The General in charge of leading the army of people who work behind the scenes of a major rock group like Chicago is the Road Manager. He is the person in charge of the myriad, countless tasks that need to be accomplished for a band to share their art. For Chicago, that man was Jack Goudie. For twenty years, from the bands beginnings, Jack was there, making sure they had everything they needed to do their job. Sadly, Jack passed away on November 14, 1988, just months after he left the band, but his legacy of doing the impossible and then some, left its indelible mark on the group that he helped rocket to stardom. Jack was a Chicago native and childhood friend of Terrys, where they attended elementary and high school together. Terry even dated his sister JacLynn for a while, before she met and married Walt. After leaving Junior College to be a service manager for a large appliance company, he got bored, wanted more freedom and dropped out. Around this time, the guys from Chicago invited him to join them in California to be their Manager, someone they desperately needed to keep them on track and on time. Jack took the challenge and never looked back. From the bands humble beginnings, where Jack would drive the truck carrying their gear, to managing one of the most popular rock bands of the 70s, Jack saw them through thick and thin. From making all of the travel and accommodation arrangements, to hiring and supervising crew members and handling all of the money for the band, his role as Road Manager had him acting as Mom and Dad rolled in to one. He was the guy who kept the band out of trouble and got them where they need to be, when they need to be there. Without this anchor, the band is rudderless, directionless and headed for the rocks. The head of the unsung heroes of the band, Jack spent the same amount of time on the road as the band, traveling , staying, eating and laughing with them. Jack was the same age as the guys in the band and was a trusted confidant and friend to them, sharing the same mind set and being able to relate to them as a peer. He devoted his life to the band as much as the band members themselves, the result of which was a lot of time spent away from home, where his wife Chris (who was working at the Whisky with Pamela Kath when they met) and two dogs, Parent and Baby, lived. A result of all of his hard work and devotion to his job was his ability to indulge himself in the finer things in life. Jack had exquisite taste in the finer things, from collecting Rolex watches to his classy 1961 Jaguar Mark IX that he had shipped from England. With a group of seven men, who were full of youthful energy and enthusiasm, laced with a healthy dose of playful antics and mischief, Jack had his hands full keeping the guys out of trouble. Patty Molloy was kind enough to share an interview she did with Walt illustrating an incident that Jack faced dealing with these high-spirited men…..What did you guys do now?, must have been his theme song... https://soundcloud/positive-listening-radio/walt-parazaider-story-from-the-road A salute to Jack and the irreplaceable role he had in the incredible success of our favorite band, Chicago. 8-| Special thanks to Susan Steele Loughnane for sharing these incredible photos! :-)
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 18:03:22 +0000
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