Danny Seraphine
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Drummer/producer Daniel Seraphine was born in Chicago, Illinois, on
August 28, 1948, and was raised in Little Italy. He has said that his
interest in music probably saved him from becoming a street tough.
By the late 60s, Seraphine was drumming in various bands, including one
with teen friends Walter Parazaider (woodwinds) and Terry Kath
(guitar). Named at first The Big Thing, the band eventually became
Chicago, and Seraphine should be considered a founding member.
Once producer James Guercio got Chicago out to Los Angeles, things
began to take off for Seraphine and the others. They managed to record
their first album - a double one - in just two weeks. Famous for
keyboardist Robert Lamm's songs, Kath's incredible guitar, and
trombonist Jimmy Pankow's brass arrangements, "The Chicago Transit
Authority" also features the rock-solid Peter Cetera (bass)/Seraphine
rhythm section. Seraphine in particular shines on songs such as
"Introduction" and "I'm A Man."
Creative and lightening fast, Seraphine could handle all aspects of the
skins. Early Chicago efforts feature him bashing through classic
rockers ("25 or 6 to 4"), doing his best Buddy Rich on jazz charts
("Devil's Suite"), and sizzling his Slingerland set with solos ("Now
More Than Ever," "Motorboat to Mars"). His funky backbeats were a
highlight when the band went soulful (e.g., "Skin Tight").
Not much of a writer at first, Seraphine later ended up penning some
hits ("Little One," "Take Me Back to Chicago"), some filler ("Show Me
the Way," "Birthday Boy"), and the interesting "Street Player" and
"Aloha Mama." His writing partner was often the keyboard guy for Chaka
Khan and Rufus, David "Hawk" Wolinski.
After periods where at first Lamm and then Pankow were defacto leaders
of the group, the mantle fell to Seraphine (about the time of "Chicago
XI" - 1977). According to Seraphine, this was because the others in the
group were messed up on drugs. Kath's accidental suicide (possibly
drug-related) in 1978 should have served as a wake-up call, but, in
fact, several band members attest that the situation only got worse.
Seraphine, ostensibly the only sober guy, ended up investigating
management.
What he found wasn't good. Apparently, the band was being big-time
ripped off. The fall-out included an acrimonious split from Guercio and
a series of lawsuits. But Seraphine's troubles were far from over.
In 1974, former Sergio Mendes session man Laudir De Oliveira was added
to the band as a percussionist (he'd done sessions with Chicago dating
back to "VI"). In recent interviews, Pankow has said that De Oliveira
was brought on board at Kath's insistence to keep the rhythm section on
track. According to Pankow, Kath and others simply thought Danny wasn't
cutting it. For his part, Danny has dismissed this as nonsense, saying
HE got De Oliveira in the group to help expand their Latin feel. By the
time Chicago rose from the ashes of the has-been bin in '82 with the
release of "16" (with much credit due to Seraphine, who brought Bill
Champlin on board), pop music had fallen in love with the drum machine.
Seraphine came to grips with the technology, and "17" and "18" featured
no live drums. The details are murky, but the official story is that
Seraphine lost his chops (Danny denies this, saying, "I'll always have
chops"). By "Twenty-One" (1991), session drummer Tris Imboden (who, it
must be said, is excellent) had taken over, and, shortly thereafter,
Seraphine was fired.
In 2008 interviews, Danny has been more candid about his departure.
Initially reluctant to go into details, he has now stated that Champlin
and singer Jason Scheff weren't keen on a drummer running the band, and
issued Chicago an ultimatum: either HE goes, or WE go. In one or two
instances, he's also mentioned that the originals had made a pact to
stick together - a pact he indicates was heartlessly broken at the time
(though he still calls his former partners "good guys"). Bandmates such
as Pankow assert that Danny didn't spend enough time practicing, and
that live shows were disastrous because of it; when an intervention
didn't work, Seraphine was fired. Seraphine has scoffed at this as
being a cover story for their true motives.
Since then, Seraphine has kept himself busy with a variety of musical
and theatrical projects. Bearded and balding during Chicago's heyday
(sporting the occasional toupee), Seraphine is now a goateed producer
living in L.A. (after many years in Colorado). He has been divorced at
least once, and has several children (some of whom he'd dedicated the
song "Little One"). He worked with ex-CBS/Epic Records exec Ron
Alexenberg, and co-produced and performed on Lyric's "Chocolate Soup"
as well as their hit single, "Would I Lie". In more recent years,
Seraphine has turned his attention to producing and resourcing
investment for Broadway shows (he and Scott Prisand have been
instrumental in bringing the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical "Bombay
Dreams" to Broadway, following its London run).
In 2007, Seraphine began performing again with his new group California
Transit Authority. They released a CD entitled "Full Circle," which is
a mix of fusion and lively Chicago remakes. The band performs live from
time to time and is developing a following.
August 28, 1948, and was raised in Little Italy. He has said that his
interest in music probably saved him from becoming a street tough.
By the late 60s, Seraphine was drumming in various bands, including one
with teen friends Walter Parazaider (woodwinds) and Terry Kath
(guitar). Named at first The Big Thing, the band eventually became
Chicago, and Seraphine should be considered a founding member.
Once producer James Guercio got Chicago out to Los Angeles, things
began to take off for Seraphine and the others. They managed to record
their first album - a double one - in just two weeks. Famous for
keyboardist Robert Lamm's songs, Kath's incredible guitar, and
trombonist Jimmy Pankow's brass arrangements, "The Chicago Transit
Authority" also features the rock-solid Peter Cetera (bass)/Seraphine
rhythm section. Seraphine in particular shines on songs such as
"Introduction" and "I'm A Man."
Creative and lightening fast, Seraphine could handle all aspects of the
skins. Early Chicago efforts feature him bashing through classic
rockers ("25 or 6 to 4"), doing his best Buddy Rich on jazz charts
("Devil's Suite"), and sizzling his Slingerland set with solos ("Now
More Than Ever," "Motorboat to Mars"). His funky backbeats were a
highlight when the band went soulful (e.g., "Skin Tight").
Not much of a writer at first, Seraphine later ended up penning some
hits ("Little One," "Take Me Back to Chicago"), some filler ("Show Me
the Way," "Birthday Boy"), and the interesting "Street Player" and
"Aloha Mama." His writing partner was often the keyboard guy for Chaka
Khan and Rufus, David "Hawk" Wolinski.
After periods where at first Lamm and then Pankow were defacto leaders
of the group, the mantle fell to Seraphine (about the time of "Chicago
XI" - 1977). According to Seraphine, this was because the others in the
group were messed up on drugs. Kath's accidental suicide (possibly
drug-related) in 1978 should have served as a wake-up call, but, in
fact, several band members attest that the situation only got worse.
Seraphine, ostensibly the only sober guy, ended up investigating
management.
What he found wasn't good. Apparently, the band was being big-time
ripped off. The fall-out included an acrimonious split from Guercio and
a series of lawsuits. But Seraphine's troubles were far from over.
In 1974, former Sergio Mendes session man Laudir De Oliveira was added
to the band as a percussionist (he'd done sessions with Chicago dating
back to "VI"). In recent interviews, Pankow has said that De Oliveira
was brought on board at Kath's insistence to keep the rhythm section on
track. According to Pankow, Kath and others simply thought Danny wasn't
cutting it. For his part, Danny has dismissed this as nonsense, saying
HE got De Oliveira in the group to help expand their Latin feel. By the
time Chicago rose from the ashes of the has-been bin in '82 with the
release of "16" (with much credit due to Seraphine, who brought Bill
Champlin on board), pop music had fallen in love with the drum machine.
Seraphine came to grips with the technology, and "17" and "18" featured
no live drums. The details are murky, but the official story is that
Seraphine lost his chops (Danny denies this, saying, "I'll always have
chops"). By "Twenty-One" (1991), session drummer Tris Imboden (who, it
must be said, is excellent) had taken over, and, shortly thereafter,
Seraphine was fired.
In 2008 interviews, Danny has been more candid about his departure.
Initially reluctant to go into details, he has now stated that Champlin
and singer Jason Scheff weren't keen on a drummer running the band, and
issued Chicago an ultimatum: either HE goes, or WE go. In one or two
instances, he's also mentioned that the originals had made a pact to
stick together - a pact he indicates was heartlessly broken at the time
(though he still calls his former partners "good guys"). Bandmates such
as Pankow assert that Danny didn't spend enough time practicing, and
that live shows were disastrous because of it; when an intervention
didn't work, Seraphine was fired. Seraphine has scoffed at this as
being a cover story for their true motives.
Since then, Seraphine has kept himself busy with a variety of musical
and theatrical projects. Bearded and balding during Chicago's heyday
(sporting the occasional toupee), Seraphine is now a goateed producer
living in L.A. (after many years in Colorado). He has been divorced at
least once, and has several children (some of whom he'd dedicated the
song "Little One"). He worked with ex-CBS/Epic Records exec Ron
Alexenberg, and co-produced and performed on Lyric's "Chocolate Soup"
as well as their hit single, "Would I Lie". In more recent years,
Seraphine has turned his attention to producing and resourcing
investment for Broadway shows (he and Scott Prisand have been
instrumental in bringing the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical "Bombay
Dreams" to Broadway, following its London run).
In 2007, Seraphine began performing again with his new group California
Transit Authority. They released a CD entitled "Full Circle," which is
a mix of fusion and lively Chicago remakes. The band performs live from
time to time and is developing a following.