JANUARY 23, 1978 – TERRY KATH died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

JANUARY 23, 1978 – Singer/songwriter/guitarist TERRY KATH (b. January 31, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois) died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Around 5 p.m. after a party at roadie and band technician Don Johnson’s home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, Chicago guitarist Kath took an unloaded .38 revolver and put it to his head, pulling the trigger several times on the empty chambers. Johnson had warned Kath several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to Johnson, “Don’t worry about it … look, the clip’s not even in it”. To satisfy Johnson’s concerns, Kath showed the empty magazine to Johnson. Kath then replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. However, there was a round in the chamber, and Kath died instantly.Kath left a widow, Camelia Emily Ortiz (whom he had married in 1974 and who would later marry actor Kiefer Sutherland), and a daughter, Michelle. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.Kath was born to Ray and Evelyn Kath on January 31, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. His brother played the drums and his mother played the banjo, and he attempted to learn these instruments too. He acquired a guitar and amplifier when he was in the ninth grade, and his early influences included the Ventures, Dick Dale and Howard Roberts. He later became influenced by George Benson, Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.Unlike several other Chicago members who received formal music training, Kath was mostly self-taught and enjoyed jamming. In a 1971 interview for Guitar Player, he said he had tried professional lessons but abandoned them, adding “all I wanted to do was play those rock and roll chords.” His father wanted him to have a steady career, but he decided he would prefer a career in music.Kath joined his first semi-professional band, The Mystics, in 1963, moving to Jimmy Rice and the Gentlemen in 1965. He then played bass in a road band called Jimmy Ford and the Executives. Considered to be the bandleader, Kath guided the band’s musical direction. Ford was the trumpeter, Walter Parazaider played saxophone and other wind instruments, and Danny Seraphine later became the drummer. Kath became close friends with Seraphine as they formed the rhythm section, as well as with Parazaider. The three musicians regularly socialized outside of the band. They were fired from the group, which wanted to merge with another band, Little Artie and the Pharaohs, while leader and guitarist Mike Sistack explained that “it’s just business”.In 1966, Kath joined a cover band called the Missing Links, taking Parazaider and Seraphine with him, and started playing clubs and ballrooms in Chicago on a regular basis. Parazaider’s friend at De Paul University, trumpeter Lee Loughnane, also sat in with the band from time to time. Kath’s compatriot, James William Guercio (who later became Chicago’s producer) was lead guitarist in one of two road bands performing on “The Dick Clark Show” with the Missing Links. Kath received an offer from Guercio to play bass for the Illinois Speed Press and move to Los Angeles, but declined as he considered the guitar his main instrument, and wanted to sing lead. He stayed with Parazaider, Seraphine and Loughnane instead, who quickly recruited trombonist James Pankow from De Paul, and vocalist/keyboardist Robert Lamm. Kath sang the lower range of lead vocals in the group in a style reminiscent of Ray Charles. The group practiced at Parazaider’s parents’ basement and changed their name to The Big Thing. With the addition of singer and bassist Peter Cetera of The Exceptions, they moved to Los Angeles and signed with Columbia Records, renaming themselves to Chicago Transit Authority. In mid-1969 the name was shortened to Chicago.Kath was regarded as Chicago’s bandleader and best soloist; and his vocal, jazz, and hard rock influences were integral to the band’s sound. He has been praised for his guitar skills and described by rock author Corbin Reiff as “one of the most criminally underrated guitarists to have ever set finger to fretboard”. Parazaider quoted Jimi Hendrix’s firsthand personal impression of Kath: “the guitar player is better than me”, adding “Terry brought a lot of fire and soulfulness to the band.”The group’s first album “The Chicago Transit Authority”, released in 1969, includes Kath’s composition “Introduction” which was described as “Terry’s masterpiece” by later Chicago guitarist Dawayne Bailey. The song displays many varied musical styles, including jazz, blues, salsa, rock and roll, acid rock, and pop. The same debut album includes an instrumental guitar piece entitled “Free Form Guitar”, which consisted largely of feedback and heavy use of the Stratocaster’s tremolo arm. The album liner notes indicate that the nearly seven-minute piece was recorded live in the studio in one take, using only a Fender Dual Showman amplifier pre-amped with a Bogen Challenger P.A. amp. The guitar’s neck was held together with a radiator hose clamp. The song “Beginnings” includes acoustic rhythm guitar by Kath.For the group’s second album, Kath contributed an extended guitar solo on “25 or 6 to 4”, which became a live favorite. The same album saw Kath collaborate with orchestral arranger Peter Matz on the four-part suite “Memories of Love”, singing the lead vocal.Kath wrote at least one song and contributed at least one lead vocal to every Chicago album released during his lifetime. While 1976’s “Chicago X” is best known for Cetera’s #1 hit, “If You Leave Me Now”, Kath’s “Once or Twice” showed he was still writing and recording rock material. He continued this style on the following year’s “Chicago XI”, contributing the funky “Mississippi Delta City Blues” and the aggressive “Takin’ It on Uptown”, which counterbalanced some of the material other members were producing.After his death, to memorialize Kath and to commemorate the resumption of Chicago, the band composed and published the song “Alive Again” on their first album without him, “Hot Streets”. Also in Kath’s honor, they would later publish the song “Feel the Spirit”Kath sang lead vocals on several of Chicago’s early songs, including the singles “Colour My World” and “Make Me Smile” from Chicago. His vocal delivery was later described by Lamm as “the white Ray Charles”. Pankow, who wrote “Make Me Smile”, tried rehearsing the song with various members singing lead, but ultimately settled on Kath, saying “bingo – that was the voice.”Kath also played bass and sang lead vocal on the closing song “Tell Me” in the 1973 drama movie “Electra Glide in Blue”. The song was used in the final episode of the television series “Miami Vice”.Kath reportedly had a self-admitted history of drug abuse, including alcohol. Seraphine knew that Kath had a high tolerance for drugs, but later recalled Kath telling him “I’m going to get things under control … if I don’t, this stuff is going to kill me”. Chicago bandmates have indicated that he was also increasingly unhappy. However, Guercio has said that Kath was working on a solo album before he died, and Pankow adamantly denies that Kath was suicidal.By 1978, Kath was regularly carrying guns around, and enjoyed playing with them. The group were devastated over losing Kath and strongly considered disbanding, but were persuaded by Doc Severinsen, musical director of the Tonight Show band, that they should continue. Kath’s position as guitarist in Chicago was subsequently filled by Donnie Dacus.Because Chicago considered themselves a team, some band members have subsequently claimed Kath’s contributions, whilst comparable with Hendrix, to be generally overlooked. Parazaider later said, “if [Kath] had the Terry Kath Experience, or something where he was totally up front, he would have had a lot more recognition.”In September 1997, Chicago released “Chicago Presents The Innovative Guitar of Terry Kath”, a CD remembrance of their late guitarist, on their own short-lived Chicago Records label.In 2012, Kath’s daughter Michelle announced that enough funds had been donated to complete production on a documentary of his life titled, “Searching for Terry: Discovering a Guitar Legend”. In 2014, she confirmed she had interviewed the entire band except for Cetera, and the project was completed in 2015.but was struggling to find distribution. “I wanted to discover more about my dad and preserve his legacy,” says Sinclair, who was just two years old when Kath died. “But also because whenever you see those lists of Top Ten guitarists, he’s never on them.”