The Buckinghams in Concert

In the April edition of Chicago Magazine ( www.chicagomag.com ) readers will note in Jeff Ruby's article that The Buckinghams' "Kind of a Drag" comes in at #39 of the top 40 of 'any' Chicago records. We're not talking about 'of the 1960s' but instead, of any time period. As the first page of the article shows, The Buckinghams' album debut on Chicago's USA Records label was selected to be included among contemporaries including Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, The Staple Singers, The DJ Fast Eddie, Screeching Weasel, the inimitable Howlin' Wolf, The Chi-Lites, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The digital version of Ruby's article can be reviewed online Chicago Magazine and explores the questions "What counts as a Chicago record"? and "What does 'greatest' mean"? This distinction was first noted by Johnnie Putman of the WGN Radio "Steve and Johnnie Show", whose keen eye saw it first. The story is i...

Veteran Chicago journalist Robert Feder had a nice item this morning in his Vocalo blog about how the crowd gathered to hear the Bob Sirott's interview with radio DJ legends Dick Biondi and Herb Kent filled the auditorium and then "overflowed into three satellite rooms" this weekend. Excerpt follows: # Hundreds of fans packed the Columbia College auditorium and overflowed into three satellite rooms Saturday when Bob Sirott interviewed Chicago radio’s greatest living legends, Dick Biondi and Herb Kent, onstage together for the first time. What made a great night even more unforgettable was the presence of many local music legends in the audience to pay tribute to Biondi and Kent. They included Gene “Duke of Earl” Chandler, Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites, Ronnie Rice of the New Colony Six, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna of the Buckinghams, Jim Peterik of The Ides Of March and Survivor, Fred Glickstein of the Flock, and Al Lathan of Four Days and a Night. Among radio...

SPECIAL EVENT SET FOR TONIGHT As Dave Hoekstra reported in today's Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, well-known journalist Bob Sirott will host a special evening, conversation-style tonight at Columbia College Chicago. Hoekstra notes "Herb Kent the Kool Gent" and Dick (the Wild I-Tralian) Biondi are members of The Chicago Radio Hall of Fame. The event is free and open to the public. The interview will be taking place at 7:30 pm in Columbia's Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th floor. For the full story check out http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/hoekstra/2150208,CST-FTR-radio10.article Bob Sirott promises an evening that will be the most interesting history lesson ever taught about five decades of Chicago radio and two of its most beloved DJs. From Christmas 2009,the UCan Food Drive hosted by Dick Biondi. Here, Carl enjoys annual holiday appearances with Dick for True Oldies 94.7's community endeavors. [Image credits: Dick Biondi's photo by Fred Winston, origina...

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...

Thanks to Kent Kotal for his Forgotten Hits Sunday Comments today, noting the video of "I Knew You When", an audience favorite featuring Carl Giammarese. ******** re: THE BUCKINGHAMS: I recently found this hot new video of Carl Giammarese and The Buckinghams performing the Joe South / Billy Joe Royal tune " I Knew You When " ... pretty nice version of a FAR too under-played oldie. The band sound great ... and it's neat to see a brand new "concept video" interpretation of this tune! YouTube - The Buckinghams I KNEW YOU WHEN ****** Video credits go to L. A. Franicich, of Transient Organs Productions, for creating and posting this video. It's Vintage Buckinghams from 1998, and their "Terra Firma" CD release on Nation Records. Of note for collectors, there's two releases of "Terra Firma". Only the 2003 special edition CD (see cover below) of " Terra Firma " includes this particular video.

While traveling recently, we paused to stop in at one of the famous Cracker Barrel Restaurants found on major highways and couldn't wait to shop for the unique greeting cards. An interesting find was the "Remember When" series of cards, published by Seek Publishing, and there's a card for each year you were born. With a card for every year over a 60-year period, you can find a car for the year you were born, or one for your parents, and grandparents. The "kardlets" contain info pertaining specifically to that particular single year. Zoom in and see that among the favorite hit songs of the year 1967, "Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinghams is right there in favorite memories. Special highlights of the card series include: • News • Hollywood highlights • Price index of cars, houses, milk, gas, and more • Year specific magazine advertisements If you see this where you like to buy greeting cards, be sure and check out the one from 1967. For more info, chec...

Minnesota is a favorite state for Buckinghams' concerts, and a particularly great concert was the Faribault County Fair , held July 26, 1986. Featuring The Buckinghams and Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon, the concert was considered 'retro' as " Back to the 50s and 60s ". Today 'retro' is 'classic'. Sponsored by radio station KBEW-AM, whatever the event was part of the festival/fair heydey of the mid-80s. No matter how high the hair piled atop their heads, Carl, Nick, Bob, Bruce, and Tom, are ever much the same today as back in 1986.