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

Comments

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

Dick Biondi, Beloved Chicago Radio Legend, Dead at Age 90

Baby Boomers across Chicago and anyone who listened to rock n’ roll radio around the country in the past 50 years likely knows the name Dick Biondi, aka “The Wild Itralian.” Biondi remains a beloved DJ who made friends and loyal listeners wherever the radio waves would broadcast, from Los Angeles to his native New York, and anywhere 50,000 watts reached in between. Word is making its way around the music community that the beloved icon passed away on June 26, at the age of 90. If ever there was one among a leader board of favorite Chicago DJs whose personality shined across the nighttime, it was Biondi. Credited as the very first American DJ to debut a Beatles record on air, and best known by Chicago music icons as the “man who gave us our first big breaks” with local airplay” when they were first beginning, Dick Biondi was the teenage musician’s friend. Carl Giammarese, lead singer of The Buckinghams, said today, “Dick gave so many of us our first big breaks on r

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

The Buckinghams in Concert

Search This Blog