Walter Parazaider | |
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 Parazaider in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Walter Parazaider (1945-03-14)March 14, 1945 (age 80)[1] |
| Genres | Rock,blues,R&B,jazz fusion |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone,flute,clarinet,guitar |
| Years active | 1966–2018 |
| Formerly of | Chicago |
Walter Parazaider (born March 14, 1945) is an Americanwoodwind musician who is a founding member of therock bandChicago. He is best known for being one-third of Chicago's brass/woodwind section alongsideLee Loughnane andJames Pankow. Parazaider is amulti-instrumentalist. He plays a wide variety of wind instruments, includingsaxophone,flute, andclarinet. He also occasionally playsguitar.
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Parazaider was born inMaywood, Illinois, and began playing the clarinet at the age of 9. As a teenager, his growing talent was being groomed for a career as a professional orchestral musician, and he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical clarinet performance fromDePaul University.
Inspired by theBeatles hit "Got to Get You Into My Life", Parazaider became enamored of the idea of creating arock 'n' roll band with horns. Early practice sessions at Parazaider's house included guitaristTerry Kath and drummerDanny Seraphine, who were both friends during his teenage years. Another friend who became involved was future Chicago producerJames William Guercio.
The band, originally called The Big Thing, eventually becameChicago with the addition ofLee Loughnane on trumpet,James Pankow on trombone,Robert Lamm on keyboards, andPeter Cetera on bass. Parazaider's primary musical role in the band has consisted of playing woodwinds on James Pankow's horn arrangements. Never a prolific writer, Parazaider's compositional contributions ("It Better End Soon: 2nd Movement", "Free Country", "Aire", "Devil's Sweet", "Window Dreamin'") have been few relative to the other members.
Parazaider performs the highly recognizable flute solo in the Chicago hit "Colour My World", which became a popular 'slow dance' song at high school proms during the 1970s.[2][3][4] The band's 1973 hit "Just You 'n' Me" also features a Parazaider solo, onsoprano sax.
In 2008, he was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Humane Letters byDePaul University.[5]
He is also a member ofPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and was given the National Citation, being recognized as Signature Sinfonian along with fellow Chicago members and Sinfonians on August 26, 2009.[6]
A member of Chicago from its inception, Parazaider continued to tour extensively with the band until his retirement from touring in 2017 due to a heart condition.[7][8] He is now included on the band's "Tribute to Founding Members" page alongside Kath, Seraphine, and Cetera.[9]
Parazaider married JacLynn Bryce in 1966. They have two daughters, Laura and Felicia.[10] He is the only one of Chicago's founding members to remain with his first wife. He is ofCroatian descent.[citation needed]
In April 2021, several years after his retirement from touring with Chicago, Parazaider announced that he had been diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease.[11]
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