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, whom we celebrate for discovering America in 1492. Pride in family heritage runs strong, in Chicago and in every city across the country, but in the case of Chicago's Columbus Day annual celebration, one need only look to the JCCIA , which stands for the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. 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’s widow Marian and their five children who are involved in the success of the business still today—John, Jim, Jeffrey, Lisa, and Jasper). Jasper B. Sanfilippo was one of Chicago’s most respected philanthropists, who founded a company built on nut and snack foods called John B. Sanfilippo & ...

“The activities that have been made possible for The Buckinghams as a band and me personally have been substantial this year. It’s a period of reflection for me as we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, we’re in the season of Hanukkah, and the Advent season where we await Christmas. At this time more than any other time of the year, I reflect on how fortunate I feel to be “from Chicago” and to have made this amazing city my home for my entire life.” Those are the words of Carl Giammarese from a recent phone interview. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of “getting ready for the holidays” and the busy-ness of business, planning for concert appearances, making travel plans for the upcoming concert dates and then maintaining proficiency at keeping the highest performing caliber that audiences have come to expect. This weekend The Buckinghams will be performing in what has come to be one of the most popular shows each year—the Cornerstones of Rock show, that started in t...

It came as a genuine shock to learn from Rolling Stone the news that musician Billy Hinsche, 70, died yesterday, Nov. 21, from an only recently discovered cancerous lung condition. The Buckinghams and Billy have had mutual respect and friendship for over 50 years. Hinsche, was part of the popular rock group, “Dino, Desi, and Billy” (DDB) just as The Buckinghams were just starting to become nationally known.[Photo from Best FM Fans site.] As is the case with many young bands out of Los Angeles, the DDB guys went to school together. Bass guitarist Dino was Dean Paul Martin, Jr., son of Dean and Jeanne Martin and he was just 13 years old; Guitarist Billy Hinsche, whose family had relocated from the Philippines to Beverly Hills, was the oldest at 14 years. The son of bandleader and TV pioneer Desi Arnaz and entertainment legend wife, Lucille Ball, Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha, IV otherwise known as Desi, Jr., was just 11 years old when he first played drums with the...

Hard to believe that Nick Fortuna was once quiet and shy, but that’s not been the case in a very long time. Our friends at The Belfry Theatre in Delavan, Wisconsin, livestreamed our shows for audiences who couldn’t get a ticket to this in-demand show recently. They were kind enough to share some special video of The Buckinghams' concert, which we now share with you. We are considering officially changing his name to Nick (Mr. Entertainment) Fortuna…not that he knows we are considering this but it just seems appropriate—the man can dance! Plus, he does some “really big” impressions that are spot on. Watch the video and see. It’s the next best thing to a live concert! Video courtesy of The Belfry Theatre.

“Sweet Soul Song,” is the title track from Holvay’s 2020 debut EP on his own MOB Town Records and his Official Video debuted today on YouTube. Just a few fast decades ago, James Holvay, a preteen from Brookfield, Illinois, would get his first guitar. He assembled his first band, Jimmy and the Jesters, as a teenager. Swept up in his love of the early groove of R&B music, he would ultimately become a fulltime musician, songwriter, and band co-founder for the next 20 years of his life. What was at first a high school flirtation with music, saw Holvay through college and propelled him head-first into a burgeoning new Wild West known as the recording industry, and eventually, the music business. But, if you’d have predicted in 1965, when he wrote “Kind of a Drag,” and made a rough demo recording of that song for Carl Bonafede to take back to his band, The Buckinghams, for consideration that James Holvay would be releasing his first solo music video in his career in 2021, after a l...

is now known as: Ready for a channel change? Whether you are or not, a major channel lineup change is coming to SiriusXM radio on Wednesday, Nov. 3. One of the greatest mediums for keeping the music of The Buckinghams alive and thriving is undoubtedly the “60s on 6” channel, formerly found on the SiriusXM dial at the channel “6” spot. Only the channel number is changing—nothing else will change. Why mess with perfection? Never mind, the new channel for "60s Gold" is channel 73! For 21 years now, you could say "60s on 6" anytime someone wanted to know where you listen to The Buckinghams on the radio. It's easy to remember when it started, August 21, 2000 ever since Phlash Phelps was part of the debut channel and XM radio programming that ushered in an entirely new way to enjoy the 1960s decade of classic rock favorites. That also just happens to be Carl Giammarese's birthday, so it's easy to remember. The (then) brand new radio medium was all new...

Recently, The Buckinghams were invited to fill in an opening on one of their favorite cruises, the Concerts at Sea , coordinated by longtime fan favorite producer, Tammy Selee, for Harmon Travel. When invited, Carl and Nick were delighted to return to see longtime cruise fans and friends who make these journeys extra special. However, as it turns out, guitarist Dave Zane had a conflict during that week at sea and would not be able to join the group for this event. Fortunately, music professional and friend well known to The Buckinghams, Mike Bruccoleri , was available and will be joining The Buckinghams for this event. Many of you already know Mike from his tour days with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, or as the bass player for Sonny Geraci's band, The Outsiders, whose band Dave Zane also played with for five years. Mike is also longtime friends with Bruce Soboroff and Rocky Penn, so he’s no stranger to The Buckinghams or their music. In addition, Mike and...