Death is DUMB Volume 9: Terry Kath - The Spirit & Sinew of Chicago | MUSIC is not a GENRE - Season 4 Episode #37

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Every band has a different dynamic, both for music and for business. Mick Jagger was right business-wise when he called the Beatles the “four-headed monster”, but on the music side they really just had the two heads. Most of U2’s music is driven by two heads as well, but Larry Mullen Jr. started the band, so my guess is business-wise there’s more equality overall. Fleetwood Mac has almost always been a complete mess on both sides, which makes their longevity & artistic success even more striking. Nirvana was that one troubled head for music, and likely pretty equal on the business end.

Chicago was a special case. (I say was because they’ve been a shadow of themselves for a long time now, and more on that later.) They morphed. For their musical direction & business decisions to have changed so much and so often, you’d think their personnel did too. Nope. For all of their classic period, they were the core seven (and for a short stretch percussionist Laudir de Oliveira). After the death of Terry Kath & some growing pains (about which more below), their breakout comeback early 1980s period had six original members plus Chris Pinnick & Bill Champlin. After Peter Cetera left, he was seamlessly replaced with Jason Scheff, and Dawayne Bailey took over for Chris. When Danny Seraphine bowed out, Tris Imboden took over & stayed longer than any other drummer. And for the 1990s and almost all of this century, it’s been the core four, Tris, Lou Pardini on keys, and a bunch of other changes. In the last few years, with Walt Parazaider retiring, it’s down to three originals, Lou, and a handful of others who seem to be sticking around so far.

Why do I go into that much detail? Two reasons. One, to show how much change a stalwart band needs to endure to have a career this long. And two, to show how this week’s subject – the death of Terry Kath – made more of an impact on both the business & music trajectory of Chicago than any other event in their history.

For those of you unfamiliar, a quick history. Terry was one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Top ten in the minds of many. He was also one of the principal vocalists & writers of the band. His passion & dedication to expression above all else gave Chicago a huge part of their initial raison d’etre, and their depth & groundedness. Then in 1978, he died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot to the head. From that point on, Chicago was never the same. And in many ways never as good.

You could say that the death of any core band member changes a band forever, but that’s a sliding scale. Bonham’s death ultimately ended Led Zeppelin, but I’d argue it didn’t do a whole lot to change their music. The Who’s sound did change when Keith Moon died, but they’ve always really been another two-headed monster. Cobain’s death of course ended that band. As for the recent death of Taylor Hawkins, the impact remains to be seen.

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