The Buckinghams

If everyone on the northwest side of Chicago who claims to have hung out with the Buckinghams during their heyday had faithfully bought all their releases, the rock group might have sold more records than the Beatles. Popular attractions while still in high school, the quintet changed its name from the Pulsations to the Buckinghams to reflect the British Invasion craze and signed with Chicagos USA Records in 1966. Backing Dennis Tufanos buoyant lead vocals with prominent harmonies and punchy soul-styled brass, the group came across the wistful "Kind of a Drag," and in short order, The Buckinghams had a million-selling pop chart-topper on their hands. They quickly graduated to recording for Columbia. As long as songwriter Jim Holvay supplied more material of the same high quality as "Kind of a Drag," the Buckinghams were sitting pretty. Holvay co-wrote "Dont You Care," "Hey Baby (Theyre Playing Our Song)," and the pseudo-psychedelic "Susan," and they all proved to be major hits for the band. The groups R and B roots surfaced on a vocal adaptation of Cannonball Adderleys jazz standard "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," their second-biggest hit.

But the Buckinghams fortunes soon changed drastically -- one of the top-selling rock groups of 1967, they managed only one hit after early 1968. Two original members, guitarist Carl Giammarese and bassist Nick Fortuna, have since revived the Buckinghams and began touring full-time again in 1982.

2. Not to be confused with the more famous Chicago hit-makers, The Buckinghams were a 1960s pop/beat band from Islington, North London, United Kingdom. They released two 45s on Pye Records: Ill Never Hurt You No More b/w She Lied (may 1965), quickly followed by To Be or Not To Be b/w I Was Your First Guy. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.