Early life

Family

Cetera was born and raised in the Morgan Park section of Chicago, Illinois, located on the far South Side. He was the second of six children and is of Polish and Hungarian descent. His father worked as a machinist. Cetera's siblings include two brothers, Tim Cetera (who also recorded an album with Ricky Nelson in the early 1970s) and Kenny Cetera, who are listed as contributing musicians on some of the recordings he made with Chicago and on some of his solo recordings.

Formal education

Cetera attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary for one year of high school because, he says, "my mother wanted me to be a priest." He transferred to Mendel Catholic Prep High School, graduated from there in 1962, and is listed among the "Notable Alumni".

Musical beginnings

Cetera's interest in music began at 11 years of age when his parents bought him an accordion instead of the guitar he wanted. When he was 15, some older students from his high school took him to a club to see a band called The Rebel Rockers, which led to his purchasing an acoustic guitar at Montgomery Ward.

He eventually took up the electric bass, and with some high school friends—a drummer, guitarist and saxophone player—Cetera began playing the local dance circuit, dividing lead vocals with the guitarist. Cetera played in several groups in the Chicago area, including a popular local rock band named The Exceptions, which toured the Midwest in the mid-1960s. They released several singles and a five-song seven-inch EP titled Rock 'N' Roll Mass. Cetera is quoted as saying, "By the time I was 18 I was making more money than my dad."

Professional music career

History

Tenure in Chicago

In December 1967, Cetera arrived early for a show to watch a band called The Big Thing. Impressed by their use of a horn section combined with rock and roll, Cetera left The Exceptions to join The Big Thing within two weeks. The Big Thing, which soon changed its name to The Chicago Transit Authority (and eventually shortened it to Chicago after complaints by the actual CTA), released their self-titled debut album The Chicago Transit Authority on Columbia Records in 1969. Cetera sang lead vocal on three of the eleven songs on the album, with his tenor voice complementing the baritone voices of the two other lead singers in the group, keyboardist Robert Lamm and guitarist Terry Kath.

The follow-up album, Chicago, vaulted the band to popular status throughout the world. The song "25 or 6 to 4" was the first major hit single with Cetera singing lead vocals. Chicago is also notable for featuring Cetera's first songwriting effort, "Where Do We Go From Here?"

As the 1970s progressed, Cetera would become a more prolific songwriter for the group, contributing the hits "Wishing You Were Here" (#11) and "Happy Man" from the 1974 album Chicago VII. His biggest singing and songwriting accomplishment with Chicago came in 1976 with their first worldwide No. 1 single, the ballad "If You Leave Me Now". The song won a Grammy Award for Chicago, the group's only Grammy Award to date, for the 1976 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus, at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards held on February 19, 1977. Cetera's next composition in 1977, "Baby, What A Big Surprise" (#4), also became a major hit and cemented the band's status in the late 1970s as a "ballad band."

He is credited as one of the background vocalists on the single "My Life", released in 1978, from the album 52nd Street by Billy Joel. The following year he collaborated with Karen Carpenter on her self-titled solo album, providing backing vocals for the song "Making Love in the Afternoon", as well as writing the song.

By the end of the 1970s, with the rise of disco music, Chicago's popularity declined, culminating in the release of the band's poorest-selling album Chicago XIV (#71) in 1980. Columbia Records subsequently bought out the remainder of Chicago's contract.

In 1981, Cetera released his first solo album, Peter Cetera, on Warner Bros. Records, after personally buying the rights from his previous contract with Columbia Records, who would not release the project. The album was, subsequently, a commercial failure, which Cetera attributed to Warner Bros.' refusal to promote him as a solo artist out of fear that he would leave Chicago, who had only recently signed with the label.

In 1982, David Foster was brought in as producer and the resulting group effort was Chicago 16 (#9). The album represented a major comeback for Chicago, and leading the way was the hit single co-written (with Foster) and featured Cetera on lead vocals, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", which went to #1 in the charts. The song also featured in the movie Summer Lovers starring Daryl Hannah. The second single, "Love Me Tomorrow", was also co-written (again with Foster) and sung by Cetera, reaching No. 22 on the singles chart. The third single, "What You're Missing", was yet again sung by Cetera. In 1983, he took a break from his duties as Chicago frontman to add backing vocals on Paul Anka's final U.S. Top-40 hit "Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes", which debuted in the summer of that year.

When Chicago 17 was released in 1984, it became the veteran band's most successful selling album in their history, eventually going on to sell over 6 million copies in the United States alone. All four singles released from the album were sung by Cetera, including three which he co-wrote, and all of them charted in the top 20: "Stay the Night" (#16), "Hard Habit to Break" (#3), "You're the Inspiration" (#3) and "Along Comes a Woman" (#14).

With the advent of the music video and the growing popularity of MTV, Cetera became the 'face' and public leader of the longtime faceless band that was Chicago.

Departure from Chicago

With his newfound popularity, Cetera was interested in recording another solo album. In addition, he had stated his lack of interest for the extensive touring schedule of the band, especially to promote Chicago 17. When the 17 Tour concluded in May 1985, Chicago's management, along with several members of the band, had expressed a desire to book another tour for that summer and start working on the group's next album. Cetera, however, insisted that they take a break from touring so that he could concentrate on a solo album and spend more time with his family. Cetera then proposed a working arrangement similar to the one that Phil Collins and Genesis had at the time, with Collins still being a member and touring with Genesis, while also doing some solo work at the same time. Chicago's management and the rest of the group declined the offer, resulting in Cetera leaving Chicago around July 1985.

Solo career

Almost immediately, Cetera continued his streak of success. His first single, "Glory of Love" was used as the theme song for the movie The Karate Kid, Part II. Co-written by Cetera, David Foster, and Diane Nini, Cetera has said it was written originally for the movie, Rocky IV. It was a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in the US in 1986, and achieved similar success throughout the world. It went on to win an ASCAP Award for Cetera for Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures and a BMI Film & TV Award for David Foster for Most Performed Song from a Film. It was also nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in the category of Best Original Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male Artist. He performed a shortened version of the song live at the 59th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on Monday, March 30, 1987 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

His album, Solitude/Solitaire, released in 1986, was also successful, with more than 1 million copies sold. It produced another No. 1 hit single, "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with Amy Grant, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Solitude/Solitaire outsold Chicago 18 (#35), the first Chicago album without him.

In 1988, he teamed up with producer Patrick Leonard and released his third solo album, One More Story, which contains the No. 4 hit single "One Good Woman" and "Save Me", the original opening theme for the television show Baywatch. Leonard cowrote 8 of 10 songs, including the title song "One More Story", and he played piano and synthesizers on the album. "Save Me" was cowritten with David Foster, who also cowrote the previous hit "Glory of Love".

The album also included another duet, "Scheherazade", this time with Madonna in cameo as 'Lulu Smith'. They were brought together by Patrick Leonard who had written and produced several of Madonna's hits.

The songs "Body Language" and "You Never Listen To Me" both feature David Gilmour of Pink Floyd on guitar.

In 1989, Cetera recorded another duet, this time with Cher, called "After All", which was included on the soundtrack of the movie Chances Are. It reached #6 on the US charts..

In 1992, his final album on Warner Bros. Records, World Falling Down, was released. It featured the Adult Contemporary #1 hit, "Restless Heart", as well as two other successful singles: "Even a Fool Can See" and a duet with Chaka Khan, "Feels Like Heaven".

In 1995, Cetera released his first album for River North Records, One Clear Voice, and featured the hit single, "(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight", a duet with actress Crystal Bernard. Following the release of the album, Cetera launched his first solo tour—accompanied by his River North labelmate, country singer Ronna Reeves - lasting into 1996.

1997 brought You're the Inspiration: A Collection, a collection of all his duets from over the years, along with three re-recorded songs he had written while a member of Chicago, and two brand new recordings.

2001 saw the release of Another Perfect World.

In 2002, Cetera performed a medley of four of his songs at The Concert for World Children's Day, backed by David Foster and an orchestra at Arie Crown Theater in Chicago. This concert aired on PBS and was released in DVD format. Subsequently, this led to his appearance, in October 2003, with the Chicago Pops Orchestra on the PBS music program Soundstage, which was broadcast throughout the United States and released on DVD. Amy Grant also appeared on the program as a special guest.

From 2003 until summer 2007, Cetera performed a very limited number of concerts each year with a 40 piece orchestra, playing re-arrangements of songs from throughout his career, including several from his tenure as a member of Chicago.

In 2004, Cetera released a collection of holiday classics, You Just Gotta Love Christmas, which featured background and duet vocals by his eldest daughter, Claire. His younger daughter, Senna, contributed to the CD's artwork. He appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that year, which was televised nationally, shortly after the release of the album.

In December 2007, Cetera embarked on the You Just Gotta Love Christmas tour of the United States. It marked his return to a traditional rock band show, his first since 1996, featured songs from his 2004 Christmas album and from throughout his career.

Cetera sang live with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra for Smucker's Presents Hot Ice, Cool Sounds, an event featuring world-class ice skaters performing to the music of Peter Cetera. The show was taped on October 18, 2008, in Youngstown, Ohio, and was televised nationally by NBC on December 25, 2008.

Cetera appeared as himself in the 2010 Adult Swim program Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Season 5, Episode 9, "Greene Machine," which also featured the actor, Ted Danson. In it, Cetera sings the "song," "Little Danson Man."

Recently, Cetera formed a new band called The Bad Daddies. A seven-piece electric rock band, the group performs original material and covers of popular songs, as well as material from Chicago and Cetera's solo career.

Prospect of a reunion with Chicago

During interviews, Cetera has often been asked about the prospect of a reunion with Chicago. While Cetera has compared his departure from the band to the divorce of a married couple, and thus far has declined to perform with the band despite attractive financial offers, he has also said "never say never."

Both Cetera and current band members had indicated a reunion of sorts was possible when the seven original members of Chicago - Cetera, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, Walter Parazaider, James Pankow, Danny Seraphine, and Terry Kath - were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 8, 2016. In particular, on January 5, 2016, on his website, Cetera proposed that he "strap on the bass" and join Chicago onstage for 25 or 6 to 4, in a finale that would also include other former band members who are not being inducted. The ceremony was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. On February 8, 2016, Cetera posted a statement on his website indicating that the reunion would not materialize and expressing his frustration with the process of trying to organize it. The rest of the band members did perform, however.

Musicianship

Singing style and vocal range

Cetera's trademark singing style would develop as a result of having to sing for a period of time with a wired-shut jaw after getting into a brawl at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in 1969.

Cetera's voice has typically been classified as tenor. His vocal range has been listed, unofficially, as G2-G5.

Recognition and influence as singer

Cetera has sung "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field for a Chicago Cubs game at least three times: in 2003; on August 16, 2007, for a game that was televised on WGN-TV; and again on May 2, 2009 on Comcast Sports Net.

Cetera is mentioned in an advertisement for Heineken beer that first aired in summer 2010. A young man at an assisted-living home holds up a copy of the World Falling Down LP cover and asks one of the residents why he likes Cetera. The older resident replies that he does not like Cetera, but the ladies do, "and if you like the ladies, then by default, you like Cetera." Cetera's song "Restless Heart" from the World Falling Down album is heard playing in the background.

Recognition and influence as bass player

Cetera was featured in the cover story of the December 2007 issue of Bass Player magazine. Shortly thereafter he saw the former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee playing bass guitar on television. Cetera sent his compliments, along with an autographed copy of the issue, to Huckabee, who was at that time a presidential hopeful in the 2008 Republican primaries. Huckabee said, “I was totally awestruck to get a letter from Peter Cetera. …having one of the greatest bass players in my generation give me a compliment is like winning New Hampshire."

Producing credits

Cetera produced the album, I Stand Alone by Swedish singer and former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog. It was released in November 1987.

Cetera shares producing credits with Tony Harrell for his (Cetera's) album, You Just Gotta Love Christmas. The album was released in October, 2004.

Acting credits

Cetera has appeared in two movies: Electra Glide in Blue, filmed in 1973, where he played the character of Bob Zemko; and Sidney Sheldon's Memories of Midnight, a 1991 television movie made for the USA Network, where he played the role of Larry Douglas.

Personal life

Cetera's first marriage was to Janice Sheely in 1968, but they divorced in 1973. In 1982, Cetera married Diane Nini, with whom he had his first daughter. Claire, born in 1983, graduated from the University of Southern California in 2006 and is currently an artist, actor, singer and producer living in Los Angeles. She was previously a competitive snowboarder. Cetera and Nini divorced in 1991. For a period of time, Cetera was brother-in-law to bandmate Robert Lamm, who had married Diane's sister, Julie. They have since been divorced as well.

In 1997 he had a second daughter, Senna, with then girlfriend, Blythe Weber. He met Blythe while she was working at River North Records/Platinum Entertainment. Senna lives in Nashville, where in 2006, she starred in the music video for country singer Josh Turner's song, "Would You Go with Me", which was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Cetera has lived in Sun Valley, Idaho since the mid-1980s, where he routinely participates in numerous sports, including basketball, mountain biking, soccer, ice hockey and motorcycling.

Discography

• 1981 - Peter Cetera #143 US
• 1986 - Solitude/Solitaire #23 US (2x Platinum), #56 UK
• 1988 - One More Story #58 US (Gold)
• 1992 - World Falling Down #163 US (Gold)
• 1995 - One Clear Voice
• 1997 - You're the Inspiration: A Collection #134 US (Gold)
• 2001 - Another Perfect World
• 2004 - You Just Gotta Love Christmas

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions						Album
		US	US AC	US Adult	US Main	US Pop	UK
1982	"Livin' in the Limelight"	—	—	—	6	—	—	Peter Cetera
1986	"Glory of Love"	1	1	—	—	—	3	Solitude/Solitaire
	"The Next Time I Fall"	1	1	—	—	—	—
1987	"Big Mistake"	61	—	—	—	—	—
	"Only Love Knows Why"	—	24	—	—	—	—
1988	"One Good Woman"	4	1	—	—	—	—	One More Story
	"Best of Times"	59	22	—	—	—	—
	"You Never Listen to Me"	—	—	—	32	—	—
1992	"Restless Heart"	35	1	—	—	36	—	World Falling Down
1993	"Feels Like Heaven"	71	5	—	—	—	—
	"Even a Fool Can See"	68	2	—	—	—	—
1995	"(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight"	86	22	33	—	—	—	One Clear Voice
1996	"One Clear Voice"	—	12	—	—	—	—
	"Faithfully"	—	13	—	—	—	—
1997	"You're the Inspiration"	77	29	—	—	—	—	You're the Inspiration: A Collection
	"Do You Love Me That Much"	—	6	—	—	—	—
1998	"She Doesn't Need Me Anymore"	—	27	—	—	—	—
2001	"Perfect World"	—	21	—	—	—	—	Another Perfect World
2005	"You Just Gotta Love Christmas"	—	39	—	—	—	—	You Just Gotta Love Christmas
	"Silent Night"	—	24	—	—	—	—
	"Something That Santa Claus Left Behind"	—	37	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Featured singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak chart positions				Album
			US	US AC	US R&B	UK
1983	"Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes"	Paul Anka	40	2	—	—	Walk a Fine Line
1987	"I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)"	Agnetha Fältskog	93	13	—	—	I Stand Alone
1989	"After All"	Cher	6	1	—	—	Chances Are
1991	"Voices That Care"	Various	11	6	—	—	single only
1997	"Hard to Say I'm Sorry"	Az Yet	8	14	20	7	Az Yet

Movie soundtracks

• 1982 - Summer Lovers - "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (Performed with Chicago)
• 1983 - Two of a Kind - "Prima Donna" (Performed with Chicago)
• 1986 - The Karate Kid, Part II - "Glory of Love"
• 1987 - Princess from the Moon (jp) - "Stay With Me"
• 1987 - Three Men and a Baby - "Daddy's Girl"
• 1989 - Chances Are - "After All" (with Cher)
• 1990 - Pretty Woman - "No Explanation"

Television

• 1987 - 59th Academy Awards, live performance
• 1990 - Baywatch - opening credits (original NBC Season 1 only) "Save Me"
• 1993 - The Arsenio Hall Show, February 12, 1993
• 1993 - The Arsenio Hall Show, March 2, 1993
• 2003 - Soundstage, PBS
• 2004 - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
• 2008 - Smucker's Presents Hot Ice, Cool Sounds, NBC
• 2010 - Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! - Greene Machine

Music videos

Year	Video	Director
1986	"The Next Time I Fall"	Dominic Sena
1991	"Voices That Care"	David S. Jackson

[ Source: Wikipedia ]