The Buckinghams in Concert

[Photo: Ron Elkman, Published across USA TODAY network] Another musical milestone was reached with news of the passing of extraordinary musician, David Crosby, on January at the age of 81. Audiences know him best as the first-named part of Crosby, Stills & Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), but he actually entered the music scene as a founding member of the Byrds. His clean, clear vocals added a dimension to a song like no other in his time. His youthful indifference to what was best for him in his having a long life was part of his trademark rebel self. On the other edge of his defiance was a heart and soul that went beyond the pale for others. Often at odds with himself, it was the harmony he would create in music that kept his colleagues willing to collaborate and create works that stand forever as “classics” against six decades of possibilities. He brought Joni Mitchell’s talent to light for all of us. He produced and inspired music that is on everyone’s play

What are the chances that one Buckinghams concert in 1968 would find itself relevant again in 2017? Relevant, that is, if you find it on the path of the string of people connected to the films of actor Kevin Bacon? Remember that game that “assumed that anyone involved in the Hollywood film industry can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps”? On August 11, 1968, Dennis Tufano and Carl Giammarese ( Bacon number of 6 ), two of the founding members of the band, The Buckinghams ( Bacon number of 5 ), were in the heyday of their musical careers as a beloved national act. The previous year, Billboard Magazine had named them "The Most Listened to Band in America." Photo top: Carl, Jon-Jon; bottom: Nick, Marty, and Dennis. Now, The Buckinghams were booked to perform for one week, August 5-11, as the stage band in performances of “ Sweet Charity ” ( Bacon number 4 ), the play that actress Shirley Maclaine ( Bacon number 3 ) made famous nationw

Photo by Jack Mongan. A Special Message from Carl: “Today, all of The Buckinghams wish a very special birthday to founding member and original lead singer, Dennis Tufano. But today especially, I’m remembering all the birthdays we celebrated together in the early days, mostly while on the road. Our schedules were so busy it’s not like we could take our special night off. In fact, as I recall, we spent more holidays on the road away from home and families, particularly from 1966-1968 when we were booked for 300 dates a year." Photo by Jack Mongan "On August 31, at the actual ceremony for the Inaugural Class at the Rialto Theatre in Joliet, IL, Dennis represented The Buckinghams in accepting the award for our being inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was hard to miss joining him for the event as we were performing in Hillside, IL, that night." Continuing, he said, "Harder still, though, was it to realize that Jon-Jon and Marty were not

Photo courtesy of Jack Mongan Today, all of The Buckinghams wish a very special birthday to founding member and original lead singer, Dennis Tufano. From the beginning of the band in 1965, they ultimately celebrated several birthdays together, mostly while on the road. Their schedules were so busy it’s not like they could take their special night off just because it was their birthday. The first performances of The Buckinghams found them in matching suits, mostly acquired from "A Man at Ease" and other Chicago favorite men's stores, with Carl Bonafede working great deals for the band to advertise their couturie: These gold dinner jackets...stylin' and profilin' to be sure, even matched the liner curtains around the stage. At the time, it was true. The matching blue-grey suits were a little more coordinated. At that time, having "the look" was just as important as having a sound. Suits made the man, as they say, and their hair was just abo

Tuesday, August 31, marks the exciting long-awaited opening of musician Ron Romero’s dream: the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . It’s located in the heart of Joliet, IL, at 9 W. Cass St. "On behalf of the entire Buckinghams band, original lead singer and founding member Dennis Tufano will be representing in the formal Hall of Fame induction ceremony," announced his friend and longtime fellow Buckingham, Carl Giammarese. "It’s poignant and so important that Dennis be there just as he was in the very beginning. The founding member we all considered the “heart” of The Buckinghams, John Poulos, and early founding member George LeGros as well as final founding member, Marty Grebb, are no longer with us. Dennis will share memories from his heart and will be wonderful in representing all of us from the beginning. He’ll also sing a few songs that evening," said Carl. Two early shots of The Pulsations turned The Buckinghams during the early days of WGN-TV