 The Ides are commonly referred to as “Chicago’s Band” and
it’s easy to see why. Formed in 1965 in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, all the
members: Jim Peterik – lead vocal, lead guitar; Larry Millas – vocals, guitar,
bass; Bob Bergland – bass, vocals, sax; Mike Borch – drums, vocals; Chuck Soumar
– trumpet, percussion, vocals; and John Larson – trumpet, vocals have been
friends since grade school. As freshmen and sophomore at Morton West High School
studying Julius Caesar, the Ides of March were formed. The band developed a
strong local following playing teen clubs and sock hops after school basketball
games. Their determination led to a contract with London Parrot Records and
their first single, You Wouldn’t Listen, which made it to #42 on the Billboard
charts and #7 on Chicago’s WLS survey in the spring of 1966.
The Ides of March toured America and Canada on weekends
throughout the summer while keeping up their high school education. In 1970 they
got their big break. Warner Bros. Records signed them and release their
million-seller, Vehicle. The song went to #1 in Cashbox and #2 in Billboard and
became the fastest breaking single in Warner Bros. history.
The Ides, now in college, toured with bands such as Led
Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and
Poco. They appeared on many television shows including Dick Clark, Mama Cass,
John Byner, Dennis Holey and many more. Vehicle, which Jim Peterik wrote and
sang, has since become a horn band classic, being performed on the Tonight Show
by Tom Jones and Sammy Davis Jr. It also became the centerpiece of Sylvester
Stallone's motion picture smash, Lock Up.
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