SYDNEY, N.S. — They may be the top American band in Billboard chart history with more than 50 years of performing and more than 125 million albums sold worldwide, but for new member Neil Donell, it’s only the beginning.
“The tour is going great,” Donell told The Cape Breton Post in a phone interview from Montreal where the band, which formed in 1967, was to perform later that day. “We’re about halfway through our September run.”
Donell officially joined the group in January of this year. The Toronto-based singer is the group’s first Canadian member and not surprisingly, his roots extend into the Maritimes. He was born in northwestern Quebec and grew up in Montreal. He lived in Fredericton while attending the University of New Brunswick and became involved in the local music scene there.
“I went to the University of New Brunswick and played in a local band when I was there so I still have great friends there,” says Donell. “On Saturday we’ll be in Moncton before we come to Sydney. My father was raised just outside of Moncton so I have a very large contingent of cousins, some of whom I have never met, that will be at the Moncton show.
“I have great ties to the Maritime provinces. I have a lot of friends, musicians and otherwise, in Nova Scotia and Halifax and Sydney. I worked on occasion with Natalie MacMaster and I worked on many of Rita MacNeil’s records over the years.”
In addition, one of Donell’s two sons now lives in Dartmouth while the other resides in Toronto.
Although still based in Toronto, Donell has been pretty much on the road for most of the year since Chicago is known for their ambitious touring schedule, usually doing more than 100 dates every year. Even so, during a break in April, Donell returned briefly to his former life of doing concerts with symphony orchestras across North America, concerts which rely on his uncanny ability to sing like other performers.
“In one show I was Steve Perry from Journey and then a couple of weeks later, I was Sting. I do a little opera, some jazz. I’ve done some arias from time to time,” he says.
In addition to the symphony gigs, Donell is a well-known Toronto studio musician, thanks to an impressive four-octave range, who has participated in more than 10,000 recording sessions. He has also been nominated for several Junos.
“To make a good living in this business you have to be adaptable and be versatile — that’s the only way to make a go of it because if you have one specific thing that you do, then you’re going to have to wait for that to keep coming around. I’ve dabbled in everything from hard rock to jazz to country so it’s makes for an interesting career.”
It’s his ability for mimicry that may have brought him initially to the band’s attention. In any band that has been around a long time, members come and go and Chicago is no exception with only three members of the original lineup — Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane and James Pankow — still remaining. Donell’s duties include singing the tenor vocals that were originally done by former member Peter Cetera, as well as playing guitar.
And so far, so good. Donell says while the schedule can be at times demanding, everyone in the group is dedicated to the sound. But it does take a certain attitude and fitness.
“You’ve got to be up to the task. You’ve got to be healthy and take care of yourself. None of us are kids anymore. The age range of the band is actually I believe 49 to 73 right now,” he says, not revealing his own age but admitting he is in the middle of pack.
“The founding members of the group who are still in the band, James Pankow, Robert Lamm and Lee Loughnane are still going strong. It’s startling to me at times how great they sound. After 50 years of doing this, they still sound amazing. It’s spectacular.”
Those who will be attending Sunday’s show at Centre 200 can expect a great concert, says Donell. The evening will feature the performance of the album, “Chicago II” in its entirety during the first set, which includes such classics as “25 Or 6 To 4,” “Make Me Smile,” “Wake Up Sunshine” and “Colour My World.” The second set will feature their hits, making their show the longest of the band’s performing career.
“This is a family — there’s no other way to put it. Everybody is very supportive of each other, everybody has each other’s back,” says Donell. “It’s one of the most endearing aspects of the group and one that I did not expect. It really makes the night when you didn’t have enough sleep or you’ve had challenges that you didn’t expect, it really eases those things.
“They’re wonderful guys.”
