The Buckinghams in Concert

Last evening, the Secret Agent Foundation hosted their annual tribute dinner at the lovely Victoria Beau Jolie restaurant in Schiller Park. Our friend Phil Vaughan, the group's founder, went to great lengths to make us all welcome and very honored to be there. Phil's brother, Tony, served as emcee and introduced a musical lineup of entertainment, including the wonderful band Hip-Noz, and music by Tony Ocean, Rick Lindy, Mark Inlow as "Roy Orbison", and Star David Brooks as "Jerry Lee Lewis" direct from Branson, MO. Music philanthropist Lester Trilla, who has been key in supporting the Northern Illinois University Steel Drum Band for more than 10 years, surely sets the pace for support youth and education. We had a wonderful evening from start to finish. It was an honor to be named their 2012 Man of the Year and be surrounded by so many people expressing love and best wishes. As I said last night, the focus of the evening, and rightly so, is the fund-...

Two years ago I received was surprised and honored to learn that I'd been named Man of the Year, by the Secret Agent Foundation in Chicago. This charity organization was started by Phil Vaughn of Nation Records, who produced our "Terra Firma" CD in 1998 when we first met him. The Foundation has one mission--to make sure musical instruments are available for free to children who can't afford to buy their own, but who want to play music. You might remember how long you had to wait or save up for your first guitar, or piano, or drums. This foundation also accepts donations of musical instruments, in addition to raising money to buy them. This year, I'm proud to announce that my music partner, Carl Giammarese, has been named the 2012 Man of the Year by the Secret Agent Foundation and they're holding their annual awards banquet in Chicago on Sunday, April 29th, at the Victoria Beau Jolie restaurant on Schiller Avenue. If you're a Chicago-area Buckinghams ...

Our friend and my co-producer in The Buckinghams' "Terra Firma" CD, Phil Vaughan, recently shared some very special correspondence with us. Phil is the owner of the Nation Records label and head of the nonprofit Secret Agent Foundation, which honored Nick Fortuna as their "Man of the Year" this past Spring. One of the charitable endeavors of the Secret Agent Foundation is to make musical instruments available to talented youngsters who would not otherwise have the option to study music. Another worthwhile endeavor is Phil's personal gift of CDs from Nation Records, in conjunction with the Foundation, to make music available to our men and women currently serving in the military. It is heartwarming and humbling to know that Phil sent copies of our CD, "Terra Firma" to the troops aboard these two Navy vessels. We are grateful that Phil also shared copies of correspondence he received in response to his generous gifts. As we did in the 1960s, and as w...