Combining pop music with brass sound, The Buckinghams bring its signature big horn songs to the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Mainstage at 7 p.m. Nov. 5.
It took just one song to catapult the members of this Chicago band from rehearsals in their parents’ basement to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart and an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
In 1966, Billboard Magazine declared The Buckinghams to be the most listened to band in America.
This standout group started with its first recording, “Kind of a Drag.”  With other hit singles such as “Don’t You Care,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song” and “Susan,” The Buckinghams were a dominating band on the top 40 pop charts in the 1960s amid the British rock band invasion and a challenging and changing musical scene.
The original name of the band was The Pulsations and worked as the house band on WGN-TV’s variety “All-Time Hits.”
The show’s producers suggested the group change its name to have a British flair. A security guard at the station suggested The Buckinghams and the rest is history.
Original founding members Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna still keep the music of The Buckinghams alive more than 40 years later, performing, recording and creating new music.
In 2009, The Buckinghams were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
The same year, the group headlined the entertainment for the Bipartisan Illinois Agricultural Ball for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
The Buckinghams’ music has been reissued by Sony/Legacy as part of its Legacy Music Series. New releases include “Reaching Back,” “The Joy of Christmas” and “Up Close,” which was recorded during a live concert performed at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind.
Today, the group is on the road as part of the 2011 Happy Together Tour, joining the Turtles, the Grass Roots, Micky Dolenz and Mark Lindsay on the 25th anniversary of this national tour.
Tickets are available by calling (269) 927-1221 or visiting lmcmainstage.org. Students and seniors 60 and older receive 10 percent off single-ticket prices.  Groups of 20 or more receive a 15 percent savings on ticket prices.  For further information about group rates and special arrangements, call the group coordinator at (269) 927-8109 or email questions to groups@lakemichigancollege.edu. 

If you go

What: The Buckinghams
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 5
Where: Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Mainstage
Tickets: Call (269) 927-1221 or visit lmcmainstage.org. Students and seniors 60 and older receive 10 percent off single-ticket prices.  Groups of 20 or more receive a 15 percent savings on ticket prices.  Call the group coordinator at (269) 927-8109 or email questions to groups@lakemichigancollege.edu.