The Lead Singers of Classic Rock - Jason Scheff from Chicago & Tommy DeCarlo Formerly of Boston

Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of the band CHICAGO, and Tommy DeCarlo, former lead singer of the band BOSTON, team up for a night of unforgettable classic rock music spanning the 70's, 80's and 90's. This musical tribute features two great sets of classic hits with the timeless ballads of CHICAGO and the guitar-driven rock music of BOSTON. Over 15 million fans have attended a live CHICAGO or a live BOSTON concert over a thirty-two-year span featuring either Jason or Tommy's signature high-tenor lead vocals. 

Jason Scheff joined CHICAGO in 1985 as lead singer/songwriter/bass player and went on to perform thousands of live concerts spanning four decades during a non-stop touring and recording career with the band. Jason contributed vocals, bass, keyboards, and songwriting, spanning 18 CHICAGO albums and 98 songs, including lead vocals on the 1986 #3 Billboard Hot 100 chart hit single "Will You Still Love Me?".

Tommy DeCarlo joined BOSTON in 2008 after the passing of Brad Delp in 2007, and has been the lead singer on every BOSTON tour thereafter, including 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and the latest in 2017. In 2013, Tommy sang four songs on BOSTON's sixth and latest studio album, Life, Love & Hope, including the title track.

Don't miss these two great lead singers along with a top band of touring professionals, which includes; Steve Ferlazzo (Avril Lavigne) keyboards/vocals/music director, August Zadra (Dennis DeYoung) lead guitar/vocals, Steve Fekete (America) lead guitar/vocals, Mike Morales (Dennis DeYoung) drums, Tommy DeCarlo Jr lead guitar/vocals, and JJo Oberle (Sarah McLachlan) bass/vocals.

JASON SCHEFF:

Jason Scheff was born in San Diego, California. Jason comes from a musical family. His dad, Jerry Scheff, was Elvis Presley's bass player during 1969-1977. Jerry also played bass on The Doors landmark album "L.A. Woman". As a youth, Jason tried singing but became frustrated and decided to concentrate on his bass playing, following in his father's footsteps. "Playing the bass was very natural for me," states Jason.

As a teen, Jason played in local Top 40 bands until his first break at age 19, when Peter Wolf hired him to join his band. They would go on to open up for the Rolling Stones in Vienna, Austria, in 1982. Relocating to L.A., Jason began writing songs and starting work as a session musician. Returning to vocals, he was making inroads as a solo act around the same time lead singer/bass player Peter Cetera was leaving CHICAGO in 1985 to continue his promising solo career. It was for his voice that Jason was being considered. But when CHICAGO's manager found out Jason was a bass player, the deal was sealed.

Jason's lead vocals debuted on the 1986 CHICAGO single "25 or 6 to 4", a remake of the band's 1970 hit song. CHICAGO went into the studio with producer David Foster to record "CHICAGO 18", their third album with Foster and the follow-up to their monstrous 17th album. The pressure was on. "Chicago 18" turned out to be a big success in the fall of 1986. Jason breathed more easily when the single "Will You Still Love Me?" with Jason on lead vocals peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This is when Jason felt he finally belonged. 

In addition to performing CHICAGO's classic material, Jason also composed many original songs for the band, including the 1989 Top 5 single "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" He also co-wrote "Heart of Mine" with Bobby Caldwell and Dennis Matkosky. The song was also a big hit for Boz Scaggs, hitting #3 on the Billboard AC chart in 1988. Jason co- wrote "Bigger Than Elvis" with Peter and Ina Wolf about his father, Jerry Scheff, describing Jason's childhood memories of watching his father play bass with Elvis on television. The song was released on CHICAGO XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus in 2008. Jason's frequent trips to Nashville became the inspiration to record CHICAGO XXX, produced by Rascal Flatt's Jay DeMarcus. Jason co-wrote seven of the twelve songs on the album, released in 2006. In 2014, Jason produced, co-wrote, and sang the title track on CHICAGO XXXVI. 

Jason capped off his 31st year with CHICAGO when he delivered a blistering live performance on lead vocals and bass during "25 or 6 to 4" at CHICAGO's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in 2016.

TOMMY DECARLO:

Born in Rome, New York, and raised in Utica, Tommy’s interest in music began in elementary school when he joined the school choir. He recalls, “Every year I would try out for one of the lead singing solo parts, and every year I never got one. They always told me my voice was too soft.” Many years later, he would show the world that was not the case.

Tommy started playing piano when he was 14 years old, self-taught on an old upright his grandmother had given him. And as far as singing goes, DeCarlo explains, “When I first began to listen to BOSTON as a young teenager, I absolutely loved Brad Delp’s voice and loved to sing along with him whenever a BOSTON song would play on the radio." As Tommy tells it, "it was Brad who taught me how to sing, even though he never knew it."

Tommy's journey that led to BOSTON happened many years later, when in 2007, his daughter suggested he post his BOSTON cover songs on a MySpace page, in addition to writing a song in honor of Brad Delp upon his passing. Hearing of a tribute being planned, Tommy reached out to the band, offering to sing should they need any additional vocalists. “I sent an email that included covers of the songs Smokin' and Don't Look Back, never thinking I’d get a reply." Several weeks later, Tom Scholz, the founder of BOSTON, happened to hear Tommy’s cover of Don’t Look Back. Tommy was invited to sing two songs at the Brad Delp tribute. DeCarlo’s reaction was, “I would have never believed this could happen in a million years. The next thing I knew, I was on my way to Boston, MA, to sing with the band BOSTON. Are you kidding me?"

Tommy was asked to join BOSTON on their 2008 tour and has sang on every tour since, including 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and the latest tour in 2017. In 2013, Tommy sang four songs on BOSTON's sixth and latest studio album, Life, Love & Hope, including the title track. Whoever said you have to give up on your dreams? Tommy didn't. When he got his big break, DeCarlo told "Good Morning America" that he always had dreams but never dreamed this big. Tommy has been touring and singing ever since. Prior to joining BOSTON, Tommy was working as a credit manager at The Home Depot, had never been in a band, and the largest crowd that Tommy had sung in front of was a talent show in high school. 

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