Amazing how life just flies by and if we're lucky enough we can pause, just for a second and take it all in. Or at least some of it.
I'm finding at this point in mine, just on the verge of turning 60… (well, a couple more years to go but closer to 60 than 50), as things are constantly changing, as they always do… (another side note to self… resist that to your peril! Change…), I am reminded, sometimes forced, to face the reality that our time here is so limited… (another note to self), TAKE THIS IN… yes, life has both extremes… the highest of highs and the lowest of lows…
So as I sit here this morning 2 days away from my 2nd solo release “Here I Am” about to drop I ponder, again, what my life is, who's in it and I get this incredible wave of gratitude.
As I play the tracks one more time before the record is released I look at this incredible fortune that has been bestowed upon me. And whenever I acknowledge that, sometimes people think I'm short changing myself. That it actually kind of comes out a little self deprecating… please know that's the furthest from my my intentions and feelings. I believe I'm pretty well aware of why things have happened in my professional career and it's a 2 say street. Some amazing things have happened, and continue to happen and I have to show up to contribute, and I do.
But what I really want to talk about in this post is my friend Bill Champlin. Let me go back to the beginning… I was a kid growing up in San Diego and I was in a band with my best friend at the time, Mitch Thompson. I still consider Mitch one of my best friends even though we don't connect as often as I'd like. Archie is his name now… We DEVOURED all things Champlin. Well, actually his solo career. I was aware of The Sons Of Champlin but my generation was coming up steeped in that era of record making during the mid to late 70s when David Foster was really starting to hit his stride and some of David's first productions were Bill's solo albums.
I remember listening to Bill's “Single” album and just adoring this guy's voice. And then “Runaway” came out and it was going to a new level. This was coinciding with a release of a record that would change my life… Earth Wind and Fire's “All ‘n All”. I had gotten turned on to Earth Wind and Fire starting with “That's The Way of The World” and couldn't get enough of them. I bought everything they had… and when “All ‘n All” was released, that was revolutionary for me. I learned ALL of Verdine's bass parts. I played to that record until I pretty much burned it out and had to buy another one.
And THEN, the real magic happened… they released the follow up “I Am”. So now, you have the pairing of David Foster and Earth Wind and Fire and they recorded one of the greatest songs ever written and recorded, “After The Love Has Gone”. Think about this for a minute… music, record making, songwriting, production, EVERYTHING was hitting a feverish pitch in this modern day renaissance… and these were my new guys.
Earth Wind and Fire, David Foster, Bill Champlin… it was all there. I remember putting on the “I Am” album in my bedroom and playing to it non stop. That record shaped me as a bass player about as much as anything before or after. And the massive hit single of “After The Love Has Gone” was not only all over the airwaves but becoming embedded into my DNA forever.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and some of the first people I met were the Keane Brothers. 2 child prodigies that I'd seen on television and announced to my mother in our living room back in San Diego that if I could meet these kids I know we'd make great music together. And to be honest, that was a total pipe dream. They were on television, WAY advanced musically than I was. (and actually brought me down to size ego-wise. I thought I was pretty much hot stuff… everybody was telling me that in my little community in SD… but when I saw these kids I knew they were on a whole different level).
But I planted a seed somehow… I moved to LA in 80 and through a dear friend Peter Atanasoff, (who would introduce me to Buzz Feiten as well), I met the Keane Brothers. We took off like a canon. I joined their band and we recorded their 2nd album for Japan “Keane”… we recorded in the famed “Sound City” studios… gawked at REO Speedwagon who were in recording “High Infidelity” as well as Rick Springfield in recording… would look on the walls and see the gold records on the wall like Tom Petty's “Damn The Torpedoes”… it was an amazing time. I was 18 years old and out into the world…
As I developed my friendship with the Keane Brothers they played me their records they had made… and as you might imagine… all these heroes of mine were on them. In fact, David Foster's FIRST production was a Keane Brothers album. He had Champlin singing background vocals all over it. I was in HEAVEN! I was that close to Bill. And maybe I might even meet him someday!
Well, the day came through another friend I'd made… Carmen Grillo who went on to join Tower of Power for a good run. Carmen was putting a band together to showcase himself and his great friend Bill Champlin was enlisted to play B3 organ and sing background vocals. Bill couldn't have been warmer… we immediately hit it off… but I didn't sing a note in front of him! I was the bass player… that's it. In fact, not a lot of the people in Carmen's band knew I was a singer… in fact, kind of, neither did I!
Funny enough… I remember getting to rehearsal one day and Champlin announced to the room that Cetera had moved on. And this was right on the heels of the biggest Chicago record they had released. Chicago 17. Radio was playing “You're The Inspiration”, “Hard Habit To Break” and “Hard To Say I'm Sorry” all, still, in heavy rotation. With Chicago 16 and “Hard To Say I'm Sorry”, again, there was a huge shift in pop music… Foster took Chicago and revolutionized the sound to create yet another renaissance. Those ballads and the way he produced them created a sound that to this day still influences the world musically.
Bill's wife Tamara and I had bumped into each other in a recording studio about 3 or 4 weeks prior to that day in rehearsal and she heard my voice. It was for some movie and I had done some vocals and she was coming in after to do some vocals. She approached me at the Grillo rehearsal and kind of whispered, “Jason, you ought to get a tape to Bill… you never know!” and I said, “Yes, I should!” or “I will!” or something that was in my mind small talk… there was NO WAY I was going to pursue that… there was just no way it was possible… I had sent a tape to Toto when they were looking for a singer at one point and never heard back from them so I figured, there's your reality. You're just not on this level. I was in LA to be a bass player. That was natural for me… I felt it was my true calling.
Well as fate would have it, I signed a publishing deal in late 1985 mainly so someone would talk about me… and they did. When Cetera was looking for songs for his solo album and/or someone to possibly write with him, my publisher sent my first 3 songs that were in my catalogue over to Warner Bros and the rest is history. I've written about this before so I won't go into detail here.
When Champlin heard my tape we spoke and he was mindblown that it was me. Not so much the content on the tape but the fact it was his friend from Carmen's band. I've never asked him, because it doesn't really matter, but I would assume that my tape didn't blow his mind as someone who was completely ready to do something like join Chicago but in general, these boys took a chance on me. I'll never be able to thank them enough for that opportunity. And when I look back on it, of course, if I didn't deliver I would have been gone quick… even still, they didn't really have the luxury to experiment. They made their choice and stuck to it.
I can only imagine what it was like for singers like Bill Champlin and Robert Lamm to have this unproven and truthfully, not really ready, singer… (and I still have a hard time wrapping my head around allowing myself to even call myself that in the presence of these guys… legends!), step into this position… this role of not only being a singer, but a lead singer and FRONT AND CENTER.
David Foster announced before we recorded one note of Chicago 18 that the tenor was going to be singing all the singles. I'll never forget what that felt like. First of all it was quite heady. Knowing you were going to be put into the spotlight… but then a part of me was thinking that I wasn't proven… that I might just crash and burn when it really mattered… day 1 of recording would reveal whether I was going to last or not… and a large part of me was thinking I probably wouldn't. I felt comfortable as a bass player though so in the back of my mind I was thinking that if I crashed and burned in the vocals maybe they'd let me stay around and play bass in the band and sing a little backup here and there?
And one more time, I won't go into detail because I've covered it in other posts, but when I stepped up to the microphone on day one of vocals for Chicago 18, I took a deep breath, sang the first couple of lines of “Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now” and knew I was off to the races. I speak to other people who have crossed that barrier into world class success… musicians, athletes, business people… and it's that moment when everything slows down… it's not racing away… it's an eery calm… where you feel comfortable… you know you belong.
I got through my first vocal, won Foster over and we sailed through Chicago 18. I'd heard how tough Foster was, especially with singers, but we sailed through that record. That experience changed me forever. Delivering on that level with that level of record makers, on the heels of one of the most important records Chicago would make… I've never been afraid of any record producer since then. Have always felt comfortable which helps them feel comfortable.
After we go the lead vocals done for that record we jumped into background vocals. Champlin time. Bill had not only established himself as an artist and songwriter… but he had won MVPs as a background vocalist and arranger. Suddenly I was at the microphone with this guy and hearing all the sounds I'd come up with. His own records, his work on records like “She's A Beauty” by The Tubes… “Is It You” by Lee Ritenour and Eric Tagg… and countless others. Suddenly our 2 voices were becoming a sound.
We did background vocals a lot just the 2 of us and we flew through them. We did a few with the great Robert Lamm as well but most of the background vocal work was me and Bill.
Chicago 18 was finished and went on to create some more of Chicago's biggest hit singles. “Will You Still Love Me” with my voice as the lead and Champlin providing classic answers like on “Hard Habit To Break”. This chance the guys took on me worked. Chicago 18 yielded another top 40 single “If She Would Have Been Faithful” and then we went on to record Chicago 19.
Chicago 19 marked another sea change for the band and very smartly had Champlin take the helm as lead vocalist to again create some of Chicago's biggest hits, #1 in fact. The 2nd #1 single in Chicago's career. “Look Away” was Billboard song of the year in 1989 and featured Bill as lead vocalist. We created that song as the rhythm section of Danny Seraphine on drums, I played synth bass, Dan Huff played guitars, we had a utility sessions keyboardist play the synth parts and DaWayne Bailey and I sang background vocals. I think there might have been a session percussionist on it as well. Efrain Toro was who Ron Nevison brought in for that album.
We had another song “I Don't Want To Live Without Your Love”, another Diane Warren song… (Look Away), that went to #3. There was a 3rd single called “You're Not Alone” that was a top 10 pop hit. Same configuration on the personnel for those recordings. Although I think Lamm was in on the background vocals for “I Don't Want To Live Without Your Love”.
They released a 4th single which was Nevison's 4th and final production for Chicago 19 and it was a song I co-wrote called “We Can Last Forever”. That was the point where radio was over saturated with Chicago. They had a 5th single teed up and ready to go but when “We Can Last Forever” didn't crack the top 40 the label said that was it. No more singles for Chicago 19.
Personally, I was BUMMED! We had all been so excited about it when we recorded it and everybody was saying how it was going to be a big hit for us. “What Kind Of Man Would I Be”. Bobby Caldwell and I had started the song and brought it in at the end of Chicago 19 when the label and powers that be said we were short on 1 hit/single. I played the demo for Chas Sandford (Missing You – John Waite) who was producing the remainder of Chicago 19… and he flipped out! We finished the song that night and cut it the next day. Personnel? Danny Seraphine on drums, me on Musicman Stingray bass, Charles Judge on keys, Chas on guitar with me handling lead vocals and Champlin doing most of the background vocal work and the classic Chicago horns bringing back the horn sound on the ballads, a la “Hard Habit to Break”.
So getting back to Chicago 19 taking its course… like I said, the decision to not release “What Kind Of Man Would I Be” was because radio was inundated with Chicago of the 80s INCLUDING Peter Cetera's monster hits “Glory Of Love”, “Next Time I Fall”, and maybe his duet with Cher “After All” was out by then.
I'll never forget thinking, “Wow! So “What Kind Of Man” just ends up an album cut… amazing.” But then something incredible happened… they announced that a 3rd greatest hits package was being put together… Chicago's greatest hits 1982-1989. And I had 3 pieces of incredible news… “We Can Last Forever”, since it was a hit… actually almost made it to the top of the Adult Contemporary charts… #2 I think? But it made it into this 80s greatest hits packages… “If She Would Have Been Faithful”, AND “What Kind Of Man Would I Be” was going to be the SINGLE for the album! Are you kidding me? Going from not being sure I was going to be able to pull this off to be the tenor lead vocalist for Chicago to helping be that pivot point to keep the band going beyond their biggest selling album… and to be one of the main contributors of this incredible 80s run? Time to pinch oneself…
So just let me list the tracks for the '82-'89 greatest hits package…
1. Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away
2. Look Away
3. Stay The Night
4. Will You Still Love Me?
5. Love Me Tomorrow
6. What Kind Of Man Would I Be? (Remix)
7. You're The Inspiration
8. I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love
9. Hard Habit To Break
10. Along Comes A Woman
11. If She Would Have Been Faithful…
12. We Can Last Forever
Just looking at this listing and realizing that half the titles, 6 of them, are my contributions… Wow… I was now never questioning whether this was my destiny. The record, (literally), had spoken for itself. And the support from all angles… band, management, record company, fans… it was all there. Truly the dream had come true. And as subsequent projects, albums, opportunities came up I was always looked to for my contributions…
Just looking over that track list again and thinking about Bill Champlin and myself… our sounds was cemented into music history… not to mention Bill was bringing me into the background vocal sessions he was getting for other artists… we worked on Kenny Rogers' “They Don't Make Em Like They Used To”, Gino Vanelli's “Inconsolable Man”, The Commodores, George Benson and tons more stuff.
In 2006 we were able to get back into the studio to record Chicago 30. My growing relationship with the band Rascal Flatts and particularly Jay DeMarcus provided the spark to light the flame to get us back into the studio… after what, 16 years? Another thing I'm incredibly proud of. That unproven kid they took a chance on had grown and developed relationships to set the table for a project like this. Working with a member of the biggest band in Country Music… Rascal Flatts… several of us flew to Nashville to write with Jay and the A list songwriters he brought to the table. The writing sessions of Jay, Robert Lamm, Brett James, Champlin, myself and several others were one of my favorite times of record making with Chicago. Just hearing the excitement in Lamm's voice and how he was praising this project as being one of the healthiest albums they'd ever had, including all the 70s stuff way before I got there… was another internal feeling I had of having brought my assets to the table and contributing to further this band down the road.
Again, Bill and I did the bulk of the background vocal work on the album and it was our sound. When you think of it… the sound of Chicago in the 70s was an incredible mixture of Robert Lamm, Peter Cetera and Terry Kath vocally… those were the sound of those records… they did the background vocals together and it was absolutely amazing!
By the time I got there, for the 80s stuff, the sound had changed. For one, Peter Cetera was really stacking himself on background vocals and that's partly why I got the gig and it worked… that was always something that was natural to me… I didn't realize it until I was standing at the mic with David Foster starting me down on Chicago 18! But it was time to sink or swim… luckily, I took to that vocal treatment of tripling lead vocals and stacking myself on background vocals.
And also, the sound of Chicago 16 onward was predominantly Cetera and Champlin so the sound was set. And that's why Foster wasn't going to mess with that formula. There were 2 amazingly distinctive eras to Chicago. The revolutionary 70s and the equally revolutionary 80s into the 90s. One with highly experimental work, (70s), and the other of redefining pop music and ballad (80s).
We finished Chicago 30 which included a duet with Rascal Flatts called “Love Will Come Back” another crowning achievement in my career. To have put together the relationship to eventually go back into the studio, co-write a song that would become a duet with the biggest country band in the world. Guess what Jason? Accept it! This is your work and your legacy! Ok, ok… I'll admit it…
And as fate has it, life moves on and we all make the necessary changes to navigate this incredible thing called life… and suddenly Champlin had made his change from the band and I was no longer standing next to him at a microphone. There were many years that went by and when you're out on tour constantly it seems time just speeds by. I remember when I was gone all the time it was so hard to stay on top of keeping friendships alive. And I'd like to publicly acknowledge to all my friends thank you for putting up with this crazy lifestyle and how I haven't been available. I thank all of you for your understanding.
And eventually the day would come that I'd have to make my personal decisions for coming home. Again, not in this writing will I cover that, it's been well documented… but suffice it to say, when I was able to take a breath and pause for a second I started reflecting on what we had all done musically…
I eventually started working on some new music, just for fun… gone are the days of the pressure of having to follow up some amazingly successful album… and all the potential weirdness of whether your song is going to be on the album, or whether you're going to be singing the single(s), etc. Because of COURSE that's there! I always got a kick out of it and all my friends who've been in successful bands relate to when it's healthy, the competition is one of the best ingredients.
I'll say this right now… like I mentioned at the beginning of this writing, when I joined Chicago it HAD to be a bit frustrating to have spent your life becoming a world class artist, Chicago and Champlin respectively, and have this unproven kid come in and be put front and center. I'll tell you this… I never once felt any aggression toward me if there was ever any frustration. These guys took me in, under their wing, nurtured and always encouraged… particularly Lamm and Champlin. But if it was me? I would have struggled with knowing what my potential was/is and having to sit back while this kid found his way. But boy, were they awesome… truly. Think about it, it wouldn't have worked if they hadn't been.
So Jay DeMarcus and I started dusting off the solo project we started right after Chicago 30. We went in and started cutting tracks for a solo album and got about halfway through and I wanted to put it down for a while. Just wasn't into it. I was still touring a bunch so it wasn't on the front burner, emotionally, for me. About a year ago, as of this writing, Jay really pushed for us to have a revisit to the album. We had cut over 10 songs but really figured 5 of them were still relevant. We decided to cut some newer modern versions of the Chicago material I had helped create, starting with “Will You Still Love Me” and truthfully? We cut that one not even thinking of putting it on my solo record. We just cut it, because!
Around the same time I had started writing songs with Tommy Thayer of Kiss. Tommy is the lead guitarist of Kiss and we really hit it off. We started with one song, brought Randy Goodrum in to write lyrics, (If She Would Have Been Faithful – songwriter), and we just started taking off… we went on to a 2nd song and were up and running… this material was much more raw than my solo record with Jay or anything I'd done with Chicago… and we were really loving it.
We went in to cut tracks on this stuff and we brought in Steve Ferrone of “Average White Band”, “Tom Petty” fame to play drums. Just Tommy, Ferrone and me cut that basic tracks. Tommy and I sat around wondering what to do next with it and suddenly Champlin's name came up. I hadn't worked with Bill in MANY years so I called him and asked if he wanted to come play B3 organ on the stuff… as is always Bill's way, he jumped… this guy has always been pure music… the muse always wins with Bill.
So he comes over and flips out… I don't blame him! The tracks are killer… I had just thrown down some *scratch* vocals but Bill was commenting on how great to vocals are! So I start taking my que… let it live! I liked the vocals too but was thinking I'd go back in and cut them… but, this is the new world… go with your instinct. Again, we're not trying to compete in any market out there… and by the way… this is no different than what we did making all of those hits back in the day… write songs… hopefully they're great… so stack the odds… bring guys like Randy Goodrum in… and now I've asked another one of my heroes, Bill Champlin to come in…
Now remember, I hadn't been in the studio, on stage, in the same room with this guy for over a decade… I really thought that season of my life was over… we had done what we did and that was for that time period…
But I reached out to him and he was there in a heartbeat. He LOVED what we had recorded… and ate it up… We BLASTED through the tracks… didn't belabor anything… one of the benefits of being on a shoestring budget to record… don't waste time. Call the right guys… get it done.
I didn't approach him about vocals because truthfully, once we'd created some of music's biggest history you don't know how people are going to be. I pretty much know Champlin like a book, and vice versa, and figured he'd be just as he has always been and ended up being again, it's all about the music first… and he was excited when he heard what we were doing and dove in.
And in typical Champlin fashion, once we were done with the keyboard recording he says something like, “Well this one could use some background vocals…” BOOOOOOMMM, what I was deep down hoping for… that the old juices would start flowing, and they were. All the stuff we did and the reasons, were back. The muse was winning, again!
And I actually set up some cameras and captured us back on the microphone together. Our first notes in over a decade… I'll admit to you… for me, it was pretty emotional. A sound… a big sound of pop music was in my ears and I, again, was relishing how lucky I have been, and am to be able to continue to do this. It's almost like I'm in a personal, private fantasy camp! Yeah, I know… I'm part of the fantasy camp but I'm just so grateful I've never lost the fan aspect of this. Yes, I provide part of the sound but I NEVER got too cool for school to miss the magic of it all.
So one song leads to the next and suddenly Champlin is all over this project with Tommy and me. I leave these sessions with a very profound feeling, which I sum up at the end of this writing.
I then talk to Jay and tell him about the experience… he asks, “Do you think he'd want to come sing on your solo album?” and I said, “Well, I'll ask him… I know musically and creatively I think he'd be into it but let's see how he feels about it all”. So I ask him and of course he's way up for it. We arrange to fly to Nashville and walk into the studio.
Bill meets the great Derek Bason for the first time, (and between you and me… Derek's FLIPPING OUT! haaaaaaaaaa Here's the guy with over 62 #1 singles under his belt and he's flipping out over getting the chance to record me and Bill together. Another landmark to this crazy ongoing career), and Derek plays Bill the material. The first thing Bill says is how amazing the vocals are. Now coming from this kid who was devouring Champlin's solo albums, the Earth Wind and Fire connection and suddenly it's peer to peer.
We play Bill some of the new material… new songs and he's loving it. We go out and start carving vocals… and the sound is back… there it is. We then play him one of the Chicago songs I recorded with him “Will You Still Love Me” I believe was first… I tell him that I respect completely that we've made our mark and had big hit records with this and if he didn't want to sing on that stuff I'd completely understand and respect that… but, since these were new versions… modernized versions… he loved them. And when you think about it… All the other singers on those hits have recorded new versions of their stuff, Peter Cetera, Robert Lamm, Bill Champlin… it was only fitting I'd do my own take on them…
So there was Bill… diving in and we created some AMAZING vocals on this stuff!!!!
When we finished, I flew home and had this incredible epiphany. I've had an incredible part of my life spent with Bill Champlin. We've not only contributed to the most successful part of Chicago's hit making history but pop music in general. If that's our only time together, that's good enough. I can look at that period with pride and love for an incredible season.
But I realized it's not over. We're still here. We still have a chance to do more stuff. There's more gas in the tank. And as so many of us are leaving the planet these days, time is of the essence. And I can't tell you how grateful and lucky I feel to have this time with my friend again. It's one of those things too where when I casually mention to anyone who loves music who I'm working with I see the lights go on bigtime. Their dream…. but I get to live it.
And I thought about Bill and what he's done. Again, solo artist and revolutionary artist? Sons Of Champlin, solo artist, hit songwriter, session background vocalist MVP, grammy winner, Chicago frontman… Bill can say on many accounts that he's got lots of *guys*.
From a singing perspective, when he started doing background vocal sessions that David Foster put him on, early on, his *guys* include Michael McDonald, Bobby Kimball, Tom Kelly, Richard Page, David Lasley, Tommy Funderburk… those were session vocalists… not to mention all the great female background vocalists he's worked with most notably Carmen Twillie.
Then, he goes on to create massive hits as an artist with Chicago. His *guys* are Peter Cetera, me…
So when you stack it up… all the hits that Bill Champlin is on… he could look at any of those people and say, “Oh, that's my guy, that's another one of my guys… oh, there's another…”
But for me? There's one guy. If you hear me on the radio… if you know what I do as a singer, as an artist… it's with one guy and one guy only. Bill Champlin…
I walked away from these recent projects of mine and realized, I'm back working with my *guy*. And when you hear what we've done maybe you'll get that same feeling I did when I heard us coming through my headphones after all these years…
And wouldn't you know… this would spark all kinds of other stuff. Bill and I have been able to reconnect with Danny Seraphine, the drummer on all those Chicago hits. We're in talks about recording a project together that hopefully will get started in 2020.
Bill and I are also in the process of putting an amazing project together with a couple of legendary R&B artists… again, you'll be hearing about that soon.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my solo c.d. “Here I Am” released November 8th, 2019. It has a LOT of Champlin's voice on it. We're also starting to mix the project with Tommy, Ferrone and Champlin… I've sent one track off to Todd Rundgren to mix and it appears he's into it. Who knows… maybe he'll mix the whole project. I'll keep you posted!
http://www.jasonscheff.com/hia
Jason… I’ve been so busy as of late, but you gripped me with this blog and I savored every word… living through each emotion and piece of action you describe! I had to stop a couple of times because the tears of joy and emotion running down my cheeks blurred the text. Thanks for bringing us into this very important facet of your life… and for letting us see how everything we do in this world comes back threefold. How a little humility goes a long way. It’s great to see you and Champlin collaborate artistically… but more so, with the amazing background and history you’ve shared. Thank you and KUDOS!
This warms my heart, as does the fabulous music you have created…Can’t wait to hear the new one! thanks for you hard work so we can sit back and enjoy!
Wow… that brought tears to my eyes Jason. Being a fellow player singing bass player the best memories of my life was the time I spent with my boys playing live and in the studio.. the respect you hold for Bill is rampant around the world… as there is no other Bill Champlin only one.. however, there’s only one Jason scheff.. and that’s pretty Incredible too. Thanks for your talent and all the joy you have brought and continue to bring all of us.
Note one of my favorite Champlin tracks is Isn’t She Lovely w Rittenhour..wow. Damn I wanted to sing like that..
Wishing you much continued success. DarenB
Jason, noce story!!oPwrhapsWeCan Ladt Forwver was not the big it should have been, butit’ such a beautiful, wonderful song of yours…a true hidden jewel. It’s a the song that made me fell in love with your personality as an artist…mademelive theartist you are…please, consider performing it someday…please???Love you!! AndRunaround is such a nice uptempo song que Bill, I really enjoy ita loteverytime I listen to it. If you ever get the chance to sing with him live again, please consider singing that one.Well, there are many really good songs that you sing with Bill. We can see how much you truly appreciate the band Chicago, and how much you truly admire and appreciate Bill…you are really an amazing, sweet guy!! It would have been so good that all the songs on your new were new, but I can somewhat understand that you wanted to acknowledge and pay homage to the band that gave you almost 3verything you got in life. I wish a lot of success and many good things and much more music to come in your life!!!
Jason you are the perfect example human Generosity and Love. The Love you show your fans makes us all feel Truly Special. Your voice is one of a kind,Truly Angelic. You always remind me that Life is Special. And that we should Always hold the people we Love close to us and keep our departed loved ones in our Hearts. Thank You for letting me feel like a Special part of you Life.♥️♥️
Wow brother! Just read that entire post and really feeling the excitement coming thru your words. From a non musician like myself, your musical education of Bill mirrors mine to a tee. And I have been lucky enough not only get to know you both over the years but be involved from a label standpoint as a very small part of your Chicago sales and radio story. Your hero’s are also my hero’s musically, and defined a lot of the music that shaped my tastes over the years. I couldn’t be looking forward to hearing this full album come Friday! “Nerding out” in anticipation of hearing your voices together again. Best of luck on this project and hopei you are right in saying this could be just the beginning of some new projects together. Keep this train moving forward!!
Chris Walch
Cant wait to hear you and Bill together again. My biggest disappointment in all the Chicago music you have done all these years is all the songs there are no studio recordings of you singing together. Still I will take what I can get. You’re both amazing singers and sing my favorite Chicago songs!!!
This was probably my favorite post. Like you I love all things Champlin. And to see the two of you back together making music simply makes me quite happy and put a big smile on my face. Life moves quickly and I think you have a wonderful outlook on how to take it vantage of every opportunity that comes by because you don’t know if it might come around again or not. Good luck with the new album I look forward to hearing you and Bill‘s voice on it.
I buy anything that Bill is on…can’t wait to hear your CD. Congratulations Jason.
Jason you are a class act! Love your attitude, humility, humor, and of course, your voice!! So ready for Friday!!
Thanks Jason for sharing the story with details. I enjoyed read this, specially cause I share your feeling about meeting heroes of ours like Bill or David. Your dream came true cause you deserved it. Can’t wait to listen to your new music in solo and with Bill and Danny. If I had to choose 2 duet songs (Bill & you) I would bring on a desert island, I’d choose “Holding On” and “If I should loose you”. Be good.A
Dearest Jason, you are a living proof of trust, insistence, respect, humbleness, true love, talent, beatitude, etc, etc, etc!!!! Thanks from the hesrt for pursuing your dreams, seeing them come true and sharing all the beauty that you are with us. As you have seen and continue to see, all the love you share comes back to you! And you deserve it all! Much love and blessings to you! Forever!!!!!!
My hope is for one thing. TOUR. We want to see Bill and you together live brother !!!
Jason I have always thought the you and Bill have two of the greatest voices in music. So happy you are working together again. We would love to see you perform together on the road.
Jason, the music that you and Bill Champlin created has been at the center of so many of the important moments of my life. This new album has left me on an emotional high all day. When you and Bill went back and forth on Look Away, it left me in tears. I felt like a 15 year old kid again reliving the raw emotions of teenage angst. I am so grateful for the music you gave us with this new release.
The kind words you expressed about Bill Champlin took me through the ride you shared with him and I could feel the warmth, respect and appreciation you feel for him.
Thanks again for this post. Was just the best!
I feel that a person who gives recognition to someone for whatever reason, is a ” CLASS ACT “! Your respect for all the musicians, singers, friends, etc.that you have mentioned — is exactly that.
In today’s world, it seems like too many people are so ” full of themselves “, that those others deserving are overlooked. It is refreshing to know that you include everyone, when it comes to handing out compliments.
You have a wonderful voice, distinct and captivating. Thank you for sharing it — with the world.
Went to see Chicago on Hilton Head Island probably twenty years ago. You were mulling around a very relaxed venue and my fifteen year old son walks up and introduces himself. I stood off at a distance and watched how kind and down to earth you were. That forever sold me on Jason Scheff.
I’m so happy you and Bill are back together singing. I loved that lineup of Chicago. The four originals, you, Bill, Keith and Tris were just so enjoyable.
Good look on the new release. We’ll all be out there waiting and listening for great music. God bless you and continued success in your ever-changing career!!!
Love the new album Jason! Just curious though…. You didn’t mention anything about the Twenty 1 or SOS recording sessions in your post. Any reasons for that? I sure would love to hear some of the back story behind some of my favorite (and under appreciated) Chicago recordings.
Thanks,
Barry
Thanks Jason for telling us amazing stories. So touched. I do love your new solo album and so glad that you and Bill Champlin collaborate again. Looking forward to your next step on various ongoing projects.
Chicago, "Runaround" from 'Chicago 19' (1988): Saturdays in the Park
Can’t believe I haven’t seen this post til now. I went looking for info on your acapella project and stumble on this. Bill IS the guy and every group I see him play with always kicks up a notch with him on the stage musically and vocally. I could call it a career if I had one chance to jam with the man.
Also, have to repeat how much I like this album. It seems like a bit of a rebirth, yet very mature and sophisticated, but a shame that it was released right before this pandemic that shut down the touring world. If this pandemic ever eases up (it will) and you ever tour the east coast such as Delaware (other than for golf), we will be there.
Thanks for the music!
Hi again, Jason. For a future album, please consider including ” One Last Tine”. It is such a wonderful song, so gorgeous and powerful, with a heartfelt, emotional vocal by you…I cannot believe that you and Jay ever consider it to be not relevant…because from 10 songs, there were five that were still relevant…is that what you said? And it was sad for me that after waiting so many years for a new album by you, 5 songs were going to be Chicago songs..yet again.
Don’t get me wrong… Chicago was your life for 31 years, and you did a outstanding work performing many of their songs, specially your own songs,” Will You Still Love Me”, What Jund Of Man”, my very favorite ” We Can Last Forever”, ” If She Woukd Have Been Faithful”, ” Explain It To My Heart”, ” Man to Woman”, ” You Come To My Senses”, and on stage, you soecially shined on the big classics like “25 or 6 to 4″, Hard To Say I’m Sorry”, “Feeling Stronger Everyday”, Hyst YouN Me”, ” Questions 67&68″. Even “Happy Man”. Your voice sounded great on all those songs, and your confident attitude was the correct. I understand you wanted to pay homage to Chicago, like I said on another post. And, I will give that your performance on ” Feeling Stronger Everyday”, and its quality sound, they all were so great!! But I was expecting much more new music from you after so many years without a new album from you. The 5 songs on “Here I Am”, including the title song, are Gorgeous. And big quality sound.
Now, I would like (and I’m sure I’m not the only one) New songs written by yourself. You have good writing qualities, specially when it comes to music…Believe more in your music and please include more songs of your own. No matter what people say…You’re a great songwriter!!
I wanna see you to really shine by yourself, with your own legacy, your own music, and I really would live to see much more emphasi in your new music after so much time. I love you!!
I
Chicago, "Caroline" from 'Chicago XXX' (2006): Saturdays in the Park