Lee Loughnane Says Chicago Had to Shorten Their Name After 'Somebody Got the Mayor Angry,' Spurring Lawsuit (Exclusive)

Lee Loughnane is ready to let bygones be bygones with Chicago city officials.

The trumpeter, who is best known as the frontman for the band Chicago, tells PEOPLE about the city’s past lawsuits against the band, formerly known as the Chicago Transit Authority, forcing them to shorten their name to their now-legendary moniker.

“There were several reasons” for the name change, Loughnane recalls. “That was one of the reasons … that the Chicago Transit Authority, and I think it came from the mayor … somebody pissed off the mayor and told the Chicago Transit Authority to come get us.”

Loughnane jokes that officials at the time were probably saying, “‘Sue these guys, they’re hippies who smoke weed in an alley on their breaks,'” noting that the government at the time “didn’t want to be associated with the young whip-catchers .”

Lee Loughnane recalls being hit with chicken bones at early gig in Chicago: ‘They threw it at the band’ (Exclusive)

Lee Loughnane, founder of the classic rock band Chicago, performs on stage at The Forum in June 2022 in Inglewood, California.

Scott Dudelson/Getty

Based on the success that Chicago (the band) has enjoyed in the decades since the feud with Chicago (the city), Loughnane concludes that “[The Chicago Transit Authority] they’d probably come back to us and want us to use their name now” — but that co-sign wouldn’t come without a high price.

“I figured 20, 30 million should cover it if they really want us back,” he shares. “Actually, the people who initially didn’t want us to use that name and ran away from being around us at all are either gone or dead. So we’ve outlived them all.”

Chicago performs in Colorado in June 2022.

Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Lee Loughnane: New Chicago Album Is Capsule Of Early ‘Performance And Rehearsal’ That Got ‘Lost In The Mix’ (Exclusive)

Loughnane also touches on the other driving factors that prompted the band to shorten their moniker – legal issues aside.

“Other reasons are that people thought we were three different bands, the Chicago CTA and the Chicago Transit Authority,” he recalls of the early fan reception. “To make it easier, that was another reason why we changed the name to Chicago on the liner notes of the first album, if you open the album, that’s when we changed their name.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education