we got to see Carl perform live at this year's Rock And Roll Roots CD Release Party. Thanks again. (kk)

http://www.thebuckinghams.com/20081110/The%20Buckinghams%20-%20The%20Joy%20Of%20Christmas%20-%2002%20-%20Have%20A%20Little%20Faith.mp3

.. and, speaking of The Buckinghams ....

re: THE BUCKINGHAMS:
THANK YOU FOR GIVING THE MONKEES THEIR DUE RESPECT. I'M ASSUMING THEY'RE THE ONLY GROUP IN MUSIC HISTORY WITH FOUR #1 LP'S IN ONE YEAR!! TALK ABOUT IMPACT!! IT REMINDS ME OF THE BUCKINGHAMS, WHO SCORED FIVE TOP TEN SINGLES HERE DURING THE SAME YEAR, RIGHT?
... MICHAEL G. BUSH
The Buckinghams had an INCREDIBLE run during 1967, the same year that The Monkees hit #1 with their first FOUR LPs. The Bucks started the year off with a #1 Single, "Kind Of A Drag" and then followed that up with four more National Top Ten Singles: "Don't You Care" (#6), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (#5), "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song" (#5) and "Susan" (#7). It's amazing to think that ANYBODY was ever releasing as many as five singles a year ... yet THESE guys were taking all five of theirs into The National Top Ten!!! (In between, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" peaked at #39 ... and, here in Chicago, they also placed "I'll Go Crazy", "I Call Your Name" and "I've Been Wrong" in our Local Top 20 before their 1967 assault on the charts. AMAZING!!!) kk
Posted by Kent Kotal at 6:42 AM [12.14.2009]

Buckinghams to Play Potawatomi Casino, Friday, December 11th

2009-12-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

On Friday 11 December 2009 at 9:00 pm, The Buckinghams return to the Northern Lights Theatre of the Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee. The Chicago group has played this venue several times in the past few years. The Northern Lights Theatre is a two-tiered venue with booth and table seating on the first floor, traditional theatre seating on the second floor. Crowds can enjoy the 60s music they know and appreciate and relive the music of that generation performed by The Buckinghams.

Northern Lights Theater
1721 West Canal Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Ticket info: (414) 847-7400
Show starts at 9 pm.

Carl Giammarese Visits Dick Biondi for Christmas Toy Drive on WLS-FM, 11/27/09

2009-12-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Chicago's favorite videographer, known by just one name, McCrackin, has posted two new YouTube videos taken at the 2009 edition of the annual Dick Biondi Toy Drive, where WLS was broadcasting live to raise money and get new toys donated for UCAN. The community really responded and they were able to raise substantial dollars and now have toys to make Christmas brighter for so many Chicagoland children, who would otherwise be thinking Santa forgot them this year.

Carl dedicated his song, "Have a Little Faith" to all the men and women serving our armed forces, who have to be away from their loved ones during the holiday season. This song is from "The Joy of Christmas" CD by The Buckinghams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZ3DVP2iDE

Here is the holiday duet of Dick Biondi, who joked that people had offered him $60 NOT to sing, singing with Carl Giammarese on "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibnWZtHsKpY

Also on YouTube here's a blast from Christmas past, 2005, posted by videographer John Michaels of Lisle, IL, JMike100, from Biondi's 2005 Christmas Toy Drive. Featured in this video include WLS Chicago live music and concert icon, H. P. Bertram, better known as "The DanZman". Carl and Dick entertain the crowd with "Take Me Out to The Ballgame," reprising their performance from Wrigley Field, where they were joined by Ronnie Rice and Jim Peterik to sing "Take Me Out to The Ballgame" for the 7th Inning Stretch....accompanied by ukeleles, unforgettable.

For Dick Biondi's 15th toy drive in 2007, videographer John Michaels put together a 1-minute video montage, including Dick and Carl Giammarese. Here's the link for that montage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqW_meYc2c&feature=related

Also appearing at these toy drives were the New Colony Six, Ronnie Rice, and The Ides of March, among other Chicago favorites.

Marshall Lytle's New Book Talks of Performing with The Buckinghams at Sea, along with Several Popular 60s Bands

2009-12-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

Pictured from their 2006 Oldies Cruise show, members of The Buckinghams and The Original Comets, including founding bass player, Marshall Lytle. Buckinghams members pictured here include Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, Bob Abrams, and Bruce Soboroff.

A nice surprise to read Marshall Lytle's new book talks of being part of some fun oldies ocean cruises in his role as original bass player for Bill Haley and the Comets. In Lytle's new book, "Still Rockin' Around the Clock: My Life in Rock N' Roll's First Super Group, Bill Haley and the Comets, Lytle notes:

"The first cruise we did was in 2004 with Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Buckinghams, and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap-great organizations, and these people just did wonderful work. In 2005, we did the show with Paul Revere, the Raiders (again), Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and Peggy March. In 2006, the Buckinghams returned and Blood, Sweat and Tears appeared." (pp. 164-165).

Lytle's book, coauthored with Michael Rush, is available on amazon.com. Plans are to begin doing book promotion tours in the next few months. A fun, fast read that takes you right back to the excitement of the beginnings of rock and roll at its best.
Marshall Lytle is a great storyteller and still a great bass player, as anyone who's seen them in concert knows.

For more on Marshall, Joey, and Dick, go to http://theoriginalcomets.com

The Buckinghams Included in Paul Shaffer's Book

2009-11-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

In the noted "Swingin' Showbiz Saga," by David Letterman's sidekick and leader of the CBS Orchestra, Paul Shaffer, music of The Buckinghams is mentioned twice in "We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives." The 2009 book is published by Flying Dolphin Press and is coauthored by Paul Shaffer and David Ritz.

Page 67 notes that after high school graduation, Paul Shaffer listened to WLS radio in Chicago all the way from his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. In Chapter 26, "Divided Soul," Shaffer speaks of his dilemma in having been asked to be musical director for the upcoming Blues Brothers movie, but the overlapping request from Gilda Radner to write songs with her and coproduce her album on a record deal she'd just been signed to develop.

Shaffer's work on The Blues Brothers Movie project was substantial enough to the point where, in Shaffer's own words (pp. 185-186)

"As the script started shaping up, it became clear that the band would play an important part. Reassembling the band would, in fact, provide the spine of the story. Danny wrote a scene for me where, appropriately enough, I was playing piano in a lounge in Chicago. The scene would climax with me, Danny, and John performing the Buckinghams' "Kind of a Drag." I looked forward to being in a big Hollywood movie."

But, a longtime friend, Gilda Radner, stepped in and asked Shaffer's help, and when he tried to work on both projects, John Belushi decided to replace him. For Shaffer, that was indeed kind of a drag...

Carl Giammarese Appearing Today on Dick Biondi's Holiday Toy Drive

2009-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

The annual Christmas toy drive held by WLS Radio and favorite DJ Dick Biondi goes on all day today, November 27th, until 10 pm at the Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale. Carl Giammarese will be stopping by around 12 noon in the Sears court area. One of the toy drive's sponsors, The NECA & IBEW, made a very generous $5,000 cash donation to provide children's toys. Other sponsors include Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates attorneys, and Fisher-Price. If you can't get to the Stratford Mall in person,

tune in to www.947trueoldies.com and listen online. Stay tuned to 94.7 for announcements of additional toy drive locations during the holiday season.

Buckinghams Set to Spark Christmas Spirit, Show at Beverly Arts Center, Saturday, Nov. 28th

2009-11-24T08:06:00.001-08:00

The Buckinghams Christmas Show - LIVE MUSIC -
Saturday - November 28
8:00 PM

$35/$32 BAC Members

Buy 1 ticket to The Buckinghams on Black Friday between 6-9pm and get the 2nd Free!
(only at Box office or at 773-445-3838)

Get in the spirit this year with Holiday favorites from the Buckinghams!

For the past two and a half decades, THE BUCKINGHAMS have successfully toured the nation with their signature pop music featuring founding members Carl Giammarese (lead vocals) and Nick Fortuna (bass and vocals). Their show is filled with harmony, spontaneity, humor, and a musical strength that appeals to not only their loyal fans, but forges new links with younger generations as well.

THE BUCKINGHAMS deliver a spectacular live show that includes their Billboard Top 40 hits, and a mix of audience’s sizzling favorites from the pop & rock charts of the 1960’s and early 1970’s.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE BUCKINGHAMS!
http://www.thebuckinghams.com

The Buckinghams Christmas Show
Beverly Arts Center
2407 W. 111th St.
Chicago IL 60655
773-445-0386
$35

Tom Lounges Organizes Shelter Benefit; Items Donated Include The Buckinghams' Contributions, plus Tommy James, Foghat, Charlie Daniels, and More

2009-11-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

The Buckinghams have several worthwhile charity events they support, including this one, "Givin the Dog a Bone' Concert, organized by Indiana DJ, Tom Lounges. Lounges is the originator of The Buckinghams' fan newsletter after their reunion back in the 1980s and has fond memories of working with the group. Here's his latest endeavor:

Shelter animal benefit includes concert, silent auction

By Times Staff | Posted: Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:00 am | No Comments Posted

Classic rock artists from around the world are helping a Northwest Indiana radio station raise funds for shelter animals in the Calumet Region.

Join X-Rock 103.9's Tom Lounges for his annual Givin' the Dog a Bone (and the Cat, too) shelter animal benefit concert and silent auction from 5 p.m. to midnight the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, at the Patrician Banquet Hall, 410 E. U.S. 30.

Donating performances this year are Chicagoland groups X-Girlfriend, The Backwoods Band, and Marrakesh Express, with a special acoustic opening set by the trio of Rick Murk, Jimmy Sarr and Chris Pena.

Among celebrities donating signed items for the event's silent auction are Alice Cooper, Foghat, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Charlie Daniels, Jim Peterik of Survivor and Ides Of March, Triumph, Little Feat, KISS alum Bruce Kulick, Tommy James, Marshall Crenshaw, The Buckinghams, and even country star Gary Allan, with more signed items still expected.

Lounges, afternoon host on Northwest Indiana's classic rocker X-Rock 103.9 and columnist for The Times of Northwest Indiana, organizes the event, making the phone calls to gather signatures from classic rockers around the country and the world.

"My two best friends, my dogs Max and Gator, came from local shelters and two months ago, the newest member of my family, Charlie, came from a shelter, too. This annual event is my way to give back for all the unconditional love of these animals," said Lounges in a written news release.

"This event has grown each year as more and more celebrity friends get on board to help brighten and save the lives of unwanted animals awaiting forever homes in local shelters," added Lounges. "Every year and more and more rockers are rolling out signed items for us. Local businesses have done likewise. And bless 'em all for it."

Businesses wishing to donate items for drawings and the auction can contact Lounges at (219) 462-6111 or lounges@xrock1039.com.

Posted in Lake on Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:00 am Updated: 3:00 pm. | Tags: Indiana, Animals, Entertainment, Fundraisers, Illinois, Music, Porter County, Schererville

Reprinted from the NWI.com times; original story at:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/4391cc18-5830-5afe-8ba5-52b38e019372.html

Buckinghams Headed to Las Vegas, November 14th

2009-11-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 14th, The Buckinghams will return to Vegas for the second time this year. They will be in concert at the Club Tequila at the Fiesta Rancho Casino Hotel, located at

2400 N. Rancho Drive
North Las Vegas, NV 89130

DETAILS:
KKLZ 96.3 FM PRESENTS

The Buckinghams

Genre: Oldies

Venue: Club Tequila

Date: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, at 8 p.m.

Artist Info: The Buckinghams formed in Chicago in 1966 and became one of the top-selling acts of 1967 with the No. 1 hit single “Kind of a Drag.” The band also had several songs peak in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, such as “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “Don’t You Care” and “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song.” Original guitarist Carl Giammarese and bassist Nick Fortuna have since revived The Buckinghams and tour as part of American “oldies” shows. In 2009, The Buckinghams performed at the Bipartisan Illinois Agricultural Ball for the inauguration of the nation’s 44th President, Barack Obama.

Must be 21 years or older

Out of state, buy tickets online (no phone orders) at:

www.FiestaRanchoLasVegas.com

Rock N Roll Roots Debut Includes Three Members of The Buckinghams Performing at Borders in Oak Brook, IL, Sunday, November 8th

2009-11-06T20:06:00.001-08:00

To Get There From Here:

WDRV DJ favorite Bob Stroud unveils his selections for his Rock N Roll Roots Vol. 11 CD release this Sunday, November 8th, at Border's Bookstore, 12N-3pm,
1599 16th Street, Oak Brook, IL.

Bob Stroud leads the annual party which, this year, benefits LifeSource, Chicagoland's Blood Center. Among the entertainers scheduled to perform at Stroud's unveiling of his 2009 CD release are Carl Giammarese, Bob Abrams, and Bruce Soboroff of The Buckinghams.

Here's a video memory from Rock N Roll Roots, Volume 9, November 4, 2007, with YouTube film from Lane Video Productions:

Carl Giammarese vocals and guitar, Bob Abrams, guitar and vocals, Bruce Soboroff, keyboard and vocals, Bob Stroud on tambourine and vocals and guest vocals, Jim Peterik of the Ides of March and members of The Cryan' Shames. Tunes include "Don't You Care" and "Kind of a Drag."
YouTube URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-CzJohriz4

Check out The Buckinghams, live, unplugged, at Border's this Sunday and get your copy of Vol. 11 while supplies last.
Be part of the Stroud Crowd

The Buckinghams and The Ides of March Perform in Concert Benefit for Wounded Heroes Foundation

2009-11-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

Mayfair Park in Westchester Village, Illinois will be part of a week-long event honoring Vietnam Veterans. On Friday, November 6th, The Buckinghams and the Ides of March will be featured entertainment in a benefit concert for the Wounded Heroes Foundation, which provides injured men and women of the armed forces with care packages.

From online web stories:
“Bringing The Moving Wall to our community to honor and respect those that have made the ultimate sacrifice provides our residents and neighbors with an opportunity they would never otherwise have,” states Village President Sam Pulia.

“It will be a privilege to count you among those who witness and experience The Moving Wall in the village of Westchester.” Westchester Moving Wall events opened with:

• A presentation by Roger Mattingly, a military photographer for Stars and Stripes during the Vietnam War on Thursday, Nov. 5

Today's feature:
• Charity Concert featuring The Buckinghams and The Ides of March on Friday, Nov. 6. All the proceeds from this concert will go to benefit the Wounded Heroes Foundation. The Wounded Heroes Foundation provides care packages to our injured men and women of the armed forces.

Coming up:
• Memorial presentation with keynote speaker, Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Saturday, Nov. 7. Many other honored guests will be present for the ceremony.

• 20th Annual Veterans Day Race, Sunday, Nov. 8. The race will include a 1st Place prize and a grand raffle. The proceeds from this race will also go toward the Wounded Heroes Foundation.

For more information about The Moving Wall, now in its 25th anniversary year and for a complete list of events please visit Westchester Chamber of Commerce at www.westchesterchamber.org. The Moving Wall was first built by Vietnam veteran volunteers after seeing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Veterans John Devitt, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Vietnam veterans built the Moving Wall, which was publicly displayed in 1984 for the first time in Tyler, Texas. Two structures of this wall travel the country from April through November.

When The Buckinghams performed in Panama City Beach, Florida last November, The Moving Wall was on display there outside the civic center marina. The Buckinghams continue to remember Veterans Day each year and salute the men and women of the armed forces regularly at concerts, expressing appreciation for their service to the United States.

For the full story, visit
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/lagrange/news/community/1853870,lg-movingwall-1029090-s1.article

The story of the moving wall is found at http://www.themovingwall.org

A new math equation, Donnie Iris is to Pittsburgh what The Buckinghams are to Chicago

2009-11-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

Never one to spend too much time with math, that sounded like a neat equation in The Examiner's column of Nov. 4th.
Donnie Iris = The Buckinghams
Pittsburgh .... Chicago

From The Examiner:
Apparently (Donnie) Iris, known nationally for his 1981 hit single, "Ah! Leah!", is to his native Pittsburgh what the Buckinghams are to Chicago, a still popular oldies act. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Iris is applying his nickname, King Cool, to a beer thought up by his keyboardist (also an intellectual property laywer) Mark Avsec. "King Cool Light" is set to debut in the Pittsburgh area November 20, during a concert by Iris and his band. The beer is contract-brewed by Lion Brewery, Inc. in Wilkes Barre, current maker of the Christian Moerlein brands, Stegmaier, and Little Kings Cream Ale.

Full story at http://www.examiner.com/x-9128-Chicago-Craft-Beer-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Celebrity-beer-news

When it comes to beer, Donnie Iris and his 1960s band, The Jaggerz, had a hit in "The Rapper". So it's probably a safe bet to say that he is to his native Pittsburgh what the Buckinghams are to Chicago...there's some kind of slogan there, probably need the Geico gekko to work on it.

The Buckinghams included in new release, "60s Book of Days" by Solomon and Appel

2009-11-04T23:04:00.001-08:00

The new release, "Book of Days '60s" by Harvey Solomon and Rich Appel is a pop culture delight for anyone who considers themselves to be trivia experts, or the wannabes who need a good reference guide to check their facts. Subtitled, "A Day-by-Day Look at the Pop Culture Moments That Made History," the reader is treated to a well-organized collection of facts from music, film, and TV that was important to everyone growing up in the baby boomer decade of choice. An intelligent presentation with superb and plentiful color and b/w photographs fill the pages, bringing the facts to life with ease.

Published by Metro Books, the hard cover volume includes a CD smpler with 7 favorite tunes that bring instant recall to mind. Hugo Montenegro's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" are part of the 60s soundtrack included on the bonus disk.

On page 40, February 18th marks the day that The Buckinghams' hit, "Kind of a Drag" made it to the top of the national music charts.

Pop Culture Addicts need look no further when you're finished adding this title to your list. There's a companion volume, "Book of Days '70s" just now hitting bookstores in your neighborhood. Barnes & Noble has both available online (www.bn.com)

The Buckinghams Included in Connie Szerszen's New Book

2009-10-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Connie Szerszen, Chicago's First Female Rock DJ on AM Radio, has a new book on the market, a superb collection of memories from her days at WIND-AM and WCFL-AM. Titled "Top Rock Girly Jock," the book is available both at her web site (http://toprockgirlyjock.com) and on amazon.com.

Page 70 features a 1968 photo of Connie and Jerry G. Bishop with The Buckinghams during a personal appearance visit to WCFL.

Connie will be a guest on WGN Radio's Steve and Johnnie Program, Tuesday overnight, October 27th/early morning October 28th and share her memories of 1960s Chicago radio, including setting several 'firsts,' which were actually written into the U.S. Congressional Record as the 1st woman with her own prime time show, AM radio, major market, and the 1st woman in America to broadcast "live" on an all-digital radio station. Today, Szerszen does celebrity DJ events, is a talented commission portrait artist, and enjoys writing when time permits.

The book is an important addition to the collection of those who enjoyed listening to 1960s rock and roll on Chicago radio.

Blast from the Past--Don't You Care by The Buckinghams in Wheeling, and YouTube contributors, Jacksdistrict, and MMiiKKee95

2009-10-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

Singing their first hit on Columbia Records, Carl Giammarese and The Buckinghams perform "Don't You Care," at the Wheeling Freedomfest in July 2007. Thanks to videographer smctopia for posting this footage:

and, in another 2007 YouTube video, user jacksdistrict does a nice job on the song as well. Timeless music is just that...and holds up well as part of the soundtrack of our lives.

and, if you don't play the guitar, you can still play the radio. Here's user MMiiKKee95 playing the ...stereo with "Don't You Care".

McCrackin on Location with The Buckinghams

2009-10-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

In a video recorded August 15th, McCrackin, Chicagoland's music videographer, interviewed Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna before they took the stage at Wood Dale. A guest appearance by Bob Abrams is at the end of the video. Carl and Nick remember the early days of the band in this segment.