The Buckinghams in Concert

To those in Chicago who look forward to attending the annual Columbus Day Parade, it is especially memorable for those of Italian heritage, thanks to Christopher Columbus for discovering America. The year 2021 Parade marked the 69th annual parade, held on State Street. [L to R: Carl Bonafede, Rocky Penn, Carl Giammarese, Carlo Isabelli, Nick Fortuna, Bruce Soboroff. Photo by Susan Rakis.] Pride in one’s family heritage runs strong, in Chicago and in every city across the country, but in the case of the Columbus Day annual celebration, one need only look to the JCCIA, which stands for the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. [Photo courtesy of San Filippo Foundation, Facebook page.] When JCCIA current president Ron Onesti, CEO of Onesti Entertainment (The Arcada, Des Plaines Theatre, and several other venues), was planning for the 2021 Columbus Day Parade, he reached out to the Sanfilippo family (Jasper Sr.’s widow, Marian, and their five children continue to be inv...

Just about an hour’s drive from Chicago, this weekend you’ll have two chances to see The Buckinghams in concert at the historic Belfry Theatre, in the gorgeous Geneva Lakes area, October 1 and 2, 2021, starting at 7pm. The theatre is filled with comfortable seats, it’s cozy yet the perfect way to come together for an evening of amazing music. Arrive early and enjoy one of the great restaurants in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. This is the fourth time The Buckinghams will appear here, one of their favorite venues to play. Both Friday and Saturday Shows are almost sold out but as of this morning, for Friday, a choice few tickets remain, priced from $52 to $68. On Saturday, a few premier seats are available, as well as a few of the others. They’re expected to sell out before the weekend, so don’t procrastinate. Log on to their website for ticket info here . The Belfry Music Theatre is located at 3601 State Hwy 67, Delavan, Wisconsin. It’s a historic theatre ...

What are the chances that one Buckinghams concert in 1968 would find itself relevant again in 2017? Relevant, that is, if you find it on the path of the string of people connected to the films of actor Kevin Bacon? Remember that game that “assumed that anyone involved in the Hollywood film industry can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps”? On August 11, 1968, Dennis Tufano and Carl Giammarese ( Bacon number of 6 ), two of the founding members of the band, The Buckinghams ( Bacon number of 5 ), were in the heyday of their musical careers as a beloved national act. The previous year, Billboard Magazine had named them "The Most Listened to Band in America." Photo top: Carl, Jon-Jon; bottom: Nick, Marty, and Dennis. Now, The Buckinghams were booked to perform for one week, August 5-11, as the stage band in performances of “ Sweet Charity ” ( Bacon number 4 ), the play that actress Shirley Maclaine ( Bacon number 3 ) made famous nationw...

If you’ve been on the fence about being able to attend Sunday’s great 89th Birthday Bash for Dick Biondi, Chicagoland’s beloved Radio Hall of Fame and Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame DJ, you’re in luck. The Arcada Theatre is where you want to be at 2pm Sunday, Sept. 19th because that’s when the big show begins! Get your $49 SALE tickets here ! Pam Pulice, Director of “The Dick Biondi” Film shared, “Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we have a limited amount of $49 seats to Dick Biondi’s Big 89 Birthday Bash! 9 Bands, 1 Show.” She urges, “Get your tickets while they last.” Naturally The Buckinghams will be one of the nine bands appearing, and their drummer Rocky Penn and guitarist Dave Zane will back Felix Cavaliere, thereby becoming temporary Rascals. The show lineup also features The Ides of March, the New Colony 6, The Cave Dwellers, Rosie & the Rivets, Hot Rocks Rolling Stones Tribute, Jimy Sohns of The Shadows of Knight, and Hall of Fame Blues Drummer Merle Pe...

From the simplest sounds of a solo guitar can come the most powerful of unforgettable songs that stay on your mind long after you’ve heard them in the car, on your phone, or on other electronic delivery means. Just hearing two voices seemingly made to blend together can easily send the listener into creative mode, envisioning the scenes being sung about and adopting the mood that is conveyed by sterling lyrics. Such is the song, “Little Something,” cowritten by Sting and Dominic Miller. Today marks the release of the Official Video of the song as performed by Chicago-based singer/songwriter Carl Giammarese and Chicago native, Lisa McClowry. Despite the scenes portrayed in the video, the duo was never in person during the making of the song, or of the official video. However, the “together from far away” method of song and video production, today, is almost routine procedure that artists have taken to share music and be creative during the safe, sure, and confining times of ...

Photo by Jack Mongan. A Special Message from Carl: “Today, all of The Buckinghams wish a very special birthday to founding member and original lead singer, Dennis Tufano. But today especially, I’m remembering all the birthdays we celebrated together in the early days, mostly while on the road. Our schedules were so busy it’s not like we could take our special night off. In fact, as I recall, we spent more holidays on the road away from home and families, particularly from 1966-1968 when we were booked for 300 dates a year." Photo by Jack Mongan "On August 31, at the actual ceremony for the Inaugural Class at the Rialto Theatre in Joliet, IL, Dennis represented The Buckinghams in accepting the award for our being inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was hard to miss joining him for the event as we were performing in Hillside, IL, that night." Continuing, he said, "Harder still, though, was it to realize that Jon-Jon and Marty were not ...

On Sunday, September 19, you’re invited to Ron Onesti’s Arcada Theatre, in St. Charles, IL, for an unforgettable special event, all in celebration of Dick Biondi’s 89th birthday. The nationally recognized DJ was on WLS-AM 890 back in the days when Chicago groups were coming to national prominence thanks to 50,000 Watts of broadcast power and the power of his outstanding promotion and that of station executives. Filmmaker Pam Pulice, founder of The Dick Biondi Documentary, close to completion, is supporting the event, together with host Ron Onesti at the historic Arcada Theatre. Several nationally acclaimed and Chicagoland musicians from our historic concert lineup over the past six decades will be present. Some groups will be participating in a bonus VIP experience as well. Unfortunately, The Buckinghams will not be able to be part of the VIP experience for this event, so please purchase your VIP tickets for others who indicate they will be present at 12-2 pm, but The Bucki...