The Buckinghams in Concert

This Mother’s Day there’s a very special concert coming to Ron Onesti’s Arcada Theatre, a favorite venue for all of Chicago’s Baby Boomer audiences to whom live music means the world. On Sunday, May 14, a rare pairing of two tremendous bands composed of beloved native Chicagoans will perform an afternoon of chart-topping hits that serve doubly as being launched in Chicago before the bands became famous across the United States. Arcada Theatre fans will definitely remember in 2015 when Danny Seraphine was the guest drummer with the Chicago Experience in an historic concert and fund-raiser for the late Marty Grebb, keyboardist for The Buckinghams in the 1960s. Audiences will enjoy the music of Chicago the city, Chicago the band, and Chicago the birthplace of a definitive pop rock horn sound when California Transit Authority (CTA) with Danny Seraphine and Jeff Coffey and special guests, The Buckinghams, take the stage, beginning at 5pm. It’s the perfect way to cap off Mother...

Photo: Courtesy Rock&Roll Hall of Fame, Joliet. The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum has announced another superb milestone in its progress of making Joliet, Illinois, the destination home of the most important and dynamic musicians ever born in the state. On Friday, Jan. 20, at 5:00 p.m., the public is invited to the official lighting ceremony for the Giagantar at the Museum. This wonderful 24-foot sculpture was made specifically for the museum and according to the Joliet News, The “world’s largest hand-made guitar,” called Gigantar, crossed over five states last weekend before its arrival in Joliet. The artist is Shannon McDonald who is known for her entertainment industry artwork (see her website here), has been lauded by many, including Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick (pictured below), Sylvester Stallone, and Diane Sawyer. As part of the museum’s growth and development, President and Founder Ron Romero continues to bring together in Joliet some of the most exciting eve...

[Photo: Ron Elkman, Published across USA TODAY network] Another musical milestone was reached with news of the passing of extraordinary musician, David Crosby, on January at the age of 81. Audiences know him best as the first-named part of Crosby, Stills & Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), but he actually entered the music scene as a founding member of the Byrds. His clean, clear vocals added a dimension to a song like no other in his time. His youthful indifference to what was best for him in his having a long life was part of his trademark rebel self. On the other edge of his defiance was a heart and soul that went beyond the pale for others. Often at odds with himself, it was the harmony he would create in music that kept his colleagues willing to collaborate and create works that stand forever as “classics” against six decades of possibilities. He brought Joni Mitchell’s talent to light for all of us. He produced and inspired music that is on everyone’s play...

On this final day of 2022, we’d like to take a moment to address all of you who are here on our musical journey across the country and over the seas as we travel on cruises. Our world has been changing constantly this year, and as a result, we have seen what happens when we all join together in song, and in appreciation of the music that brings us together. The Buckinghams are now celebrating what will be our 58th year as a group. Thanks to quality songs by James Holvay, Gary Beisbier, Lloyd Price, Cannonball Adderly, and lyricists Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and Larry “Bad Boy” Williams, as well as the late Marty Grebb, our fellow bandmember, and talented producers including Dan Belloc, Carl Bonafede, James William Guercio, Jimmy “The Wiz” Wisner, as well as talented arrangers, label promo teams, and relentless devotion to our craft, The Buckinghams continue to be heard on terrestrial radio, we’re streaming on your favorite devices, and many times when you speak to Alexa, Siri, or Google...

Thanks to Concert Coordinator, Susan Rakis, Buckinghams' fans have some great photos of behind the scenes at their rehearsal for the latest Cornerstones of Rock show last month on November 26, 2022. Performers included The Ides of March, The New Colony Six, and The Cryan’ Shames, The Buckinghams and, representing the longtime lead singer of the Shadows of Knight, Jimy Sohns, was “Dirty Dan” Buck. Special to the band for this concert was The Buckinghams' drummer Tommy Scheckel, who played with the band from 1985-2010 before joining Paul Revere and the Raiders for many years. Soundcheck photos by Susan: And special thanks also to Jeannie Mikota, the "Sunset Princess" of The Ides of March, we have some terrific performance photos as well: The popularity of the Cornerstones of Rock Shows has skyrocketed since its 2015 debut . Originally envisioned as a larger collective of Chicago-area bands “one more time,” this original concept is as much the b...

It’s after Thanksgiving. You’ve enjoyed the festivities, the football, and maybe got in some Black Friday shopping deals. Before you go back to work on CyberMonday, you might just need a shot of inspiration. Here it is. Check out the newest effort from two of Chicago’s favorite singers who are also songwriters in their rare moments off from performing. Dave, you know from Hi Infidelity, the tribute band that makes you think you’re in the arena with Journey, Styx, and Foreigner when you hear Dave Mikulskis belt out the best of the 80s power ballads. He’s been voted Best Male Vocalist six times in the SuburbaNites annual “Best of the Burbs” readers poll. Carl, you know well from The Buckinghams, as they have been iconic there since 1965. But, because he’s been behind the microphone so long singing up front, you might forget that he was also a premier Chicago guitarist since the 1960s. This song gave him a chance to play his beloved Paul Reed Smith guitar , a custom brand als...

Chicago music lovers and classic rock devotees mourn the loss of Jimy Sohns, who passed away today at 5:10 p.m. this evening, following a recent stroke. The loss of Jimy, whose performances of classic favorite songs remained 100% as strong as when he first performed them in the 1960s, is still hard to believe. [Photo: Ides of March video screenshot] At age 75, the showman was not only the lead singer of the Shadows of Knight; he was a longtime favorite key player in the preeminent ensemble best known as Chicago’s Cornerstones of Rock. There’s no question that in the 1960s, two national capitals ruled record releases when major labels held court—New York and Los Angeles. Yet, by the mid-1960s, Chicago became an unofficial “third coast,” producing a core group of bands beloved in teen clubs and sock hops first, who eventually made their way to guest appearances on national TV shows as their songs emerged on national charts. The Buckinghams, The Ides of March, The New Colony...