Artist:Chicago
Song:If You Leave Me Now
Album:The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
The 1976 single If You Leave Me Now was the first #1 hit for the band Chicago. Their biggest hit before that was the 1973 single Saturday in the Park. Most of Chicago were studying jazz at DePaul University. So they wanted to be a jazz rock band similar to Blood, Sweat & Tears (BS&T). But like BS&T, Chicago was starting to fade in the mid 70s. Chicago started to fade too and they decided to soften their sound. By that time, they had released eight albums since 1969. And all of them were 2LP sets. They were so tired that Chicago IX was a greatest hits album. The singers for Chicago were Terry Kath, Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. Cetera turned out to be the key guy as he wrote and sang If You Leave Me Now. It topped the charts in 1976. It was a much softer pop sound than Chicago had previously done. Kath played the guitar solo. The album Chicago X was certified 2XPlatinum. If You Leave Me Now won two Grammys. Chicago had never won a Grammy. So though fans of the original Chicago may not have liked the change, lots of folks really liked it and the success continued until Cetera was replaced by Bill Champlin in 1985. After that, Chicago wasn't as successful but Cetera had a significant solo career. The other significant events were the 1978 death of Terry Kath and the split with producer James William Guercio. Kath was replaced by Donnie Dacus who was in the musical Hair. Guercio quit the music business and became a full time rancher. After that, Chicago worked with producers like Phil Ramone and Tom Dowd. And they moved from Columbia to Warner Bros. in 1982. This 2CD comp covers the Columbia years. As I said, Chicago wasn't as successful after Cetera left. But they're still around. Original members Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane are still there. But now they are a nostalgia act. There is even a documentary about Chicago's Longevity. Chicago's latest album was released in 2022 on BMG. Here's Chicago performing If You Leave Me Now on the German TV show Disco 1976.
Thank you Frank for the Bio. I grew up listening to their music on the FM radio. I heard the song If You Leave Me Now in the late 70's. I had at one time some of their earlier albums. I used to listen to them a lot more. I still like their music. For me it is nostalgia at this point. Like so much of my music. Take care sir. David.
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