Song of the Day 5/6: Chicago Transit Authority, “I’m a Man”

Chicago Transit Authority, or Chicago as the band became known after the real CTA threatened a lawsuit, is remembered mostly as a soft-rock purveyor of sappy adult-contemporary material, because that’s all the band had left after the death of guitarist Terry Kath in 1978. On their early albums, Kath’s searing guitar gave Chicago a hard-rock core to counterbalance their more melodic, pop-oriented material. Kath showed off his chops — Jimi Hendrix was a major fan — on this cover song from their first album. The video is from a European tour in 1969, the year before the band played a gig at Mount Pleasant High School.

Kath’s soloing was also a highlight of the band’s live performances of “25 or 6 to 4.”