Songs of the Sixties Hit Star Plaza Stage by Tom Lounges, Munster Times, Munster, IN

Songs of the Sixties hit Star Plaza stage

By Tom Lounges
Times Correspondent | Saturday, May 30, 2009 |

"It'll be like getting a live greatest hits album on stage with a few surprises," said Carl Giammarese, co-founder of The Buckinghams, voted "the most popular band in America of 1967" by national teen publications of the era.

And hits they had. The Buckinghams dominated the national pop charts and radio playlists from 1966 to 1968 with a steady stream of singles anchored by catchy melodies, tight harmonies and sporting titles like –– "Kind Of A Drag," "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," "Don't You Care," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Susan," and their indelible version of the old Lloyd Price classic, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy."

"When we first started, I was a senior at at Lane Tech High School and the guys would come and pick me up at school so we could get to a gig," Giammarese said. "Our manager Carl Bonafede had this station wagon and we'd pull a trailer with our stuff in it to places as far as South Dakota, do a show and drive all the way back so I could be in school. It was crazy."

Soon after forming, The Buckinghams landed a house gig for 13 weeks on the hugely popular WGN-TV variety show, "All Time Hits." The exposure got them signed to regional record label USA Records.

When AM radio giant WLS -- whose signal reached across all of North America -- jumped on The Buckinghams first single, "Kind Of A Drag," it shot to No. 1 and Columbia Records soon bought out of their USA Records contract.

Success came so fast the boys were rushed into the studio to complete their first LP for the legion of screaming Buckinghams fans that popped up seemingly overnight.

"We recorded a lot of the songs we'd been doing in our live show at the time," Giammarese said. "That first album was done at the old Chess Studios, 2120 South Michigan Ave., where legends like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry had recorded their early stuff."

By the end of 1967, The Buckinghams had appeared on the cover of every major teen and pop culture magazine. They were voted by teen readers as "the most popular band in America," while Cashbox Magazine declared them "The Most Promising Vocal Group in America."

"Man, it all happened so fast," Giammarese said. "We were just kids playing school sock hops and then suddenly we were on shows like ‘American Bandstand', ‘Ed Sullivan,' and ‘The Smothers Brothers Show.'"

Giammarese admits he never imagined he'd still be singing those same songs 40 years later.

"And you know what? I enjoy doing it as much today as I did then," he said. "I can't tell you how gratifying it is to see people come out to hear the songs and see the band. We've got the greatest fans!"

"Chicago Hitmakers" with The Buckinghams, Ides of March featuring Jim Peterik, and Ronnie Rice formerly of The New Colony Six.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville

COST: $29, all-ages show

FYI: starplazatheatre.com or (219) 791-1234

The opinions expressed are solely the writer's. Reach him at beatboss@aol.com

Original story link can be found online at:
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2009/05/30/entertainment/music/doc913fed064d24dd55862575c40060136c.txt

TONITE AT THE STAR PLAZA THEATRE

The Chicago Hitmakers, starring The Buckinghams, The Ides of March, featuring Jim Peterik, and Ronnie Rice, formerly of New Colony Six.
Purchase tickets by phone: 800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com
Stop by the Star Plaza Theatre Box Office today from Noon-7 pm, or any Ticketmaster Outlet

Remembering Frank Tesinsky, Beloved Chicago Musician, Key to The Buckinghams' Characteristic Sound

Each time the opening notes to “Kind of a Drag” come on the air, whether it’s your car radio, your phone, or choice of streaming media, the first 23 notes you hear inform you immediately that not only are you hearing “Kind of a Drag,” but you are hearing The Buckinghams. That instant recognition, in turn, is thanks to the talent of musician Frank Tesinsky, who arranged the iconic tune for producers Dan Belloc and Carl Bonafede in a 1966 recording session in Chicago’s Chess Studios. The Buckinghams family was greatly saddened to learn of Frank’s passing on November 9. Catherine Johns, his wife of 32 years, was a beloved part of his life and part of Chicago radio as well. In February 1967 "Kind of a Drag" was #1 on the Billboard charts for two weeks, and it forever defined the sound of five young men from the northside of Chicago. Just 27 notes, right? And yet, it defined the magic of what would become known as “the horn sound” that The Buckinghams are b...

What Celebrating 50 Years Since Reaching #1 on Billboard Means in the World of The Buckinghams

Everyone who is a fan of the band The Buckinghams can easily name all the songs that were Top 10 hits, Top 20 hits, and Billboard Top 100 chartmakers. You have several songs that have personal, special meaning for you. But the song that took the native Chicagoans out of the basements of the band members' homes was the one USA Records released last, almost as an afterthought. "Kind of a Drag" has the distinction of being the song that took this band to the national level. Many wonderful bands are part of Chicago history, and they are as beloved today as they were in their time. But this one song, "Kind of a Drag" took flight and went to #1 on Billboard 50 years ago today, February 18, 1967. Imagine what it was like for five young men to hold a copy of "Billboard" in their hands. For a few years, Carl and Jon-Jon had gone to the newsstand each week, buying a single copy of "Billboard" and reading it cover to cover. These days you hear about ...

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

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 he...

The Buckinghams in Concert

Search This Blog