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Remembering Robert Fitzpatrick

In memory of and with respect for Robert Fitzpatrick, one of the great men of music, who managed The Buckinghams in the late 1960s, during the time we released 'In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow'. He passed away October 23rd after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. Bob was formerly partners with Robert Stigwood, in their firm Stigwood-Fitzpatrick, where they managed Cream and the Bee Gees. When The Buckinghams selected him as their manager, his credentials were indeed sterling. Bob had been the attorney for The Beatles in the 1960s, and he also represented rock acts including The Rolling Stones and The Who, plus he also represented Miss Peggy Lee, Taj Mahal, and actor Don Johnson. In his early years, Bob worked his way through Princeton University and, as a member of the Marine Corps, he attained the rank of Captain and served in Vietnam. His legal education was obtained at UCLA Law School, where he earned an LLB and JD degrees, specializing in entertainment law throughout his caree...

Buckinghams' Fan, Paula Monaco, Shares Photos from Schaumburg, IL Festival, September, 2010

Paula Monaco shared these photos first on The Buckinghams' Facebook page. They're reposted here as a mini-concert album of a great evening. WLS-FM DJ Dick Biondi, a great friend of The Buckinghams, was on hand to introduce the entertainers. The evening's entertainment began with The Ides of March, Jim Peterik and the entire band offered a great show. Schaumburg's special event celebrated its 40th anniversary of Septemberfest. The fest was also a great opportunity to introduce several talented Schaumburg high school students, pageant finalists for college scholarships. As the young ladies were introduced, they announced their intention to study in colleges across the country in demanding, challenging academic majors. As the sun went down, the Schaumburg Township was in good voice and full force, as a crowd-18,000 strong-as Dick Biondi announced, had assembled. Time to celebrate Chicagoland and hear The Buckinghams as Mr. Biondi introduced Carl Bonafede, former Manager of...

The Buckinghams Perform at the Music in the Park Concert Series in Bensenville, August, 2010

Early in the afternoon of August 4, 2010, the rain had come and gone from Bensenville, and cooled off a hot summer's day. The rain had prepared the air for a tremendous evening concert by The Buckinghams for Bensenville's Music in the Park concert series. A capacity crowd of music-lovers showed up with camp chairs in hand, all set to enjoy an outdoor concert. Photos courtesy of S. D. Aigo Photography (used with permission). Dave Zane and Carl Giammarese on Fender Stratocasters, singing the songs of the 60s, starting the evening's entertainment. Bruce Soboroff sings "Make Me Smile," while Dave Zane, Carl Giammarese, and Nick Fortuna play. A fan had brought a copy of the 1969 Columbia release, "The Buckinghams' Greatest Hits" and Carl and Nick enjoyed holding up the album, asking the crowd if they still looked the same as they did back then. Dave Zane playing to perfection, while singing "I'll Go Crazy." The crowd loved it. Group shot on...

Nation Records Includes The Buckinghams' "Terra Firma" in Gifts to U.S. Navy Troops

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...

A Special Request to All Bucks' Fans & Reflections of the Happy Together Tour 2010

Reflections of a Wonderful Summer with the Happy Together Tour (originally posted on Facebook here ) We want to thank all our fans for helping make The Happy Together 25th Anniversary Tour a huge success! We are blessed to play alongside so many talented entertainers, including The Turtles' Flo and Eddie, the great ones, Micky Dolenz and Mark Lindsay, The Grass Roots' Rob Grill, Dusty Hanvey and Mark Dawson, and the exceptional guitar of Wayne Avers. Touring for many weeks with our friends gave us great opportunities to catch up and experience the joy of an exciting tour, reminiscent of the whirlwind schedule we kept in 1967. No matter how many times we sing our songs, we sing them new for you each concert. We thank you for the opportunities to be, again, a part of your lives in song. It was a privilege to meet many of you after the show, and many emotional, poignant moments were shared when you brought vinyl albums and pictures from our 'first' tours in the late ...

Reflections of a Wonderful Summer with the Happy Together Tour

We want to thank all our fans for helping make The Happy Together 25th Anniversary Tour a huge success! We are blessed to play alongside so many talented entertainers, including The Turtles' Flo and Eddie, the great ones, Micky Dolenz and Mark Lindsay, The Grass Roots' Rob Grill, Dusty Hanvey and Mark Dawson, and the exceptional guitar of Wayne Avers. Touring for many weeks with our friends gave us great opportunities to catch up and experience the joy of an exciting tour, reminiscent of the whirlwind schedule we kept in 1967. No matter how many times we sing our songs, we sing them new for you each concert. We thank you for the opportunities to be, again, a part of your lives in song. It was a privilege to meet many of you after the show, and many emotional, poignant moments were shared when you brought vinyl albums and pictures from our 'first' tours in the late 1960s. Its humbling to be a part of your greatest memories, and we appreciate you honoring us, yesterday an...

Review of Happy Together Tour, Keswick Theatre, July 20, 2010

Shared this on Facebook, and wanted to post it here as well. Thought our friends would enjoy one of the many great reviews from the Happy Together Tour. Carl Review from Examiner.com , from Keswick Theatre, show: Twenty-five years ago, the “Happy Together” tour brought together some of the signature artists from the 1960s pop/rock sound to help celebrate the music’s influence and longevity. Now the tour is back for its 25th anniversary, and it brought a lot of fun and excitement to the Keswick Theatre last night, July 20th. Everyone in the room, on stage or in the audience, young and old, felt the 60s experience wash over them when the show began. As I entered the sold out show, I saw a lot of fans wearing various band T-shirts and discussing the music they grew up with. There was barely any room to move (which is a testament to the Keswick’s ability to book very popular shows). I actually expected to see more children. On the stage hung two peace symbols (orange and yellow), and that ...