BENTON HARBOR — It took just one song to catapult a Chicago band rehearsing in their parents’ basement to the number one 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.
Still performing their signature big horn songs all over North America, The Buckinghams will rock the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Mainstage on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m.
Combining pop music with brass sound made the Buckinghams a standout band starting with their first recording, “Kind of a Drag.”
With other hit singles like “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.
That was not an easy feat considering it was the time of the British rock band invasion and the challenging and changing musical scene.
The original name of the band was The Pulsations when they were working as the house band on WGN-TV’s variety show called All-Time Hits.
The show’s producers suggested they change their 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 over 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 they headlined the entertainment for the Bipartisan Illinois Agricultural Ball for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Their music has been reissued by Sony/Legacy.