Editing Chicago (band) (section)

=== 1970s: ''Chicago'' ===
[[File:Chicago band 1973.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Chicago circa 1973]]
In 1970, less than a year after its first album, the band released a second album, titled ''[[Chicago (album)|Chicago]]'' (retroactively known as ''Chicago II''), which is another double-LP. The album's centerpiece track is a seven-part, 13-minute [[suite (music)|suite]] composed by Pankow called "[[Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon]]". The suite yielded two top ten hits: "[[Make Me Smile]]" (No.&nbsp;9 U.S.) and "[[Colour My World (Chicago song)|Colour My World]]",<ref name= BBChicagoHot100 /> both sung by Kath. Among the other tracks on the album: Lamm's dynamic but cryptic "[[25 or 6 to 4]]" (Chicago's first Top 5 hit),<ref name=BBChicagoHot100 /> which is a reference to a songwriter trying to write at 25 or 26 minutes before 4 o'clock in the morning,<ref>{{cite interview|last=Lamm|first=Robert|subject-link=Robert Lamm|interviewer=Devon Maloney|title=Chicago Comes to Agganis|url=http://www.bu.edu/today/2009/chicago-comes-to-agganis/|work=BU Today|publisher=Boston University|location=Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.|date=June 15, 2009|access-date=February 13, 2017|quote=It's a reference to time. It's a song about writing the song, and I looked at my watch while I was writing and it was 25 minutes to four in the morning, or maybe 26.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214003435/http://www.bu.edu/today/2009/chicago-comes-to-agganis/|archive-date=February 14, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Seraphine" />{{rp|109}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=949|title=CRR Interview – Chicago's Lee Loughnane: Feelin' Stronger Everyday|last=Wright|first=Jeb|publisher=classicrockrevisited.com|access-date=February 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081447/http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=949|archive-date=February 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and was sung by Cetera with [[Terry Kath]] on guitar; the lengthy war-protest song "It Better End Soon"; and, at the end, Cetera's [[Apollo 11|1969 Moon landing]]-inspired "[[Where Do We Go from Here (Chicago song)|Where Do We Go from Here?]]"<ref name=Ruhlmannp4>{{cite AV media notes|title= Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set)|year= 1991|url= http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_4.html|page= 4|access-date= February 10, 2017|first= William James|last= Ruhlmann|format= CD booklet archived online|publisher= Columbia Records|location= New York City, NY|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171024112742/http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_4.html|archive-date= October 24, 2017|url-status=live|df= mdy-all}}</ref> The double-LP album's inner cover includes the playlist, the entire lyrics to "It Better End Soon", and two declarations: "This endeavor should be experienced sequentially", and, "With this album, we dedicate ourselves, our futures and our energies to the people of the revolution. And the revolution in all of its forms."<ref name= "Chicago album">{{Cite AV media notes |title=[[Chicago (album)]]|last=Chicago|year=1970 |type=Vinyl LP cover liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=KGP 24 CS 9962 XSM 151734 |location=U.S.A. }}</ref> The album was a commercial success, rising to number four on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref name= "Chicago Billboard 200" /> and was certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)]] in 1970, and platinum in 1991.<ref name="RIAA Gold & Platinum">{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/|title=Gold & Platinum |work=RIAA|access-date=September 25, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209113439/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=EMMYLOU+HARRIS&ti=ELITE+HOTEL|archive-date=February 9, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The band was nominated for two Grammy Awards as a result of this album, [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus]].<ref name="grammy awards Chicago" />

''[[Chicago III]]'', another double LP, was released in 1971 and charted at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name= "Chicago Billboard 200" /> Two singles were released from it: "[[Free (Chicago song)|Free]]" from Lamm's "Travel Suite", which charted at No. 20 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]];<ref name= BBChicagoHot100 /> and "[[Lowdown (Chicago song)|Lowdown]]", written by Cetera and Seraphine, which made it to No. 35.<ref name= BBChicagoHot100 /> The album was certified gold by the RIAA in February 1971, and platinum in November 1986.<ref name="RIAA Gold & Platinum" />

The band released LPs at a rate of at least one album per year from their third album in 1971 on through the 1970s. During this period, the group's album titles primarily consisted of the band's name followed by a [[Roman numeral]], indicating the album's sequence in their canon. The exceptions to this scheme were the band's fourth album, a live [[box set|boxed set]] entitled ''[[Chicago at Carnegie Hall]]'', their twelfth album ''[[Hot Streets]]'', and the [[Arabic numeral|Arabic-numbered]] ''[[Chicago 13]]''. While the live album itself did not bear a number, the four discs within the set were numbered Volumes I through IV.

In 1971, the band released ''[[Chicago at Carnegie Hall]] Volumes I, II, III, and IV'', a quadruple LP, consisting of live performances, mostly of music from their first three albums, from a week-long run at [[Carnegie Hall]]. Chicago was the first rock act to sell out a week at Carnegie Hall and the live recording was made to chronicle that milestone.<ref name= Ruhlmannp5 /> Along with the four vinyl discs, the packaging contained some strident political messaging about how "We [youth] can change the System", including wall posters and voter registration information.<ref>{{cite news |title=the akron |newspaper=Los Angeles Times  |date=November 6, 1971 |page=6(Part 1)(advertisement) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14076637/the_los_angeles_times/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=September 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929232016/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14076637/the_los_angeles_times/ |archive-date=September 29, 2017 |url-status=live  }}{{free access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mendoza |first=Henry |title='Chicago at Carnegie Hall' Called Superb |newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun |date=November 9, 1971 |page=A-13 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14078340/the_san_bernardino_county_sun/ |access-date=September 29, 2017 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929231940/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14078340/the_san_bernardino_county_sun/ |archive-date=September 29, 2017 |url-status=live  }}{{free access}}</ref> The album went gold "out of the box" and on to multi-platinum status.<ref name= Ruhlmannp5 /> William James Ruhlmann says ''Chicago at Carnegie Hall'' was "perhaps" the best-selling box set by a rock act and held that record for 15 years.<ref name= Ruhlmannp5 /> In recognition of setting Carnegie Hall records and the ensuing four-LP live recordings, the group was awarded a ''Billboard'' 1972 Trendsetter Award.<ref name="Trendsetter Award">{{cite magazine|date=December 25, 1971|title=Talent in Action: Billboard 1972 Trendsetter Awards|magazine=Billboard|location=New York, NY|publisher=Billboard Publications, Inc.|volume=83|number=52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52|page=TA-4, TA-20|via=Google Books|access-date=October 20, 2017|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055453/https://books.google.com/books?id=SQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52|url-status=live}}</ref> Drummer Danny Seraphine attributes the fact that none of Chicago's first four albums were issued on single LPs to the productive creativity of this period and the length of the jazz-rock pieces.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Seraphine |first=Danny |subject-link=Danny Seraphine |interviewer=Tom Schulte |title=Danny Seraphine on Outsight Radio Hours |url=https://archive.org/download/SeraphineDannyOnORH |format=audio |publisher=Archive.org |date=September 22, 2013 |time=12:11 |access-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320024210/https://archive.org/download/SeraphineDannyOnORH |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

In 1972, the band released its first single-disc release, ''[[Chicago V]]'', which reached No. 1 on both the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop<ref name= "Chicago Billboard 200" /> and jazz album charts.{{Citation needed|reason=Can't find this album on 1972 Billboard jazz album charts.|date=September 2017}} It features "[[Saturday in the Park (song)|Saturday in the Park]]", written by Robert Lamm, which mixes everyday life and political yearning in a more subtle way. It peaked at No.&nbsp;3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2041&Itemid=52|title=Billboard Magazine (USA) Weekly Single Charts From 1972|website=Hits of All Decades|publisher=Designs with Hope|access-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207045915/http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2041&Itemid=52|archive-date=February 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://weeklytop40.wordpress.com/1972-all-charts/|title=1972: all charts|website=Weekly Top 40|date=December 31, 1972 |publisher=Eagle Media/JTMichaelson|access-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308153829/https://weeklytop40.wordpress.com/1972-all-charts/|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The second single released from the album was the Lamm-composed "[[Dialogue (Part I & II)]]", which featured a musical "debate" between a political activist (sung by Kath) and a blasé college student (sung by Cetera). It peaked at No. 24 on the Hot 100 chart.<ref name= BBChicagoHot100 />
[[File:Chicago 1975 press photo.jpg |thumb|right|upright=1.25|Chicago circa 1975.]]
Other albums and singles followed in each of the succeeding years. 1973's ''[[Chicago VI]]'' was the first of several albums to include Brazilian jazz percussionist [[Laudir de Oliveira]]<ref name=Ruhlmannp7/> and saw Cetera emerge as the main lead singer. According to William James Ruhlmann, de Oliveira was a "sideman" on ''Chicago VI'' and became an official member of the group in 1974.<ref name=Ruhlmannp7/> ''Chicago VI'' featured two top ten singles,<ref name="BBChicagoHot100" /> "[[Just You 'n' Me]]", written by Pankow, and "[[Feelin' Stronger Every Day]]", written by Pankow and Cetera. ''[[Chicago VII]]'' was the band's double-disc 1974 release. Three singles were released from this album: "[[(I've Been) Searchin' So Long]]", written by Pankow, and "[[Call on Me (Chicago song)|Call On Me]]", written by Loughnane, which both made it into the top ten;<ref name="BBChicagoHot100" /> and [[the Beach Boys]]-infused "[[Wishing You Were Here]]", written by Cetera, which peaked at number eleven.<ref name="BBChicagoHot100" /> Writing for ''Billboard'' magazine, [[Joel Whitburn]] reported in October 1974 that the group had seven albums, its entire catalog at the time, on the ''Billboard'' 200 simultaneously, placing them seventh in a list of artists in that category.<ref name=Whitburn /> Their 1975 release, ''[[Chicago VIII]]'', featured the political allegory "[[Harry Truman (song)|Harry Truman]]" (No. 13, Top 100 chart) and the nostalgic Pankow-composed "[[Old Days]]" (No. 5, Top 100 chart).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://weeklytop40.wordpress.com/1975-all-charts/|title=1975: all charts|website=Weekly Top 40|date=December 31, 1975 |publisher=Eagle Media/JTMichaelson|access-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308192720/https://weeklytop40.wordpress.com/1975-all-charts/|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2156&Itemid=52|title=Billboard Magazine (USA) Weekly Single Charts From 1975|website=Hits of All Decades|publisher=Designs with Hope|access-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207045915/http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2156&Itemid=52|archive-date=February 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> That summer also saw a joint tour across America with the Beach Boys,<ref name=Ruhlmannp7>{{cite AV media notes|title=Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set)|year=1991|url=http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_7.html|page=7|access-date=January 29, 2016|first=William James|last=Ruhlmann|format=CD booklet archived online|publisher=Columbia Records|location=New York City, NY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213222057/http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_7.html|archive-date=February 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> with the two acts performing separately, then coming together for a finale.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/14/archives/chicago-and-the-beach-boys-combined.html|title=Chicago and the Beach Boys, Combined|last=Rockwell|first=John|date=June 14, 1975|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 23, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824052149/http://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/14/archives/chicago-and-the-beach-boys-combined.html|archive-date=August 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Chicago VI'', ''VII'', and ''VIII'' all made it to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref name="Chicago Billboard 200" /> all were certified gold the years they were released, and all have since been certified platinum. ''Chicago VI'' was certified two times multi-platinum in 1986.<ref name="Gold & Platinum by Artist">{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=awards_by_artist#search_section|title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA: Search by Artist|work=RIAA|access-date=July 26, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216204505/http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=awards_by_artist#search_section|archive-date=December 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits]]'' was released in 1975 and became the band's fifth consecutive No. 1 album on the ''Billboard'' 200''.<ref name="Chicago Billboard 200" />''

1976's ''[[Chicago X]]'' features Cetera's ballad "[[If You Leave Me Now]]", which held the top spot in the U.S. charts for two weeks<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1976/hot-100|title=The Hot 100 – 1976 Archive Charts Archive|newspaper=Billboard|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126045038/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1976/hot-100|archive-date=November 26, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and the UK charts for three weeks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19761107/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 50 {{!}} Official Charts Company for Nov 7, 1976|website=www.officialcharts.com|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081240/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19761107/7501/|archive-date=February 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the group's first No. 1 single,<ref name= Ruhlmannp7 /> and won Chicago their only [[Grammy Award]] to date,<ref name="Grammy Winners Database">{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=Chicago&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=Al|title=Grammy Winners Database|publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences|access-date=January 2, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322031010/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards?artist=Chicago&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=Al|archive-date=March 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the 1976 [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus]], at the [[19th Annual Grammy Awards]] held on February 19, 1977.<ref name="19th Annual Grammy Awards">{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/awards/19th-annual-grammy-awards|title=19th Annual Grammy Awards|access-date=January 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129081802/http://www.grammy.com/awards/19th-annual-grammy-awards|archive-date=January 29, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The single was certified gold by the RIAA the same year of its release.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=CHICAGO&ti=IF+YOU+LEAVE+ME+NOW|title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA: If You Leave Me Now (single)|work=RIAA|access-date=September 24, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022100139/http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Chicago&ti=If+You+Leave+Me+Now|archive-date=October 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The song almost did not make the cut for the album.<ref name= Ruhlmannp7 /> "If You Leave Me Now" was recorded at the last minute. The success of the song, according to William James Ruhlmann, foreshadowed a later reliance on ballads.<ref name= Ruhlmannp7 /> The album reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref name= "Chicago Billboard 200" /> was certified both gold and platinum by the RIAA the same year of its release and two times multi-platinum since,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=CHICAGO&ti=CHICAGO+X |title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA: Chicago X|work=RIAA|access-date=September 24, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715033619/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=CHICAGO&ti=CHICAGO+X|archive-date=July 15, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and was also nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]].<ref name="grammy awards Chicago" /> 1976 was the first year that albums were certified platinum by the RIAA.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thebalance.com/platinum-album-certification-explained-2460607|title=When Does an Album Actually Go Platinum?|last=McDonald|first=Heather|date=April 22, 2017|work=The Balance|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208003709/https://www.thebalance.com/platinum-album-certification-explained-2460607|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In honor of the group's platinum album achievement, Columbia Records that year awarded the group a 25-pound bar of pure platinum, made by [[Cartier (jeweler)|Cartier]].<ref name="Rolling Stone Platinum">{{cite news|last=Young|first=Charles M.|title=Random Notes: Rolling Stone: Capitol out of Lennon suit|newspaper=Tallahassee Democrat|date=December 8, 1976|page=26|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15626604/tallahassee_democrat/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208004125/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15626604/tallahassee_democrat/|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=live}} {{free access}}</ref> (''Billboard'' magazine reported it as a 30-pound bar.)<ref name="Billboard photo">{{cite magazine|date=December 4, 1976|title=Platinum All the Way (photo caption)|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|volume=88|issue=49|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14|page=4|access-date=December 6, 2017|via=Google Books|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055453/https://books.google.com/books?id=ASUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14|url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|group=Note|name="Pt bar"|Although ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' reporter Charles M. Young wrote that Chicago was awarded the platinum bar because it was the first band to receive platinum album certification for Columbia Records,<ref name="Rolling Stone Platinum"/> this was not the case. ''Chicago X'' was certified platinum on September 4, 1976, but [[Aerosmith]]'s album, [[Rocks (Aerosmith album)|''Rocks'']], also on Columbia Records, was certified platinum on July 9, 1976, before it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Aerosmith#search_section|title=Gold & Platinum: Aerosmith|website=RIAA|access-date=January 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826014259/http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Aerosmith#search_section|archive-date=August 26, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Aerosmith's First Certified Platinum Album|date=July 24, 1976|magazine=Billboard|pages=12, 13 (Two page advertisement)|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1976/Billboard%201976-07-24.pdf|access-date=January 22, 2019|via=americanradiohistory.com}}</ref> ''Billboard'' reported that the platinum bar was awarded in recognition of the group's ten platinum albums.<ref name="Billboard photo"/> ''Billboard''{{'}}s account seems more likely in consideration of the two-full-pages advertisement Columbia placed in the June 12, 1976, issue of ''Record World'' announcing, " 'Chicago X.' Their tenth platinum album, on Columbia records and tapes."<ref>{{cite magazine |title= America's favorite. Ask for it by name. |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Record-World/70s/76/RW-1976-06-12.pdf#page=12/ |magazine=Record World| publisher=Bob Austin |pages=12–13 (Two-full-pages advertisement for ''Chicago X'') |date=June 12, 1976 |volume=32 |number=1512 |via=AmericanRadioHistory.com|access-date=March 18, 2019 }}</ref> The albums released prior to 1976, however, were not actually certified platinum by the RIAA until 1986.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=CBS gets Pre-1976 Certs: 132 Honors Issued|last=Grein|first=Paul|date=December 13, 1986|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ICUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4|pages=4, 67|access-date=January 22, 2019|via=Google books|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055453/https://books.google.com/books?id=ICUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4|url-status=live}}</ref>}} At the [[American Music Awards of 1977|4th Annual American Music Awards]], a fan-voted awards show,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theamas.com/about/|title=About {{!}} American Music Awards|work=American Music Awards|access-date=October 2, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901170315/https://www.theamas.com/about/|archive-date=September 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> held January 31, 1977, Chicago won the award for [[American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group|Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group]], the group's first of two American Music Awards they have received.<ref name="AMA Winner Database">{{cite web|url=http://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=%22Chicago%22&winnerYear=&winnerCategory=|title=American Music Awards Winners Database|access-date=January 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207045915/http://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=%22Chicago%22&winnerYear=&winnerCategory=|archive-date=February 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

The group's 1977 release, ''[[Chicago XI]]'', includes Cetera's ballad "[[Baby, What a Big Surprise]]", a No. 4 U.S. hit which became the group's last top 10 hit of the decade.<ref name=BBChicagoHot100 /> ''Chicago XI'' performed well commercially, peaking at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref name= "Chicago Billboard 200" /> and reaching platinum status during the year of its release.<ref name="Gold & Platinum by Artist" /> On October 17, 1977, during the intermission of an [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]] concert, [[Madison Square Garden]] announced its new [[Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award|Gold Ticket Award]], to be given to performers who had brought the venue over 100,000 in unit ticket sales.<ref name="BB Oct29_1977">{{cite magazine|date=October 29, 1977|title=Box Office Gold Ticket|magazine=Billboard|location=USA|publisher=Lee Zhito|volume=89|number=43|page=35|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=akUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42|via=Google books|access-date=March 30, 2019|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055454/https://books.google.com/books?id=akUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cash Box Nov5_77">{{cite magazine |date=November 5, 1977 |title=WNEW Gets Madison Square Garden Award |magazine= Cash Box |location= USA|publisher=George Albert |volume=XXXIX |number=25|page=16|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-11-05.pdf|via=americanradiohistory.com|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> Because the arena has a seating capacity of about 20,000,<ref name="MSG SeatGeek">{{cite web|url=https://seatgeek.com/tba/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-madison-square-garden/|title=The Ultimate Guide to Madison Square Garden|last=Bunt|first=Angela|date=April 30, 2018|website=SeatGeek|access-date=March 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330015723/https://seatgeek.com/tba/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-madison-square-garden/|archive-date=March 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> this would require a minimum of five sold-out shows there. Chicago was one of at least eleven other acts that were eligible for the award,<ref name="BB Oct29_1977"/> and weeks later, at its October 28, 1977, Madison Square Garden concert,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/29/archives/chicago-a-supremely-confident-rock-band.html|title=Chicago a Supremely Confident Rock Band|last=Palmer|first=Robert|date=October 29, 1977|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 29, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329212203/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/29/archives/chicago-a-supremely-confident-rock-band.html|archive-date=March 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Chicago was one of the first acts to receive the award for drawing over 180,000 people to the venue in nine sold-out appearances there over the years.<ref name= "MSG Gold Ticket Byrom">{{cite news |last=Byrom |first=Sue |title=The Current Scene: Chicago's Golden Ticket to Ride |newspaper=Scrantonian |location=Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA |date=February 5, 1978 |page=20 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30088798/the_scrantonian/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221341/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30088798/the_scrantonian/ |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |url-status=live  }}{{free access}}</ref><ref name="Cash Box Nov12_77">{{cite magazine |date=November 12, 1977 |title=New York Hosts Chicago |magazine= Cash Box |location= USA|publisher=George Albert |volume=XXXIX |number=26|pages=38|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-11-12.pdf#page=38|via=americanradiohistory.com}}</ref> [[Cashbox (magazine)|''Cashbox'']] reviewer Ken Terry said of the 1977 Madison Square Garden concert, "Chicago ultimately presents itself in the best light with AM-oriented, good-time music. Its fans are not looking for complicated, introverted songs; they want music to drive to, dance to and work to."<ref name="Terry Nov12_77">{{cite magazine |last=Terry|first=Ken|date=November 12, 1977 |title=Talent: Chicago |magazine= Cash Box |location= USA|publisher=George Albert |volume=XXXIX |number=26|page=54|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-11-12.pdf#page=54|via=americanradiohistory.com}}</ref>

Besides recording and touring, during the busy 1970s, Chicago also made time for a movie appearance and several television appearances of note. In 1972, Guercio produced and directed ''[[Electra Glide in Blue]]'', a film about an [[Arizona]] motorcycle policeman. Released in 1973, the film stars [[Robert Blake (actor)|Robert Blake]] and features Cetera, Kath, Loughnane, and Parazaider in supporting roles.<ref name="afi.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=54789|title=Detail view of Movies Page: Electra Glide in Blue|publisher=afi.com|access-date=January 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013063656/http://www.afi.com/members//catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=54789|archive-date=October 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The group also appears prominently on the film's [[movie soundtrack|soundtrack]]. Chicago made its "television variety debut" in February 1973 when they were the only rock musicians invited to appear on a television special honoring [[Duke Ellington]], ''Duke Ellington... We Love You Madly'', which aired on [[CBS]]. They performed the Ellington composition, "Jump for Joy".<ref name="Billboard 85 2 p16">{{cite magazine|date=January 13, 1973|title=From The Music Capitals of the World: New York|magazine=Billboard|location=New York, NY|publisher=Billboard Publications, Inc.|volume=85|number=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16|page=16|via=Google Books|access-date=October 15, 2017|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055454/https://books.google.com/books?id=MwkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Zonkel|first=Phillip|title=Hard habit to break: The men of Chicago just can't stop making new music|newspaper=Lancaster Eagle-Gazette|location=Lancaster, Ohio, USA|date=September 18, 1995|page=5, "CoverSTORY" section|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15020655/lancaster_eaglegazette/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=November 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111041813/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15020655/lancaster_eaglegazette/|archive-date=November 11, 2017|url-status=live}}{{free access}}</ref><ref name="Billboard 85 6 p17">{{cite magazine|date=February 10, 1973|title=Duke Ellington ...We Love You Madly|magazine=Billboard|location=New York, NY|publisher=Billboard Publications, Inc.|volume=85|number=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|page=17|via=Google Books|access-date=October 15, 2017|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055454/https://books.google.com/books?id=NgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 1973, the group starred in a half-hour television special produced by [[Dick Clark]], ''Chicago in the Rockies'', which aired in [[prime time]] on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The show was filmed on location at [[Caribou Ranch]], the 3,000-acre ranch-turned-recording studio located outside of [[Boulder, Colorado]], owned by Chicago's producer, James William Guercio. The only musical guest on the show was [[Al Green]], who was rated the number-one male vocalist of 1972, and whom ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine named "Rock and Roll Star of the Year".<ref name="Martin 1973">{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Bob |title=Al Green on rock special |newspaper=Independent |location=Long Beach, California, USA |date=July 17, 1973 |page=C20 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14426501/independent/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016014935/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14426501/independent/ |archive-date=October 16, 2017 |url-status=live  }}{{free access}}</ref> That special was followed by a second hour-long special the next year, ''Chicago ... Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch'', which aired in prime time on ABC in August 1974. ''Chicago ... Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch'' was again shot on location at Caribou Ranch and was again produced by Dick Clark. Singer [[Anne Murray]] and country music star [[Charlie Rich]] were guests on the show.<ref name="Corsicana 1974">{{cite news |title='Chicago' Special Recreates Silent Flicks With Music |newspaper=Corsicana Daily Sun |location=Corsicana, Texas, USA |date=August 11, 1974 |page=16 (television listing supplement) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14427042/corsicana_daily_sun/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016014341/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14427042/corsicana_daily_sun/ |archive-date=October 16, 2017 |url-status=live  }}{{free access}}</ref> Clark produced a third television special starring Chicago, ''[[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve|Chicago's New Year's Rockin' Eve 1975]]'', which aired on ABC on December 31, 1974. Musical guests on the {{frac|1|1|2}}-hour-long show included [[the Beach Boys]], [[the Doobie Brothers]], [[Olivia Newton-John]], and [[Herbie Hancock]]. It was the third ''Rockin' Eve'' Clark had produced, and it competed with [[Guy Lombardo]]'s traditional [[New Year's Eve]] television show which aired on a different network and was in its 45th consecutive year of broadcast. Clark hoped the ''Rockin' Eve'' format would become an "annual TV custom".<ref name="Clark v Lombardo new year">{{cite news|last=Harris|first=Harry|title=It's Clark Vs. Lombardo at Midnight|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA|date=December 31, 1974|page=3-C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15069750/the_philadelphia_inquirer/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113060252/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15069750/the_philadelphia_inquirer/|archive-date=November 13, 2017|url-status=live}}{{free access}}</ref>

==== Death of Terry Kath and transition ====
The year 1978 began with a split with Guercio.<ref name= Ruhlmannp7 /> Chicago had recorded its last five studio albums ''Chicago VI'', ''VII'', ''VIII'', ''X'', and ''XI,''<ref name="Ruhlmannp6">{{cite AV media notes|title=Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set)|year=1991|url=http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_6.html|page=6|access-date=October 15, 2016|first=William James|last=Ruhlmann|format=CD booklet archived online|publisher=Columbia Records|location=New York City, NY|quote=the sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth and eleventh albums were done up at Caribou Ranch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313205646/http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_6.html|archive-date=March 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and had made two television specials at Guercio's Caribou Ranch. In later years, band members cited Guercio's purchase of Caribou Ranch, more particularly their realization that Guercio had enough money to purchase Caribou Ranch, as a contributing factor to their disillusionment with him as a producer. They felt he had taken advantage of them financially.<ref name="Seraphine" />{{rp|131}}<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Pardini, Peter (Director) |year=2016 | title=Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago |medium=Documentary film |time=Part VII: I'd Rather Be Rich | location=USA | publisher=Chicago }}</ref> Then on January 23 of that same year, Kath died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound from a gun he thought was unloaded.<ref name= Ruhlmannp8>{{cite AV media notes|title=Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set)|year=1991|url=http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_8.html|page=8|access-date=February 9, 2017|first=William James|last=Ruhlmann|format=CD booklet archived online|publisher=Columbia Records|location=New York City, NY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116085147/http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_8.html|archive-date=January 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/terry-kath-strange-rock-deaths/|title=Terry Kath--Accidentally Shot Himself|date=November 2, 2012 |publisher=Ultimateclassicrock.com|access-date=December 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222161230/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/terry-kath-strange-rock-deaths/|archive-date=December 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Doc Severinsen]], who was the bandleader for ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' at the time and a friend of the group, visited them after Kath's funeral and encouraged them to continue. According to writer Jim Jerome, the visit "snapped them back" and helped them make the decision to carry on.<ref name=People1978>Jerome, Jim (October 16, 1978). [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071963,00.html "Chicago's 'Alive Again{{'"}}] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427222113/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071963,00.html |date=April 27, 2016}}. ''[[People Weekly]]''. Retrieved February 9, 2017.</ref>

After auditioning over 30 potential replacements for Kath, Chicago decided upon guitarist and singer-songwriter [[Donnie Dacus]].<ref name=People1978 /><ref name= Ruhlmannp8 /> While filming for the musical ''[[Hair (movie)|Hair]]'', he joined the band in April 1978 just in time to record the ''[[Hot Streets]]'' album.<ref name=People1978 /> Its energetic lead-off single, "[[Alive Again (Chicago song)|Alive Again]]", brought Chicago back to the Top 15;<ref name=BBChicagoHot100 /> Pankow wrote it "originally as a love song but ultimately as recognition of Kath's guiding spirit shining down from above".<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=The Box |title-link=The Box (Chicago album) |author=Chicago |year=2003 |publisher=[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Records]]}}</ref>

The 1978 album ''Hot Streets'' was produced by [[Phil Ramone]].<ref name=People1978 /><ref name= Ruhlmannp8 /> It was Chicago's first album with a title rather than a number; and was the band's first LP to have a picture of the band (shot by photographer [[Norman Seeff]])<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title= Hot Streets|year= 1978|url= http://aln2.albumlinernotes.com/Hot_Streets.html|access-date= February 9, 2017|format= album liner notes archived online|publisher= Columbia Records|location= New York City, NY|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080602/http://aln2.albumlinernotes.com/Hot_Streets.html|archive-date= February 11, 2017|url-status=live|df= mdy-all}}</ref> featured prominently on the cover (with the ubiquitous logo downsized).<ref name=People1978 /><ref name= Ruhlmannp8 /> These two moves were seen by many as indications that the band had changed following Kath's death.<ref name=People1978 /> To a degree, the band returned to the old naming scheme on its subsequent releases, although most titles now bore [[Arabic numerals]] rather than Roman numerals. ''Hot Streets'', the band's 12th album, peaked at No. 12 on the [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'' charts]];<ref name= "Chicago Billboard 200" /> it was Chicago's first release since their debut to fail to make the Top 10. According to Jeff Giles, "Although Chicago quickly soldiered on [after Kath's death], releasing their ''Hot Streets'' album with new guitarist Donnie Dacus that October, it was impossible not to notice the loss of momentum."<ref name=":10" /> The release also marked a move somewhat away from the jazz-rock direction favored by Kath and towards more pop songs and ballads. Dacus stayed with the band through the 1979 album ''[[Chicago 13]]'',<ref name= Ruhlmannp8 /> and is also featured in a promotional video on the DVD included in the [[Rhino Records]] Chicago box set from 2003. Again produced by Ramone, it was the group's first studio album not to contain a Top 40 hit. Dacus departed from the band following the conclusion of the concert tour in support of ''Chicago 13'', in 1980.<ref name="Sweet home Chicago">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/sweet-home-chicago/article_4eb8638c-f2d4-11e5-b4d6-fb882c3cae3a.html|title=Sweet home Chicago|last=Smith|first=Matt|date=March 26, 2016|work=[[Cleburne Times-Review]]|access-date=July 15, 2018|publisher=Kay Helms|location=Cleburne, Texas, U.S.A.|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116050138/https://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/sweet-home-chicago/article_4eb8638c-f2d4-11e5-b4d6-fb882c3cae3a.html|archive-date=November 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>