The year

was 1965 and five young men from Chicago decided to form

a band, mainly to "meet girls."

No, this

isn't the story of Chicago (the band), it is the story of

The Buckinghams, one of the more popular bands in the mid

to late `60s, and Saturday's musical guest at

Fayetteville's July Jam.

The

Buckinghams were known for their fresh sound. They were

produced by Jim Guerico, who later went on to produce

several albums by the group Chicago. The Buckinghams were

known for their use of vocals and their tight musical

ability. At recent shows, they have performed unplugged

sets and have been frequently using horn sections.

In 1966,

The Buckinghams recorded their first hit to crack the

Billboard Top 40, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." The song

reached only 36 on the charts, but that started to pave

the way for the group's future successes. The band had

six hits in the top 40 in 1967 and were voted "The

Most Listened to Band" that year. Their first hit in

1967 was also the biggest hit of their careers,

"Kind of a Drag." "Kind of a Drag"

did something thought to be impossible in pop music at

the time, it knocked The Monkees' "I'm a

Believer" out of the number one spot on the charts.

More hits

followed for The Buckinghams in 1967. Songs like

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and "Don't you

Care" reached numbers five and six respectively.

"Hey Baby (They're playing our song)" and

"Susan" both failed to crack the top ten, but

reached 11 and 12. Their last hit that year was

"Back in Love Again," which reached 32 before

puttering quickly into obscurity.

The band

members spent the next year touring around and enjoying

themselves and their still mostly fresh success. The

Buckinghams broke up the next year, though, leaving Carl

Giovanese, the lead singer, and Dennis Tufano, to record

two more albums for their label.

The band

reformed in 1980 and has taken on several new members

since 1983. The two remaining original members are

Giovanese and Nick Fortuna, the bass player. In 1983, Tom

Scheckel joined the band as the drummer. Bruce Soboroff

and Bob Abrams rounded out the new additions in 1986.

Soboroff plays the keyboards/synthesizer and Abrams is

the lead guitarist.

In 1985,

The Buckinghams played on the "Happy Together"

tour with The Turtles, Grass Roots and Gary Lewis. Since

then they have played all over the country, appearing at

fairs and festivals. They are also well noted for their

rendition of the national anthem. The Buckinghams have

also recently recorded and released an album celebrating

their 30th anniversary. The album is called "Places

in Five" and features an unplugged set, as well as

energetic tunes with a horn section.

The

Buckinghams will play Saturday night at 7 p.m. at

Heritage Park in Fayetteville. Admission and parking are

free.

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