The Buckinghams in Concert

One of the best things about being a creative artist is that the New Year is a time to look back at the preceding 365 days and assess where you’ve grown and stretched the preceding year. Asking yourself frankly, “So what did you do last year?” “Did you change any lives? “Did you tackle any new challenges?” you must answer honestly. For an established musician or band, almost anytime you take a step away from “home base,” or the thing that audiences and fans know you for, you take a chance. What if, someone decides it’s a little different, or far afield, from what you’ve done before? What if, it showcases you in a brand new light? What happens to the original thing you’ve come to be known for? The answer is: You just made “great” become “greater.” Simply put, it’s like the Grammy-winning Jim Peterik model of music. One day, he cowrites a new song with Brian Wilson for The Beach Boys (“That’s Why God Made the Radio”), or he presents his World Stage Project, or he does a video for his...

WGN Radio host Pete McMurray (above) invited Carl Giammarese to be his guest on the Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 broadcast of Pete's show (11p-2a), which followed a tremendous Chicago Blackhawks victory. Also present on the air was a longtime friend of The Buckinghams, WGN's Scott Miller, who joined Pete and Carl. It was a fun time to visit and Carl did some songs in-studio. If you missed the broadcast, here's the link to listen in here:   http://wgnradio.com/2013/11/27/carl-giammarese-the-buckinghams/ Here's a photo of Carl and Scott Miller, who was even present at the 30th Anniversary Buckinghams' concert at The Vic back in the day.

From the blog on wgnradio.com , Steve & Johnnie Schedule - Dec 17th - THURSDAY NIGHT / FRIDAY MORNING We get another musical treat for the holidays as Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams joins us in studio to perform songs from their holiday album The Joy of Christmas and other Buckingham hits. TUNE IN at 11 pm, on 720 WGN-AM or listen online at wgnradio.com . PLUS Missed something from this week? A comment you didn't get to share with us? We do our best to get to it all in our 3 AM Unfinished Bidnezz Hour. PLUS Where to chill out after all that holiday shopping? Who's in town? What's new on the big screen? We spill it all in our 4 AM hour as we present The Weekend!

Connie Szerszen, Chicago's First Female Rock DJ on AM Radio, has a new book on the market, a superb collection of memories from her days at WIND-AM and WCFL-AM. Titled "Top Rock Girly Jock," the book is available both at her web site ( http://toprockgirlyjock.com ) and on amazon.com. Page 70 features a 1968 photo of Connie and Jerry G. Bishop with The Buckinghams during a personal appearance visit to WCFL. Connie will be a guest on WGN Radio's Steve and Johnnie Program, Tuesday overnight, October 27th/early morning October 28th and share her memories of 1960s Chicago radio, including setting several 'firsts,' which were actually written into the U.S. Congressional Record as the 1st woman with her own prime time show, AM radio, major market, and the 1st woman in America to broadcast "live" on an all-digital radio station. Today, Szerszen does celebrity DJ events, is a talented commission portrait artist, and enjoys writing when time permits. The book ...