UPDATE ON 1/23/12: THE INTERVIEW IS NOW PUBLISHED HERE.
The Buckinghams performing Kind of a Drag, which debuted on December 31, 1966 and peaked to #1.
I am thrilled to announce that, over the last couple of days, I've been working out the details for an interview with Carl Giammarese, the lead singer of the legendary 60's group, The Buckinghams!
Intertwined with a little history and commentary from me are some neat performances and interviews pulled from YouTube. Enjoy, and stay tuned for my interview with Carl!
All the Best,
--Aaron Robertson, president, Intrepid Innovations Inc.
The Buckinghams, based out of Chicago, were formed in 1966 after, in simplified terms, some merging and shuffling around between members of two bands, The Centuries and The Pulsations.
The original group broke up in 1970. Shortly after, Dennis Tufano, who was the original lead singer of The Buckinghams, along with Giammarese, the band's guitarist, formed a duo called Tufano & Giammarese. They recorded three albums under that name.
The Buckinghams performing Don't You Care, which debuted on March 11, 1967 and peaked to #6.
In 1980, three of the original five Buckinghams (Tufano, Giammarese, and bassist Nick Fortuna) got back together to perform for ChicagoFest. Original drummer John Poulos passed away earlier in the year, and keyboardist Marty Grebb was not interested.
In 1983, Giammarese became the band's front man after Tufano decided to continue work on a film and solo career.
Touring full-time as The Buckinghams since 1983, Giammarese and Fortuna are joined by, in the current line-up, Dave Zane (guitar), Bruce Soboroff (keyboards), and Bruce "Rocky" Penn (drums).
The Buckinghams are also frequently accompanied by a horn section consisting of Carlo Isabelli (trumpet), Steve Frost (trumpet), Chuck Morgan (trombone), Jim Kaczmarek (tenor sax), and Kevin Flanigan (tenor sax).
A great interview from August 2009 with lead singer Carl Giammarese (right) and bassist Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams. They offer a wealth of history and background here. Giammarese, who was the guitarist for the original 1966-70 Buckinghams, became the band's front man in 1983.
I first saw The Buckinghams perform at Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee a few years back. They had opened for Tommy James and the Shondells. My second time seeing The Buckinghams took place this past August. They performed at the Wisconsin State Fair as part of the Happy Together Tour. For that show though, it was just Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna performing, as all the groups in the show used the same accompanying band.
A soft rock version of Kind of a Drag, recorded by the duo Tufano & Giammarese for their second album in 1975. The duo recorded a total of three albums through the 1970s.
You can see my photography and write-up of the Happy Together Tour's stop at Wisconsin State Fair here. My photography caught the attention of The Buckinghams' publicist, Dawn Lee Wakefield, who e-mailed me to compliment my work. We had some nice e-mail exchanges for a while, and that is sort of what prompted me to reach out recently to Carl for an interview.
Singer Carl Giammarese and bassist Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams performing Kind of a Drag in 2010 during the Happy Together Tour.
In addition to entertaining crowds with the original hits that first catapulted them onto the national scene, The Buckinghams continue to develop new material and recordings. Giammarese, who is also a song writer, continues to do so, as well, in a solo capacity.
The Buckinghams performing Don't You Care at Hoffman Estates Fest (Illinois) in July 2010.
To learn more about The Buckinghams and Carl Giammarese, visit these Web sites:
www.thebuckinghams.com
www.carlgiammarese.com
The Buckinghams performing their rendition of The Turtles' classic, Happy Together, at an Illinois festival in August 2009. Nick Fortuna's bass adds some nice kick to the song.
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