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Chicago<\/a> had a loud, and profane, reaction when Jimi Hendrix<\/a> invited them on tour.<\/p>\n It was 1969 and the band, then known as Chicago Transit Authority, was turning heads with a style that infused a dynamic horn section with rock. In a recent appearance on the Broken Record<\/em><\/a> podcast, co-founding members Lee Loughnane and Jimmy Pankow recalled crossing paths with Hendrix.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were at the Whisky a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip,\u201d Pankow remembered. \u201cWe were opening for Albert King. And we were in the dressing room waiting to go back on. There was a knock on the door. And we opened the door and Hendrix is standing there. And we’re going, \u2018Whoa, is that Jimi Hendrix?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>60 Best Jimi Hendrix Songs<\/a><\/p>\n Like many fellow rockers, Chicago adored Hendrix, even mixing covers of \u201cPurple Haze\u201d and \u201cFoxy Lady\u201d into their sets. Coming face-to-face with the guitar god was exciting, yet unexpected. To their surprise, Hendrix was familiar with their music.<\/p>\n \u201cHe came to the dressing room,” Pankow continued. \u201cHe said, \u2018You guys have a guitar player that’s better than me and a horn section that sounds like one set of lungs. Do you guys want to go on the road?\u201d<\/p>\n The band responded with two words: \u201cFuck yeah!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNext thing you know, we opened for his summer tour,\u201d Pankow recalled, adding that the experience gave Chicago a \u201cfoot in the door to the business.” \u201cAnd we never took our foot out of the door.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what Hendrix was like behind the scenes, Pankow was forthright.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was very introspective, very shy, quiet,” he explained. “And it was funny because, you know, we traveled together. Terry [Kath, Chicago\u2019s guitarist] was nervous around him and he was nervous around Terry. They didn’t know how to approach each other. Eventually, they got comfortable and they started trading ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Top 10 Chicago Songs<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTerry would love to have played with him,\u201d added Loughnane. \u201cHe would have joined Jimi Hendrix\u2019s band in a flash and left us.\u201d<\/p>\n At one point, it even looked like Chicago and Hendrix may join forces.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was actually some chatter amongst us about maybe doing a project together with him, with Jimi,\u201d Pankow revealed. \u201cAnd of course, he left us too early. And then Terry left us too early.\u201d Hendrix died in 1970, while Kath passed away in ’78.<\/p>\n This list of Chicago albums reminds us once more of the opposing forces that always drove the band.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Chicago and Jimi Hendrix Collaboration?<\/h3>\n
Chicago Albums Ranked<\/h2>\n