Mother

Chicago: Walter Parazaider (saxes, flute), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone), Terry Kath (lead and backing vocals, electric guitar), Robert Lamm (lead and backing vocals, keyboards), Peter Cetera (lead and backing vocals, electric bass) and Danny Seraphine (drums, percussion). From the album Chicago III (1971).

Terry Kath was an American singer, guitarist and composer, founding member of the group Chicago and its leader on stage. His singing was inspired by Ray Charles and he was one of the most influential and underestimated guitarists in rock history, being praised by Jimi Hendrix. Kath experimented with amplifiers, guitars and sound equipment, was self-taught, liked jam sessions and played by ear, having the ability to reproduce any melody by listening to it only once. Although he used the wah-wah pedal a bit excessively, his creativity was stunning.

He could play any genre, including country, blues, jazz and rock, and played several guitars during his career, gathering about twenty. Finally his favorite was a Fender Telecaster with a humbucker pickup and decorated with stickers. During his adolescence he practiced different instruments and in 1963 he formed with some friends the group The Mystics, of which he was the guitarist. In 1965 he joined Jimmy Rice and the Gentlement and then played electric bass at the Jimmy Ford and the Executives, where he met Walter Parazaider and Danny Seraphine.

The following year the three became part of the Missing Links, playing in dance halls and nightclubs in Chicago. Parazaider was a student with Lee Loughnane and Jimmy Pankow at DePaul University, and they called Robert Lamm, who played at Bobby Charles and the Wanderers, to found the Big Thing. Finally, in 1967 Peter Cetera from The Exceptions was invited to enter the group. Then they moved to Los Angeles, where they signed with Columbia Records and changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority, which in 1969 shortened to just Chicago. The band had three main singers, all the members were composers and the royalties were divided between them equally, but Kath was the best soloist with his guitar. While alive he wrote at least one song and sang another one on every Chicago album.