Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams

In the late ‘60s, there were a lot of great groups coming out of Chicago, but the most successful were The Buckinghams – with five major Top 40 hits in the space of little more than a year -- kicked off by "Kind of a Drag"...atop the charts for two weeks in early '67.  

In this episode, we talk with the guitarist and singer who continues to perform with the group -- Carl Giammarese. We cover a bunch of topics including...

• How the band got a big break (and its new name) on a local weekly TV show.
• How those TV appearances led to the band's first contract with a local record label.
• How "Kind of a Drag" became a hit.
• What it was like to have a #1 record while still in high school
• Signing with CBS Records after the success of "Kind of a Drag."
• How four of the group's hits were written by a member of another Chicago group...all about his breakup with a girlfriend named Susan.
• Why the band's success didn't make them much money.
• How the band crashed when the '60s ended, and how he coped with it.
• Recording in L.A. with legendary producer Lou Adler
• Returning to Chicago and success as a jingle singer.
• The band's reunion at a Navy Pier concert.
• The '80s resurgence of The Buckinghams and other late '60s bands, fueled by Baby Boomers.
• And... MUCH MORE!