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

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

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