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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE BAND CHICAGO FOR ITS INDUCTION INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
WHEREAS, on April 8, 2016, the band Chicago will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, in 1967, Chicago and Chicago-area musicians Walter Parazaider (saxophonist), Danny Seraphine (drummer), Lee Loughnane (trumpeter), James Pankow (trombonist), Robert Lamm (keyboardist), Peter Cetera (bassist), and the late Terry Kath (guitarist), formed a group with one dream: to integrate all the musical diversity from their beloved city and weave a new sound-a rock ‘n’ roll band with horns; and
WHEREAS, after playing locally and then in Los Angeles, the band, The Chicago Transit Authority (later shortened to Chicago), recorded its first album in 1969. They had amassed so much material by then they decided to make a statement by debuting with a double album; and
WHEREAS, although AM radio was nowhere near ready for their music and the length of their songs, the album was an underground hit, embraced by FM radio and college students; and
WHEREAS, the album Chicago II drew for inspiration classical music on the one hand and the volatile political situation unfolding in their city and around the country on the other; and
WHEREAS, to get a single from Chicago II playable on AM radio, the label (Columbia) excerpted two songs, “Make Me Smile” and “Colour My World,” from Pankow’s 13-minute suite, “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon,” and released them as the two sides of a single. The single reached the Top 10 while Chicago II immediately went gold; and
WHEREAS, after their second hit, “25 or 6 to 4,” they decided to try to re-stimulate interest in their first album, and released “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?,” which became their third Top 10 hit in a row by the start of 1971; and
WHEREAS, the year 1975 marked an early commercial peak in Chicago’s career, a year during which the band scored its fourth straight Number 1 album, all its previous albums were back in the charts, and its worldwide record sales for this single year were a staggering 20 million copies; and
WHEREAS, the big hit from their new album, Chicago X, released in 1976, was a song that barely made the final cut. Cetera’s “If You Leave Me Now” came about only after they decided they needed one more song. The song became Chicago’s first Billboard singles topper and also topped charts around the world; and
WHEREAS, part of the band’s longevity can be attributed to its efforts to value the group effort over individual egos, which is reflected in the name, the logo, and the facelessness of the first eleven album covers; and
WHEREAS, for the last several decades, Chicago has recorded and toured with great success and continues to be ambassadors for their beloved hometown, carrying the city’s name with pride and dignity around the world; and
WHEREAS, considered one of the longest running and most successful pop/rock ‘n’ roll groups in history, Chicago is the highest charting American band in Billboard magazine’s list of Top 100 artists of all time, coming in at Number 13; and
WHEREAS, Chicago was chosen to be inducted by more than 800 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation as well as by besting all competitors to earn the 2016 fan vote, with an impressive 37,666,962 votes.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby congratulate the band Chicago on the occasion of its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to the band Chicago.
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