Terry Kath - 40 years

I was doing a little internet research the last few days regarding the band Chicago (mainly covering the early, more progressive/experimental period), and I noticed that the 40th anniversary of the horribly tragic and untimely death of guitarist Terry Kath was this coming Tuesday.

Man, what a loss. And what a fantastic under-appreciated guitarist. It always makes me sad to think of the lost potential this man never got to fulfill. But what he did leave is an outstanding body of work nonetheless. This is the guitarist of which Jimi Hendrix said "I may be good, but this cat blows me away."

Watch how he absolutely shreds the solo on "25 or 6 to 4" (starting at around 2:58). Hard to believe that sound is coming from that simple guitar set-up with the added wah pedal:



The first Chicago album showcased his talents on several songs, none more so than on "Poem 58":



Lastly, to emphasize his more sensitive side, is the Bossa Nova tinged "Byblos", which he wrote and contributed lead vocals as well as acoustic guitar.



Although he has been gone for 4 decades, this fantastic music will live forever.

And a great vocalist as well.



Terry Kath, Peter Cetera, horns only rivaled by Earth, Wind, & Fire, Chicago had it all. First Walkman I ever owned, first cassette I ever owned: Chicago's Greatest Hits.

Edit: I jumped the gun not reading your post all the way through. You did mention his vocal talents. But, hey, it's Chicago. The more the merrier, right?

a reply to: VictorVonDoom

I think "Beginnings" was sung by Robert Lamm, was it not? They had a similar baritone range, but Kath's voice was a little more rough. He was sometimes referred to as a white Ray Charles lol.

a reply to: Monsieur Neary

I could be wrong. It's late, too much tequila, but I have to bump a Chicago thread. Besides, Beginnings is one of my karaoke aces. I'll check into it tomorrow and see.

a reply to: Monsieur Neary

OK. I checked, you're right, Robert Lamm. Kath is definitely an underrated guitarist. I can go to bed now.

a reply to: Monsieur Neary


Not wanting to hijack the thread but another " great " we lost just over 40 years ago was Paul Kossoff of " Free "

Kossofff has been stated to be the greatest influence on artists such as Slash and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gary Rossington amongst others