Walt Parazaider, co-founder of the band Chicago, passed away this morning at the age of 81. He died in hospice care from Alzeheimer’s complications, a disease he had lived with for six years after his diagnosis. Former Chicago drummer Tris Imboden expresses has opened up the loss of their band and says that the pain of losing him is greater than words can indicate.
The music industry is mourning the death of Chicago’s founding woodwind player and saxophonist. Parazaider was famous for shaping the horn sound and playing the famous flute solo in ‘Colour My World.’
This article honors Parazaider’s legacy by exploring Chicago’s history and musical journey. Some of his crucial documentaries and specials highlight his skill, vision, and the lasting influence he had on American rock music.
Continue reading to learn more about the documentaries of Walt Parazaider.
Here is the list of Walt Parazaider documentaries
1. Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago
This musical documentary showed the full story of Parazaider’s band, which traced its journey from early college days at DePaul University to its 2016 onboarding into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It revealed how the band developed its unique sound by blending a jazz horn with traditional rock.
Walt Parazaider played the executive producer and appeared in archival interviews. The musician personally explained how he pushed the powerful horn section to become a part of the band’s identity. His vision from the start was to make horns a key musical instrument of the band.
The motion picture showed the band’s rare archival footage and also explored past lives of former members through the lens of current band members Robert Lamm, James Pankow, and Lee Loughnane.
2. Chicago: Behind the Music
This musical film explored the band’s dramatic narrative. Here, Walt Parazaider shared their big success about the 1970s progressive horn-rock boom, the power-ballad renaissance, the pain of losing guitarist Terry Kath, and the changes that kept them alive between 1980 and 1990.
The TV documentary first aired on VH1 from 1997 to 2014. Each episode presented the audiences with interviews of famous music artists or bands. Forbers later narrated the Milli Vanilli episode after it was modified to include Rob Pilatus’s death. In Britain, Mary Anne Hobbs narrated the same episode with Thin Lizzy, Genesis, and Aerosmith.
3. Chicago: 25th Anniversary Special
The 25th anniversary special honored two different iconic entertainments, legendary rock band Chicago and the hit Broadway musical of the same name. The notable 1990s special showed the band’s big influence on music and included old footage from their 1967’s kickoff with The Big Thing to their 1980s pop hits.
The 25th Anniversary Special’s active live performer and key storyteller Walt Parazaider filmed at the Meso Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Edited by Subho Mukhopadhyay