On this day: January 23, 1978

Members of the group Chicago, as well as fans throughout the world were stunned on January 23, when they learned the news that founder, guitarist and vocalist for the group Terry Kath had died.

Kath had inadvertently shot himself in the head when he pulled the trigger of a gun he was unaware was actually loaded while it was pointed at himself.

At the time Chicago was one of the biggest groups around. They had a style that some may have felt was a little on the boring side, but were constantly producing radio hits. In another 12 years, with many new members the group would have nearly 50 hit singles.

I have to wonder if Kath really didn't know the gun was loaded that day, or if the pressures of stardom were getting to be too much for him. Either way it's clear that in the years since his passing, gun accidents, crimes and violence have only gone up. Too often it's reported just like this too, someone was joking around with what they thought was an unloaded gun, and found out too late it actually was. If we can learn one thing from Kath it's to always always always assume any gun is loaded and treat it with caution. Otherwise, the results could be tragic.



Other notable events for January 23:
-Daryl Hall and John Oates earned their first platinum album on Jan. 23, 1892 for their album Private Eye. Afterwards their previous album also begins to climb the charts
-Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald and others were denied the right to sing as part of their testimony in defense of the Chicago Seven on Jan. 23, 1970
-Anita Pointer, of the Pointer Sisters, was born Jan. 23, 1948
-Allen Collins, of Lynyrd Skynyrd, passed away Jan. 23, 1990