Education
Pankow earned a full music scholarship to Quincy College, where he studied the bass trombone.
Pankow earned a full music scholarship to Quincy College, where he studied the bass trombone.
Born in Saint Louis, Missouri of German and Irish descent, Pankow moved with his family to Park Ridge, Illinois at the age of eight, where he started playing the trombone at Saint Paul of the Cross Elementary School. He is the older brother of veteran actor John Pankow. His Notre Dame High School band instructor was Father George Wiskirchen, Civil Service Commission
After completing his first year, he returned home for the summer and formed a band that began to play some live local shows.
Not wanting to give up this work, Pankow transferred to DePaul University.
Chicago
= Chicago At DePaul, Pankow met Walter Parazaider, who recruited him to join a band named The Big Thing, which would become Chicago Transit Authority. Soon after the first album"s release, the band"s name was shortened to Chicago, when the actual Chicago Transit Authority threatened legal action.
In addition to playing the trombone, Pankow has composed many songs for Chicago, including the hits "Make Maine Smile" and "Colour My World" (both from his suite Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon), "Just You "North" Maine," "(I"ve Been) Searchin" So Long," "Old Days," "Alive Again," and (with Peter Cetera) "Feelin" Stronger Every Day."
Pankow has also composed most of Chicago"s brass arrangements over the years. Although Pankow is not one of the band"s principal vocalists, he sang lead vocals for two Chicago songs: "You Are On My Mind" (from Chicago X, 1976) and "Till the End of Time" (Chicago XI, 1977).
= Other Along with fellow Chicago horns Lee Loughnane and Walter Parazaider, Pankow was featured on Three Dog Night"s 1969 #15 hit "Celebrate" and on several tracks of the 1979 Bee Gees" Spirits Having Flown album.
Chicago]
He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and was given the National Citation as well as recognition as Signature Sinfonian along with fellow Chicago members and Sinfonians on August 26, 2009. Pankow has remained a member of Chicago since its inception.
