Chicago Goes Into The Hall Of Fame

This Friday in Brooklyn, New York, Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller and N.W.A will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Each day this week we are are profiling those inductees. Today, it's Chicago. The band has been eligible for induction since 1994, but -- like Cheap Trick -- was not nominated until this year. They were the top vote-getter in the fan ballot, receiving more than 37-million votes, but there is speculation that some electronic shenanigans may have stuffed the ballot box. Formed in 1967, the group at first called itself The Big Thing, then the Chicago Transit Authority. When the actual CTA threatened a lawsuit in 1969, they shortened the name to Chicago. While there were horn-oriented bands before Chicago, most notably Blood, Sweat & Tears and the Electric Flag, none achieved nearly as much success -- 21 Top 10 singles and five number-one albums. The group has sold more than 100-million records - over 40-million in the U.S. alone -- and has 23 gold, 18 platinum and eight multi-platinum albums. Four of the seven original members are still in the band: Robert Lamm, Walt Parazaider, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane. They will all attend the induction ceremony, as will drummer Danny Serphine, who left in 1990. Original singer and bassist Peter Cetera refuses to attend, and guitarist Terry Kath died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1978. Friday's ceremony will be a bit of a homecoming for singer and keyboardist Lamm, who grew up in Brooklyn. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 will induct Chicago.