The band was founded in 1967 as The Big Thing, later changing its name to Chicago Transit Authority and finally just Chicago in 1969.
Walter Parazaider was born in 1945 in Maywood, Illinois, and began playing the clarinet at age nine. He had the idea for a rock band with a large brass section and invited musicians his age to his parents' home in the early 1960s. There he eventually met guitarist Terry Kath, drummer Danny Seraphine, trombonist James Pankow, and trumpeter Lee Loughnane.
In the band, Walter Parazaider also played saxophone and flute, among other instruments.
He toured with the band until 2016, performing hits like "Saturday in the Park" and "If You Leave Me Now".
He was 81.
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