Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago

A profile of the rock band Chicago - originally called the Chicago Transit Authority - from their inception in 1967 to present day is presented. Constants over the entire course of their existence are wanting to be comprised of the best musicians, initially all from their native Chicago (hence the name),and the democracy of sorts which ruled the way they operate as a group. That democracy meant that no one person was ever to be known as the front man, each band member was treated equally - which further meant that the contributions of each person was considered of and treated as equal value even if it didn't meet the sensibility of some - and each band member was meant to contribute to the best of his ability. After the struggles of being a club band to their initial success finally able to crack airplay on AM radio, they became known as the rare breed of a horn band i.e. that equally featured the horn section unlike most bands of the era solely featuring guitars and/or keyboards. That success and their chosen isolation in living together on a ranch in Colorado had its downside in having easy access to and thus overindulgence to substances, legal and illegal, without any oversight. That success also took a hit during the disco era. The change in focus during the early 1980s in what may be considered the David Foster produced ballad era of the band, it which favored the mentality of Peter Cetera who was then one of its more insecure members, arguably had the potential to derail the band altogether despite their success in this ballad-laden focus as the horn section was often excluded in their recordings. The effects of loss of founding members, guitarist Terry Kath who died in 1978 from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot (which band members agree was the darkest day in the band's history),bassist Cetera who left voluntarily in the mid-1980s in his overall dissatisfaction, and drummer Danny Seraphine who was fired for his lack of focus especially during live performances, are individually discussed. As an epilogue, the four founding members still with the band speculate what will happen to their relationship in the inevitable end of the band as a unit.