CTA

Chicago Transit Authority ... is the name of the transit system of the city of Chicago. It is also, the original name of my favourite rock group... Chicago.

Yes, I said rock group.

It is this group, that should have been in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame years ago... But they are not. Arrgh. (And I refuse to visit to Cleveland until they do!)

Their debut album came out in 1969, self titled - Chicago Transit Authority... and it was a jazz, rock, edgy, psychedelic experiement. It was fantastic... No Cetera ballads... No lush strings... No David Foster... It was just cutting-edge amazing....

The real Transit Authority of Chicago threatened a lawsuit and so the band shortened it's name to Chicago... And now you know the rest of the story...

Many people think of Chicago as the casino-circuit, wall of brass, safe & happy 70s pop group. They were much different when they started out. They were raw and experimental. They were a product of the 60s. They were led by the late, monster guitar player, Terry Kath.

Here they are, at around the time of their debut album, circa '68 or '69, looking like wide-eyed, innocent kids - full of raw talent and drive, playing the Spencer Davis Group hit, I'm A Man. Notice Terry Kath (black shirt, first to sing) on guitar... when he died in 1978, the band changed forever...

BTW, that's a young Peter Cetera on bass who sings the second verse and a gap-toothed Robert Lamm on keyboard sings the third verse. On drums, the innovative Danny Seraphine.

They look so young... and they grow up so fast, sigh.

Wikipedia Entries:
The late, great Terry Kath
The Chicago Transit Authority Album
Chicago

[Note: as with most links from YouTube, as long as it's up and running, I'll keep this link open.]