Chicago founding member and drummer Danny Seraphine, along with his Bad Ass Rockin’ Big Band featuring former lead vocalist of Tower of Power Larry Braggs, will be appearing at Havana New Hope on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m). Limited reserved tables, bar stools, and chairs are available online for $50.
Seraphine began drumming for different bands in the 1960s, including one with teenage friends Walter Parazaider (sax and woodwinds) and Terry Keth (guitar). Later, joined by Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone) Robert Lamm (keyboards), and Peter Cetera (bass), the band performed under a variety of names — the Missing Links, the Big Thing and the Big Sound), before settling on Chicago Transit Authority, which soon became Chicago because of threatened legal action by the actual Chicago Transit Authority.
Seraphine co-wrote several songs for the band: Lowdown (a Top 40 hit), Little One, Take Me Back to Chicago, Show Me the Way, Birthday Boy, and Street Player.
Seraphine left Chicago in 1990, after recording of Chicago 19. In early 2006, Seraphine debuted a new band, California Transit Authority (CTA), featuring himself on drums, Marc Bonilla on lead guitar, Mick Mahon on bass guitar, Ed Roth and Peter Fish on keyboards, Mike Wallace on guitar, and Tower of Power singer Larry Braggs on vocals.
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