Press Releases
ATLANTA – March 17, 2011 – Music fans and breast cancer advocates have a second chance at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing onstage with the legendary “rock and roll band with horns,” Chicago. Last year the band joined forces with the American Cancer Society, the Official Sponsor of Birthdays®, to create Sing With Chicago, a highly successful promotion that raised tens of thousands of dollars to fight breast cancer, and saw auction winners sing the hit song If You Leave Me Now with the band at 62 concerts throughout the United States.
“The Sing With Chicago promotion was such a great time for our fans, and contributed so much to the breast cancer cause, that we wanted to do it on our 2011 tour, too,” said Peter Schivarelli, Chicago's manager. “We’re doing it this year in honor of our friend Paqui Kelly, the wife of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, who is a breast cancer survivor.”
This year’s tour kicks off in Temecula, California on April 1, and runs through May. After touring throughout Europe in June and July, the band will resume U.S. tour dates in late July and continue through the end of the year. Fans in each city can bid on a package that includes a meet and greet with the band, two premium tickets, backstage passes, and the opportunity to sing onstage with the band. As an added bonus this year, the highest overall bidder at the end of the tour will win a guitar autographed by the band. Anyone can bid using Mission Fish, the charitable arm of E-bay. All proceeds directly benefit the Society’s fight against breast cancer.
Last year’s winners were so moved by the experience that they launched the Facebook group “I Sang With Chicago”, where they shared stories about their concerts, and videos of themselves on stage singing with the band. To see this public group, visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=116983118321579&v=wall&ref=search.
Since last year’s successful tour, Chicago has toured South America, Australia and Mexico, and has recorded a Christmas album with producer Phil Ramone, which will be released in October.
For more information on Sing With Chicago, visit cancer.org/singwithchicago or the auction page on Mission Fish at www.ebay.com/americancancersociety. For more information on Chicago’s concert tour, visit www.chicagotheband.com and to join the American Cancer Society’s movement for more birthdays, visit www.morebirthdays.com.
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About Chicago
Chicago is the first American rock band to chart Top 40 albums in five decades. In Billboard Magazine's recent list of Top 100 artists of all time, Chicago came in at #13, the highest charting American band. The line-up on tour will include original band members Robert Lamm on keyboards, vocals, Lee Loughnane on trumpet, James Pankow on trombone and Walt Parazaider on woodwinds, as well as Jason Scheff on bass, vocals, Tris Imboden on drums, Keith Howland on guitar, Lou Pardini on keyboards, vocals and Drew Hester on percussion. Lifetime achievements include a Grammy Award, multiple American Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Chicago street dedicated in their honor, and keys to and proclamations from an impressive list of US cities. Record sales top the 100,000,000 mark, and include 21 Top 10 singles, 5 consecutive Number One albums, 11 Number One singles and 5 Gold singles. An incredible 25 of their 32 albums have been certified platinum, and the band has a total of 47 gold and platinum awards. Chicago has generously supported other charitable causes in the past, donating a portion of ticket sales to support finding a cure for a fatal children’s disease and an organization that serves children and adults with special needs.
Chicago were thrilled to be invited to perform on the 2010 American Idol season finale, especially since they were paired with Lee DeWyze, who sang three of the band's hits with them. Being a native of Chicago, DeWyze had much in common with his hometown idols and went on to win the evening's big prize.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Andrew Becker
American Cancer Society
212-237-3899
andrew.becker@cancer.org
FOR CHICAGO INFORMATION:
Laurie Gorman
310-550-5256
laurie3g@aol.com