Peter Cetera

Noted vocalist and bassist Peter Paul Cetera was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 13, 1944. His initial foray into music was the accordion, but he soon made his way to electric bass (and, occasionally, guitar). Cetera's family was Polish in origin, and Peter grew up Catholic. As a youngster, Cetera made the rounds in local bands before landing a gig with The Exceptions. In December of 1967, The Big Thing (later Chicago) and the Exceptions were playing the same place when Cetera approached the former, saying he liked what they were doing. Two weeks later, he'd switched bands. Cetera's addition benefited Chicago in many ways. First, his tenor voice complimented the baritones of guitarist Terry Kath and keyboardist Robert Lamm. Second - and most important at the time - his bass playing simply rocked. Together with Kath and drummer 'Danny Seraphine', Cetera made the rhythm section cook. Although not especially noted as a bass player now, at the time, Cetera set the standard. Early