James Pankow

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James Carter Pankow (born August 20, 1947) is an American trombonist and songwriter who is best known as one of the founding members of the rock band Chicago.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Pankow moved with his family to Park Ridge, Illinois[link][link] at the age of eight, where he started playing the trombone at St. Paul of the Cross elementary school. Trombone had not been a first choice (saxophone, drums or guitar would have been more "cool"), but Pankow perservered, and developed as one of the greatest trombonists in recent memory.

One of nine siblings, Pankow was influenced by his father Wayne (also a musician) and his Notre Dame High School band instructor, Father George Wiskirchen. Pankow earned a full music scholarship to Quincy College, where he studied the bass trombone. After attending his freshman year, he returned home for the summer, took up the tenor horn again, formed a band, and played paying gigs. Not wanting to give up this work, Pankow transferred to DePaul University where he met and was recruited by Walter Parazaider, a founding member of what would later become Chicago. Pankow has been a member of the band since its inception.

In addition to playing the trombone, Pankow has composed many songs for Chicago including the hits "Make Me Smile" (from his suite "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon"), "Just You 'n Me," "(I've Been) Searching So Long," "Old Days," "Alive Again," "Bad Advice," "Follow Me," and (with Peter Cetera) "Feelin' Stronger Every Day." He has also done most of the band's brass arrangements over the years. Not a great singer, Pankow nonetheless managed two lead vocals for Chicago in the '70s ("You Are On My Mind" and "Till The End Of Time").

Pankow has been married twice. The first, to Karen (for whom he wrote "Just You 'n Me") lasted 20 years, and broke up about 1993 (a Pankow tune called "Here With Me" on the infamous Stone Of Sisyphus project acts as a bookend). He has recently remarried; he and his wife Jeannie have two children (between the two marriages, he has a total of four). His brother is actor John Pankow, best known as a co-star of the television series Mad About You.

Pankow has appeared on several albums for the rock band Toto, including the Grammy-winning Toto IV and their recently released album Falling In Between (for which he did the brass arrangements and performed on the song "Dying On My Feet").

External links

Chicago
Robert Lamm \| James Pankow \| Lee Loughnane \| Walter Parazaider \| Bill Champlin \| Jason Scheff \| Tris Imboden \| Keith Howland Terry Kath \| Peter Cetera \| Danny Seraphine \| Donnie Dacus \| Dawayne Bailey
Discography
Studio albums: The Chicago Transit Authority \| Chicago \| Chicago III \| Chicago V \| Chicago VI \|Chicago VII \| Chicago VIII \| Chicago X \| Chicago XI \| Hot Streets \| Chicago 13 \| Chicago XIV \| Chicago 16 \| Chicago 17 \| Chicago 18 \| Chicago 19 \| Twenty 1 \| Night & Day Big Band \| Chicago XXX
Live albums: Chicago at Carnegie Hall \|
Compilations: Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits \| Greatest Hits, Volume II \| Greatest Hits 1982-1989 \| The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 \| The Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume II \| \| Love Songs
Christmas albums: ' \| '
Box sets: The Box

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