The Buckinghams
Encyclopedia
The Buckinghams are an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Sunshine Pop
Sunshine pop
Sunshine pop is a subgenre of pop music originating in the United States, mainly the state of California, in the mid-1960s. Sunshine pop, by nature, is cheerful and upbeat music which is characterised by warm sounds, prominent vocal harmonies, as well as sophisticated productions...

 band from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top selling acts of 1967. The band dissolved in 1970 but reformed in 1980 and continue to tour throughout the United States.

History

In 1965, guitarist Carl Giammarese
Carl Giammarese
Carl Giammarese is an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for The Buckinghams.-Early years:...

 and bassist Nick Fortuna were invited to join a band called The Centuries. They, along with keyboardist Dennis Miccolis, later became members of another band, The Pulsations, whose members included drummer John Poulos and vocalists George LeGros and Dennis Tufano
Dennis Tufano
Dennis Stanley Joseph Tufano is the original lead singer of the 1960s rock group The Buckinghams, and has been a solo performer since the early 1980s.-Biography:...

. By early 1966 LeGros was forced to leave after he was drafted. After winning a local battle of the bands competition, The Pulsations secured a job as the house band on WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...

's variety show called All-Time Hits in 1966. The show's producers suggested they adopt a name reflective of the British invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...

, which was popular at the time, and the band adopted the name The Buckinghams, which was suggested by a security guard at the station.

In early 1966 the band signed their first record contract with local label USA Records and recorded twelve songs that year. Several were released as singles, including "I'll Go Crazy", a song originally recorded by James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

 & The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that recorded and performed with James Brown during the early years of his career...

 and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

' "I Call Your Name
I Call Your Name
"I Call Your Name" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Overview:Lennon wrote the song prior to the formation of the Beatles. In 1963, he gave the song to Billy J. Kramer of The Dakotas, another Liverpool band who was signed to Parlophone by George Martin...

". However, it was their number one single, "Kind of a Drag
Kind of a Drag
"Kind of a Drag" is a song written by Jim Holvay and recorded by The Buckinghams. The single reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in February 1967, becoming the first #1 single within the new calendar year and remaining in the top position for two weeks...

", that provided them with national exposure. "Kind of a Drag" was written by Chicago-based songwriter Jim Holvay, who had been performing with a group called The Mob
The Mob
The Mob may refer to:* The Mafia, an Italian organized crime secret society* The American Mafia, an offshoot of the Italian Mafia and also an organized crime secret society* Irish Mob, the first organized crime group for which the term was used...

, and spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 in February 1967. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

. The co-producers of "Kind of a Drag" were the band's first personal manager Carl Bonafede
Carl Bonafede
Carl Bonafede was the original manager of the Chicago, Illinois-based rock band The Buckinghams, who charted in Billboard's Hot 100 in February 1967 with "Kind of a Drag"....

 and big band leader Dan Belloc, owner of the Holiday Ballroom in Chicago. The arranger of the horn sound was Frank Tesinsky. The engineer at the first recording sessions held at Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....

 in Chicago was Ron Malo
Ron Malo
Ron Malo was an engineer for Chicago's Chess Studios. He was the engineer for the first sessions the Rolling Stones did in the USA, in Chicago in June 1964, recording songs that wound up appearing on the albums 12 X 5, The Rolling Stones...

. Following this, the band's debut album, also entitled Kind of a Drag, was released on USA Records and featured the band's early recordings.

In late 1966 keyboardist Miccolis was replaced by Larry Nestor, who only stayed in the band a short time and was, in turn, replaced by Marty Grebb in early 1967. Around this time the band members were introduced to James William Guercio, formerly the bassist and road manager for Chad & Jeremy, who then signed them to a management contract with Ebbins-Guercio Associates. The Buckinghams were courted by several record labels before deciding on promotion specialist Jim Scully, who quickly got them a new contract with Columbia (CBS) Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

. Guercio, who became the group's producer, continued the group's "brass-rock" approach, and the band produced four more Top-20 hits in 1967: "Don't You Care" (#6), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (#5), "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)" (#12) and "Susan" (#11), (three of which were written by Jim Holvay and Gary Beisber). The same year, The Buckinghams were named by Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 as "The Most Listened to Band in America." Severe differences occurred between the Buckinghams and their producer. The group opposed the producer's treatment of the song "Susan" by adding a psychedelic section. It included a short portion of Charles Ives' "Central Park in the Dark" and sounded very similar to the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", with an orchestral crescendo. This caused several radio stations to ban the song from the airwaves, or to omit the psychedelic section altogether. The producer had the last word, and the Buckinghams could do nothing about the treatment of the song. The group currently does not include the psychedelic portion in their performances.

By mid-1968 The Buckinghams had parted company with Guercio and Columbia Records assigned staff producer Jim Wisner to work with the group on their third album, In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow. The album featured material written by Grebb, Giammarese and Tufano, Despite the release of a new single, Back in Love Again, they were unable to duplicate their 1967 success without Guercio, who had gone on to explore the "brass rock" concept further with Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...

 and Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...

. By late 1968 Marty Grebb and Nick Fortuna had left and were replaced by keyboardist John Turner and bassist Curtis Bachman, a former member of The Centuries along with Giammarese. Bachman had also been a member of The Pulsations briefly before leaving to join the band Saturday's Child. There were no more hits, though, and band dissolved in early 1970, and a greatest hits record was released in 1975 by Columbia called "Made in Chicago". After the break-up, Tufano and Giammarese formed the duo Tufano & Giammarese and recorded three albums for Lou Adler
Lou Adler
Lou Adler is an American record producer, manager, and director.-Life and career:Adler was born in Chicago, Illinois in December 1933, and raised in East Los Angeles. In 1964, Adler founded and co-owned Dunhill Records. He was President of the label as well as the chief record producer from 1964...

's record label, Ode Records, forming a touring band in time for their second album. Drummer John Poulos, who had secured the Ode Records recording contract for the duo, became a manager of several rock bands, including The Boyzz from Illinoizz. Poulos died of drug-related heart failure on March 26, 1980.

Reformation

Later in 1980, Chicago's WLS radio programming executive, John Gehron, called Carl Giammarese with an invitation to reunite The Buckinghams for Mayor Jane Byrne
Jane Byrne
Jane Margaret Byrne was the first and to date only female Mayor of Chicago. She served from April 16, 1979 to April 29, 1983. Chicago is the largest city in the United States to have had a female mayor as of 2011.-Early political career:...

's ChicagoFest event. Giammarese, Fortuna, and Tufano appeared with drummer Tom Osfar and keyboardist John Cammelot on the Navy Pier rooftop stage. Marty Grebb declined the opportunity to join them as he was touring with the group Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...

 at the time. For the next two years the trio of original members performed at selected concerts in Chicago. When Tufano decided to return to California to resume a career in film voice work in early 1983, Giammarese and Fortuna committed to tour full-time as The Buckinghams.

The 1983 Buckinghams featured an expanded group that included Giammarese, Fortuna, John Duich (guitar), Tom Taylor (keyboards), Tom Scheckel (drums, percussion), and two female singers: Laurie Beebe (aka Laurie K. Lewis http://sandiegotroubadour.com/content/features/frontporch1.aspx?issue=jan_2009) (vocals, keyboards), and Barbara Unger (keyboards, backing vocals).

In 1984, Duich, Taylor, and Unger were dropped and Giammarese, now doing lead vocal duties, went back to playing guitar and John Cammelot rejoined on keyboards. The following year The Buckinghams were part of the Happy Together 85 Tour, along with The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...

, The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...

, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. By early 1986 both Beebe and Cammelot left to be replaced by Bob Abrams (guitar, vocals) and Bruce Soboroff (keyboards, vocals).

The Buckinghams were one of the first groups to initiate "Meet and Greets" after concerts where Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna meet the fans and sign autographs after each show. That quickly caught on with other classic rock bands, who also started staying to meet the fans after shows.

In 1991, Sony/Legacy (formerly Columbia) released a compilation greatest hits CD, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. In 1996, The Buckinghams celebrated the band's 30th anniversary with a concert at The Vic Theatre in Chicago. The show was filmed and released as a video entitled "Off Their Rocker" and included Dick Biondi
Dick Biondi
Dick Biondi is an American Top 40 and Oldies disc jockey. Calling himself "The Wild I-tralian", he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. In a 1988 interview, Biondi related he had been fired 23 times; both fits of...

 and John "Records" Landecker as hosts.

New studio and live recordings (2000–present)

In 2001, The Buckinghams were part of the Solid Gold 60s Tour along with Tommy James, The Turtles, Gary Puckett, and The Grass Roots. PBS featured The Buckinghams on "The Sixties Pop Rock Reunion" in 2004.

In January 2005, The Buckinghams performed at the Twilight on the Prairie Ball for one of President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

's Inaugural Ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...

s in Washington, DC. In 2007, The Buckinghams signed with national label Fuel Records to release their studio CD Reaching Back, which included eight new original songs written by Carl Giammarese and new recordings of five of their top hits. A second CD, Standing Room Only (previously released as Live and Well), was also released on the Fuel Label. XM Radio recorded The Buckinghams in concert for their XM Performance Series on the "60s on 6" channel. The Buckinghams' music from yesterday and today remains in regular rotation on classic rock stations in U.S. formats as well as satellite radio and streaming Internet radio stations.

The Buckinghams released their first Christmas album on the BML label, The Joy of Christmas, in November 2008. In December 2008, The Buckinghams debuted the single "Have a Little Faith" on WGN-TV in Chicago.

In 2009, The Buckinghams performed at the Bipartisan Illinois Agricultural Ball for the inauguration of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

. That same year, Sony reissued The Buckinghams' first three albums for sale as digital downloads as part of their Legacy Music Series. The Buckinghams were inducted into the 2009 class of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

On February 9, 2010, The Buckinghams released a new DVD/CD box set Up Close showing The Buckinghams in concert at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....

.

In May 2010 Abrams and Scheckel left the Buckinghams lineup to be replaced by Dave Zane (guitars, vocals) and Rocky Penn (drums, percussion, backing vocals), who had played with several groups, including the Cryin' Shames for a number of years. Scheckel went on to join Paul Revere and the Raiders.

On May 20, 2010, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna were featured in the 25th Anniversary Happy Together Tour, joining The Turtles, The Grass Roots, Micky Dolenz, and Mark Lindsay in a 20+-city tour from California to New York, celebrating the silver anniversary of the original Happy Together Tour in 1985. In July 2011, concerts began for the second Happy Together Reunion Tour that included The Buckinghams, The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...

, The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...

, Mark Lindsay
Mark Lindsay
Mark Lindsay is an American musician, best known as the singer for the group Paul Revere & the Raiders.-Biography:Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon and was the second of eight children...

, and The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...

. In 2011, it was announced that Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna will join the 2012 Happy Together Tour as The Buckinghams join The Turtles, Micky Dolenz, the Grass Roots, and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap next year.
, The Buckinghams perform regularly to festival audiences, and have played sold-out shows such as the Westbury Music Fair
Westbury Music Fair
The NYCB Theater at Westbury is an entertainment venue located in Westbury, New York constructed in theater in the round style with seating for 3,000 that was originally developed as a means to present top performers and productions of popular theatrical musicals at a series of venues located in...

, Ram's Head, the Star Plaza, and others. They remain acts for casino venues throughout the country, and perform the national anthem at home games of baseball teams such as the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 and White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

.

Former singer Dennis Tufano appears in a Bobby Darin Show he created, As Long as I'm Singing, and also sings their classic hits. Former keyboards/vocals/songwriter Marty Grebb has played with The Fabulous Rhinestones, Chicago, Bonnie Raitt, and Dave Mason, and has also produced CDs for independent musicians, including Peach.

In 2011, Carl Giammarese completed his solo CD, Journey, the companion to his biography, "Reinventing The Buckinghams: My Journey". Giammarese and Fortuna are touring with their band members Bruce Soboroff (keyboards/vocals), Dave Zane (guitar/vocals), Bruce (Rocky) Penn (drums/vocals), and are frequently joined by Carlo Isabelli (trumpet), Charles Morgan (trombone), Rich Moore (saxophone), and Steve Frost (trumpet).http://www.thebuckinghams.com

Albums

  • Kind of a Drag (1967, USA Records)
  • Time and Charges (1967, Columbia)
  • Portraits (1967, Columbia)
  • In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow (1968, Columbia)
  • A Matter Of Time (1985, Red Label Records)
  • Terra Firma (1998, Nation Records)
  • Live and Well (2006, BML Records)
  • Reaching Back (2007, Fuel Records)
  • Standing Room Only (2008, Fuel Records)
  • The Joy of Christmas (2008, BML Records)
  • Up Close: CD and digital downloads (2010, itsaboutmusic.com Records)

Compilation albums

  • Greatest Hits (1969, Columbia)
  • Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: A Collection (1991, Columbia/Legacy)
  • Up Close: The Buckinghams in Concert DVD/CD box set (2010, itsaboutmusic.com Records)

U.S. chart singles

  • "Kind of a Drag
    Kind of a Drag
    "Kind of a Drag" is a song written by Jim Holvay and recorded by The Buckinghams. The single reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in February 1967, becoming the first #1 single within the new calendar year and remaining in the top position for two weeks...

    " (1967, #1)
  • "Lawdy Miss Clawdy
    Lawdy Miss Clawdy
    "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" is a song by Lloyd Price. It was first recorded by Price at the New Orleans recording studio of Specialty Records in March 1952. It was released under the Specialty label in April and was number one on the Billboard rhythm and blues chart for seven weeks and stayed on the chart...

    " (1967, #41)
  • "Don't You Care
    Don't You Care
    "Don't You Care" is a single by The Buckinghams from the album Time & Charges. The song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in 1967....

    " (1967, #6)
  • "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
    Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
    "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is a song written by Joe Zawinul in 1966 for Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and his album Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at 'The Club. The song is the title track of the album and became a surprise hit, reaching #11 on the Billboard charts in Feb. 1967...

    " (1967, #5)
  • "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song" (1967, #12)
  • "Susan" (1968, #11)
  • "Back in Love Again" (1968, #57)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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