Terry Kath

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Terry Alan Kath (born January 31, 1946 in Chicago , Illinois , † January 23, 1978 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American musician.

He was a founding member, guitarist and singer of the rock band Chicago . He died in 1978, a few days before his 32nd birthday, of an unintentional gunshot wound.

Life

As a teenager, Kath taught herself to play the guitar. His templates were recordings by jazz guitarists such as Wes Montgomery and Howard Roberts . In the early 1960s he played in his first rock band "The Mystics", then "Jimmy Rice and the Gentlemen" and "Jimmy Ford and the Executives".

In 1967 Kath founded a band called "The Big Thing" with his friends Walter Parazaider (saxophone) and Danny Seraphine (drums), which soon became "The Chicago Transit Authority". Other band members were Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone), Robert Lamm (keyboards) and Peter Cetera (bass). After the release of their debut album, they only called themselves "Chicago".

Until his death, Kath contributed significantly to the unmistakable sound of Chicago, both through his innovative guitar technique and his singing. Examples of this are his composition "Introduction" on the first album "The Chicago Transit Authority" as well as the pieces "Liberation" and "Questions 67 & 68".

Kath owned around 20 guitars, including a Gibson SG , a Fender Stratocaster and a 1969 Les Paul "Personal" .

death

Despite increasing alcohol and drug problems, Terry Kath's death had a different cause. On the afternoon of January 23, 1978 around 5 p.m. Kath, interested in weapons, began cleaning his 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol at his home in Los Angeles. To reassure the roadie Don Johnson who was present , he said: "Don't worry, it's not loaded," put the pistol to his temple and pulled the trigger - with fatal consequences.

Terry Kath was buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale , California . Kath had been married to Camelia since 1974. In 1976 their daughter Michelle was born. Camelia later married Kiefer Sutherland .

Discography with Chicago

  • 1969 The Chicago Transit Authority
  • 1970 Chicago (later referred to as Chicago II )
  • 1971 Chicago III
  • 1971 Chicago at Carnegie Hall
  • 1972 Chicago V
  • 1973 Chicago VI
  • 1974 Chicago VII
  • 1975 Chicago VIII
  • 1975 Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits
  • 1976 Chicago X
  • 1977 Chicago XI

In 1996 a tribute album, The Innovative Guitar of Terry Kath , was released with pieces from various Chicago albums.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kath, Terry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kath, Terry Alan (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American rock musician (guitarist)
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH January 23, 1978
Place of death Los Angeles , California