Personnel
*Jimmy "Soul" Holvay: electric guitar
*Bobby Ruffino: drums
*Gary Beisbier: Hammond organ
Steven Hobert: Wurlitzer piano
Serge Akou: electric bass
*Larry McCabe; trombones; additional keyboards, arranger
Drums recorded at Skeleton Key Recording, Las Vegas
Engineer: Bobby Ferrari
Mixed by John Croarkin
Special thanks to Danny Seraphine
* Original Chicagoans

About the Track:
Recording this tune was truly one of the highlights of my career. Gary Beisbier, Bobby Ruffino, Jimmy Holvay, and I began our musical journey together back in 1963 as members of The Chicagoans. We were just 18 years old, wide-eyed and chasing the dream. Gary and I held down the horn section, armed with a repertoire of riffs we could interchange across a whole range of tunes. Jimmy and Bobby were the heart and soul of a dynamic rhythm section. It was no ordinary band. We had a 45 that charted locally on WLS Radio, and we served as the house band for Danceville USA—Chicago’s answer to American Bandstand. We backed up some of the biggest acts of the day.

From there, the road opened up. We played nightclubs in New York City, San Francisco, and everywhere in between. There was Christmas dinner at the Automat. That was memorable. It got better though. I still remember performing just two doors down from the Peppermint Lounge on 45th Street the night the Beatles came through. It was an unforgettable era—an incredible time to be a musician.

Our paths diverged in early 1965 when I joined an established show group based in Dallas. Gary, Jimmy, and Bobby soon became part of the backing band for Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars, and later formed The Mob, which quickly rose to prominence as one of the hottest show groups in the country. They headlined Las Vegas lounges and opened for some of the biggest stars in the business. Their live show was something to behold. Jimmy and Gary, always in step with the musical currents of the day, later penned a series of hits for The Buckinghams in the late ’60s. They were an incredibly popular show band and other musicians looked up to them with well-deserved respect. In 2011 they reunited after 30 years and tore the house down at the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. They were gracious enough to invite me to play and I gladly accepted.

I had long hoped the Chicagoans might someday reunite in the studio. Thanks to the magic of modern technology—and despite living in different corners of the country—we were finally able to make that happen. And I have to say, the groove is still there. It’s infectious. After all these years, it feels like we never stopped playing.

Former Chicagoans Chuck Russell, Barry Van Volkenburg and Jimmy Peterson are no longer with us, and I carry their memory with great regard. My heartfelt thanks to Steven Hobert and Serge Akou for lending their talents to this recording.