Danny Seraphine's CTA and The Buckinghams: Chicago Legends Offer Mother's Day Entertainment

This Mother’s Day there’s a very special concert coming to Ron Onesti’s Arcada Theatre, a favorite venue for all of Chicago’s Baby Boomer audiences to whom live music means the world.

On Sunday, May 14, a rare pairing of two tremendous bands composed of beloved native Chicagoans will perform an afternoon of chart-topping hits that serve doubly as being launched in Chicago before the bands became famous across the United States.

Arcada Theatre fans will definitely remember in 2015 when Danny Seraphine was the guest drummer with the Chicago Experience in an historic concert and fund-raiser for the late Marty Grebb, keyboardist for The Buckinghams in the 1960s.

Audiences will enjoy the music of Chicago the city, Chicago the band, and Chicago the birthplace of a definitive pop rock horn sound when California Transit Authority (CTA) with Danny Seraphine and Jeff Coffey and special guests, The Buckinghams, take the stage, beginning at 5pm. It’s the perfect way to cap off Mother’s Day.

From the heart of New Little Italy in Chicago, Danny Seraphine is an iconic drummer who today is a full member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He began his love affair with his instrument about the age of five. A rambunctious, spirited, slightly unruly young boy was searching for his place in the room, much less the world.

He found his forever home, in front of his Uncle Dominic’s drum kit when he was just five years old. It would be a place that would give him wings to fly around the world, see the world, set a beat that would be as identifiable as his name.

If you have not read Danny's autobiography, "Street Player," written with Adam Mitchell, you would greatly enjoy it.

Above is a quick glance at Danny with CTA on “I’m a Man” with an amazing DW drum kit surrounded by 10 or 20 of his favorite cymbals:

Everyone knows that the band Chicago was first named Chicago Transit Authority, with Danny being a cofounder of this band, but because there was a legal entity with the same name, that had to be revised. But, after a tremendous career and life in Chicago—the city and the band— Danny ultimately relocated to California and founded another band, California Transit Authority. This group includes Marc Bonilla (guitar), Ed Roth (keyboard) and as of last year, former Chicago bass player Jeff Coffey.

Sharing the stage that evening will be The Buckinghams, who preceded Chicago on the record charts, although the band members do share a great deal of music history and personnel in common. Those are details and stories for another time, and perhaps you’ll hear some of them during the concert as the two groups perform the music you love.

This is not the first time that Danny Seraphine and The Buckinghams have appeared at the Arcada. Back in 2015 Ron Onesti hosted a fund-raiser for former Buckinghams’ keyboardist, Marty Grebb. The evening featured Danny Seraphine and CTA, with both Dennis Tufano and Marty Grebb rejoining The Buckinghams for one unforgettable evening.

Make your plans now to join Danny Seraphine, Jeff Coffey, and CTA, plus The Buckinghams, together again after eight years. If you didn't win on ME-TV FM radio's contest to win a pair of tickets, you can still get affordable good seats, starting at $49+. Mom's worth it! Visit this link to get your tickets today.

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

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