James Pankow Musicians Hall of Fame Backstage, Chicago. 

James Pankow's horn arrangements on the early classic Chicago albums were extraordinary, arrangements you could actually sing along to, and I find it impossible to imagine any of those songs without them.

My God, I’m watching this interview again for the twentieth time, at least, and it’s just as entertaining as it ever was. James has such an enthusiasm in his retelling of the story that he’s magnetic. And Joe, ever the gentleman, gently prods James in the desired direction and just lets him go, staying out of the way so the narrative can evolve as James remembers it. It’s perfection in journalism and oral history. RIP Joe Chambers, you were a class act. 👍

Goodness gracious, great trombone on fire! I just saw Chicago at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas, Feb 24, 2023!!!! I am 62 years old and consider it one of my all time favorite concerts. My husband was so sentimental over the lyrics and memories. I was impressed by the professionalism, skills and genuine enjoyment shown by the band. The energy of all band members is impressive. We are not spring chickens anymore. A body of work to be proud of for sure!

I kind of liked CTA when they came out, so went over to Tanglewood in MA. for the 7/21/70 show that’s on RU-vid. Pankow was a wild man, Terry Cath was absolutely off the charts good, Cetera actually rocked and the rest were as tight as anything I’d ever seen. Just crazy good. Nobody wanted to go home, and Bill Graham had to kick us out due to town curfew. One of the best … shows… EVER !

Jimmy's enthusiasm is everything hahahaha omg. He's probably told these stories a billion times but just look him, _still_ charged up with gratitude and life .. there's no way to not love this cat

I keep saying this Joe and in a modest way you always play it down but I’m going to say it again. This is a very fine and interesting interview with Jimmy who’s equally modest and self effacing. Joe, your interviewing technique is a great example to some others. Ask the right questions, let the guest speak and the interview flow.

Those first 11 albums of Chicago - the Terry era - are just so incredible. I've seen the band in concert probably 10 times, but I'll always regret not being able to see them with Terry. It's great to hear Jimmy rapping about those years, still with such enthusiasm!

Chicago is one of the greatest bands to come out of the 1970’s,and they are still touring today.🤗🤗🤗

Such a great interview. This is how a real conversation should be. Professionals in every way.

I love the way he tells a story I could Listen to him all day !

Got to meet the group in Houston thanks to my best friend. We stood around talking with James, Walt and Lee and the treated us like brothers for about an hour. One of the most amazing days of my life. Thanks for all the love...

Great memories of this band, Joe. In Sept. 1969 "CTA" (Chicago Transit Authority) was the first album I bought at The Defiance College bookstore my freshman year. By the time they released their 3rd album my wife and I made sure we saw them live at Fort Wayne, Indiana's Memorial Coliseum. Our love for horn-based rock started with The Outsiders "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, and continued with Chicago's Buckinghams before we graduated to BS&T and CTA.

Had a smile on my face through the whole video watching James, who just enjoys every waking moment.

Now I understand why Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears were and remain my favorite bands!

Jimmy is a trip, ain't he? The Big "Ting." He had me smiling the whole way through. What an interview!

Joe, your interviews are not just informative, they are historic. You are preserving the music stories of an entire generation. This interview with James Pankow is one of the best.

OMG that story of Lamm fighting with the club owner had me in tears LMAO !!!

Love all those 70s Chicago Records! Especially the Live at Carnegie Hall set. PLAY LOUD!!

Another interview I didn't want to end. Thanks Joe.

I love this interview; I can see in James's eyes that he really does remember the first jam session like it was yesterday. I also hadn't realized how many important songs he wrote, like "Make Me Smile."

Joe is the best, he ask, and let the guest talk

Thanks again Joe, I love to hear how band’s first got together especially from the horse’s mouth and it’s amazing how a group of guys found each other especially the caliber of Chicago.

This is gold.

Could there be anyone more enthusiastic as James. You sure as hell saw it all those years, but he truly is a grand soul, and what a great band. I saw them twice before Terry died. True lose for all of us

Omg...Pankow was my rock mentor. I'm a classical pianist, but played all woodwinds in a band and Chicago was my personal favorite to play on all my instruments. I must have all Chicago's albums, from the day. So much fun to play their music, and to hear Pankow on SO many other acts, "made me smile."😊 If you know music, you can always hear Pankow in Michael Jackson, Toto and SO many other bands. No one plays like James...the session musician extraordinaire! Thanks so much, Joe for this fab interview with one of the best musicians in the world!!!!!

Wow. What a fantastic account! Early Chicago is one of my all time favorite bands.

Jimmy was my idol as a young trombonist in high school. Wow, a trombonist playing rock & roll in 1970. I didn't have the talent to go very far but followed the band and have been a big fan for life. Thanks Guys!

I met Jimmy, Lee Loughnane and Robert Lamm a couple years ago prior to them performing during halftime of a Notre Dame football game in South Bend (their manager is an ND grad and former football player). All of them were happy to take a few minutes to chat with me and couldn't have been nicer. I've always been a huge Chicago fan and that experience was unforgettable.

What a lovely stories along with James' love of music. Thanks Joe.

James is such a fine gentleman. Had the pleasure to meet him years ago.

"Da Big Ting" I love Jimmy's stories!

I'm a big fan of Chicago. Thanks so much for sharing this. Cheers, Joe! ✌️

An absolutely Wonderful historical interview!

That was fantastic Joe! Chicago is definitely one of the greatest bands in rock history, hands down. Gotta love JP's enthusiasm for the music & the band. Thanks Joe & hope that all is well............. 👍👍👏👏😉😉

I absolutely LOVE this interview... Thanks for this Mr. Pankow, your stories mean so much, from the initial band formation onward. I followed CTA and all the guys for years, and lived the release of every record from the first until about the tenth... never losing faith or interest, I just always thought that no one could ever replace Terry Kath, and no one ever did. I still have every record, worn almost completely out from playing them endlessly back then (every pop, tick and every scratch are still on those cherished pieces of vinyl, with the record jackets, still intact.) P.S. You guys even played our local University in 1969 for homecoming opening the show for Sam & Dave, The University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada... Oh ya, big influencers - we even formed an 8 man brass band back in the early 1970's that played a lot of your tunes. (I played guitar in the band -- one of the hardest gigs I ever had to play) Much peace and love, and all that hippie shit ;-) Thanks to Joe Chambers as well for this interview.

What a story! One of the best bands ever!!!

We’ve always loved James’ enthusiasm and his passion. 🙏🏻🎧

The trombone is so dominant in their sound, you'd think Pankow actually started the band.

He is definitely not from the South..I could not even scream that fast..Yep, got that SLOW, SOUTHERN draw..Loved this interview. I got into CHICAGO'S music by sheer error..I was sent the WRONG CD from the music club and I forgot to send it back..So, I listened to it , months later and loved it..😊

Horn bands had an odd connection to our dad's Big Band music. In the Bay Area; there were { are} the Sons of Champlin and Cold Blood; a little later The Electric Flag and Tower of Power. The Blues with horns. The funk wove through all these bands.

Thank you Joe & James for the cosmic recollection of the path to the epic music to become the sound Chicago.

Mr Pankow: You are TRUE musical genius with all your arranging...

james pankow is cool interesting guy. i got the chicago albums. james pankow went thru good times bad times music was always good. thank chicago always coming out with great music. thank you joe for video and the work that you do.

Very fine interview Joe!

I LOVE THIS SHIT ! I'M FROM THE ERA AND I AM BEING GIFTED NOW WITH STUFF I ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT. THIS GUY (James Pancow) IS GREAT FUN, STAYING GLUED TO EVERY WORD, LISTENING TO HIS RECOLLECTIONS. All very interesting, COOL. FUN ! As always, I appreciate the work you do, Joe. So Cool to enjoy this delight, for free. Lucky Me

I am hooked the interviews are interesting but informative and Joe is like a nutcracker he knows how to get to the sweet of the meat. That is a awesome talent.

Joe, Awesome interview! James seems to be very aware of how special Chicago is as a band, and knows that talent with a little luck, hard work, and vision, great things can happen! Thanks for sharing!💫

PANKOW, SH-T! If I was 1/2 the guitar player that Jimmy is a trombone player(let alone arranger and writer) I'd be pretty damn good. Back in the day I was just looking at Terry, not realizing what a smoking arranger he is. How cool would it be to be in a band with him.

What a fantastic interview !!!!! You just let him go and the stories he told were simply amazing. It is so important to capture every interview you can with everyone involved in music because when they go, nobody will ever know the details if it were not on tape. Thank you for your hard work and for future generations who will be blown away with all the music history.

Ya Joe!!! this is good stuff hearing how they got started and all .keep them coming Joe we really appreciate you

Some of the members of Chicago, in late 60s, visited our commune in Bucks County Pennsylvania; my husband (singer&drummer in his own band [Fantasia] ) jammed with Danny in the barn.

Applause!!!! Good Morning! Never had to attend a Chicago concert, at least while Mr. Kath was amongst us. This presentation sure felt like home, much appreciation!!!! Brought back listening memories, Smiles Always!

Wow, so compelling the beginnings of Chicago!

Best interview I have ever watched

Love me some Chicago...Absolute professionals...

Dang! I remember when Chicago CTA played at my high school assembly in 69 or 70. It was in Whittier, South of L.A.

Joe's knowledge of the industry always shines through with his comments and questions. And I'm sure the guests appreciate it. Another great one for the history vault.

Fantastic story about getting kicked out of the Midwest. In 1968 I saw them play at the Santa Monica pier.

Thank you for sharing this jewel of inside information! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Chicago: America's band 🇺🇲

Great stories! My favorite band of all times! Thanks so much...

I first heard Chicago on an underground radio station in San Francisco KSAN

One of my favorite all time bands. What a fantastic interview. Thanks Joe !

Jimmy Pankow wrote All Chicago's brass Variations + Make Me Smile, Just you & Me, Color My World, Old Days..Truly an A- Mazing Musician. Saw them wen wz 18, Met 'em in 76 t following year wen they played Seattle & wz a Music Major st UW. Jimmy wz So Flamboyant dancing around with his Midnight blue Cape, Smiling w Adorablw Shining Eyes..So hot. Danny truly a sweet man-- Love Peter Cetera's Singing, Robert Lamms playing/ songs,, Terry Kath's Incredible lead Guitar & Ray Charles vocal sound. Were MEANT TO BE A G R E A T Band. STILL Playing after 50 yes!! My FAV Band of All time-- right Next t Seattle Band HEART ,& Annie Wilson. Grew up in t 60's/70's. * Chicago was ALSO at t '68 Democratic National Convention w Student Anti Viet Nam war protesters getting their heads cracked open by riot squads..Chicago was playing: ' The Whole World's Watching'! Historic Band.

What an amazing interview about an amazing group! So many things shared I never knew before. Joe, you are knocking it out of the park time and again with these videos! Thank for shatter so much about one of my all time favorite groups?

So informative and entertaining!

Thank you for this wonderful interview. It is such a joy to hear the enthusiasm JP has after so many years. I loved it.

I love Chicago. This is a great interview Joe. Thank you so much. 👍🏻😎

Always Always Always a great interview ! I love Chicago ... I love Pankow ... just amazing !

Joe, your guests and interviews are outstanding. I always look forward to seeing your videos because these musicians influenced me in my musical journey. Thanks Buddy!

This was awesome! James is cool and Joe you do an amazing job interviewing and letting your guests speak! I'm going through the archives and there is a lot to appreciate on this channel! Glad to have found this content! Going to check out the Jeff " Skunk " Baxter interviews next!

Great to learn about Chicago. When I was in HS at a Catholic school, we actually had dances (The public schools not so much) the guys that booked the band's for those dances,(we had 1 for football homecoming, 1 for basketball homecoming, 1 for Halloween, Christmas, etc around 7 or 8 a year) ALWAYS booked the local bands that played Chicago, maybe BS&T songs thrown in to break up the monotony. After 2 years of that we underclassmen got burned out. But our sniveling didn't matter. I absolutely loved their second album, really not a bad tune on it. Color My World, 25 or 6 to 4, Make Me Smile, etc. But that's the only album I ever by them. I blame the Seniors on the whatever committee. Of course when I went back to public school, we had 2 Sock Hops in 2 years. Lol. Hopefully there's more in store. I know those guys, especially Kath the guitarist were top notch musicians. I learned about BS&T. I thought they were the originals, guess not. Thanks again Joe, learned something again. Be good my man!!! Gil

Joe Been subscribed and watching u for at least a couple years. You amaze me and I really like you and what you bring g out of these famous, famous and talented God Inspired musicians.

I love the idea of Chicago playing Zappa. Amazing.

Loved the whole interview!! Joe Chambers, the best interviewer, .just let it flow. ♥

Thank You again Joe. James is very very passionate about music. Always fun to hear all the little back stories how they improvised with a rolled up newspaper for a cymbal. Always think,,what someone like ,,James,,,what his eyes have NOT seen traveling the World for umpteen years. Only two weeks ago, we went and seen Leonid & Friends about an hour away from where we live. They sure sound exactly!! like Chicago.. A great show. Thanks again.

Unique concept back then. It was BS &T and them just about. Love to hear how bands/ songs come about. Thanks Joe.

Not just a great musician but equally a great song writer. Wow. These spoken moments shared by these legends via these videos are pure gold. You are capturing and preserving musical history like no other. Thank you Joe Chambers. I could go on but, I think you get the picture.

I can’t believe I missed this Joe! Darn RU-vid algorithm :-) great interview as always you’re the best

No better interviewer than Joe. He brings out the best in everyone. He is so freakin' real and unpretentious, focused on his mission.

Fascinating stuff... many thanks Joe for sharing.

I've ALWAYS had SUCH a crush on Jimmy Pankow! I love him and that trombone!!!

Thanks Joe. Love Chicago! Especially Feeling Stronger Everyday. Which was written, I believe, as a collaboration between Jimmy and Cetera.

One of the Best interviews Ever. Love Chicago

Great stuff, as always. Pankow's enthusiasm is infectious. Love his stories. Thanks for posting.

GREAT INTERVIEW!! GREAT BAND!!

I love this . James is awesome

As always, Joe, a great interview. I don't think anybody does it better. Ask a question and let the subject just go...Some interviewers seem to struggle to get equal time. Never with you. Always respectful. You could interview a salt shaker and it would be great.

What an awesome show!!!

Joe...another classic interview. Love the early days of CTA/Chicago - '69-72. Great to hear such in-depth behind-the-scenes stuff from Mr.Pankow. Thanks for it all!

This is gold, Joe.

I’ve heard the basic Walt story a million times but THIS w Jimmy is Great !! More detail, crazy stories, nothing held back.

brilliant. couldn't stop watching...despite my attention span

The great thing about Joe's interview is that despite the fact he probably already knows the history of Chicago he allows James Pankow to tell his story without needless interruption or any ego spoiling it. Keep them coming Joe👍

Yet another great interview. Joe Chambers always seems to end up having a conversation with friends, rather than a question and answer interview. Joe does what the greatest interviewers do. Get them talking and then don't interrupt!

I’ve always loved this interview. Jimmy is sincere, and I can relate on a personal level to all he conveys. He encapsulates the beginnings of this historical band. Thank you, Jimmy. And thank you for making the trombone a cooler than cool instrument. We met in ABQ at the concert in 2018.

I've always loved Chicago's sound I played in band and marching band in high school the tuba row had more weight then the front line of the foot ball team we were all partiers smokes weed and drinking beer we dragged our tuba cases full of beer to football games as the tubas over the shoulder the tuba row would just blow people away we played so loud on great songs. Gree up in a very musical church with a full orchestra a choir and 10 music groups of many different sounds like from the eagles to blue grass I played guitar in that group rhythm guitar loved it performing so when Chicago came out all of us loved there music and applied are craft even harder. They are such an inspiration to many kids across America that had done as I had. This is when America was greatest time of music the middle of all this section of American music.

What a great interview with James. He strikes me just as I saw the band early on, very personable. What a surprise to find out they shared a studio with Simon & Garfunkel! In the summer of 1970, Bridge Over Troubled Waters was the first album I ever bought, and Chicago Transit Authority was my third album I ever bought. What a coincidence. James also cemented the observance of Art Garfunkel being a prick from additional interviews I've seen heard/seen. I really hate to hear that stuff, but I suppose it's true. It's also interesting how Jim Guercio was pushed to produce BS&T's self-titled album so Chicago Transit Authority could be a double. Coincidently, "Blood, Sweat and Tears" was either the 5th or 6th album I ever bought. Wow, what an introduction to music at the ripe old age of 14.

I was lucky enough to hear Chicago live in my high school gym. February 1970, three weeks after they release their second album.

CTA was one of the most original albums of its time.

⚡️🎭 ‘Joe 🏆 , all time interview !!!🎼🙏🏼✝️🎶✨#Wow