Chicago, in the days of its seven founding members, often referred to itself as a democracy.
Now, with only James Pankow, Lee Loughnane and Robert Lamm remaining from that original lineup, it's a different dynamic. Lamm tells Syracuse.com, "Musically it is, now it's down to the three of us so it’s kind of like a board of directors. As far as music is concerned, rehearsals, and the way guys are playing or things that can be improved, in that sense it certainly is a democracy."
But the three co-founders are in charge of things overall. "I’ve called it a workshop and I feel that is still the case, but really it is a business on some level, and somebody needs to make decisions, so it’s up to the three of us... Essentially, the buck stops with the guys who started the band."
With the 50th anniversary of their first hit single, "Make Me Smile," less than a year away, Lamm doesn't sound ready to hang up his keyboards. "As long as people want to hear us play, we're going to want to play."