The Buckinghams formed in 1965 in Chicago at the height of the British Invasion. They won a “Battle of the Bands” contest sponsored by a Chicago TV Show, “All Time Hits”, and were awarded a 14-week gig on the show.  Within one year, the group signed a contract with USA Records and first recorded covers of hit songs like James Brown’s “I’ll Go Crazy”, The Beatles, “I’ll Call Your Name”, The Hollies’ “I’ve Been Wrong Before” until their first national hit “Kind of a Drag” debuted, which sold more than a million copies and went to #1 on the national pop charts. The group soon left USA Records for the much larger Columbia Records, and had back to back hits with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Don’t You Care” reaching #6 on the national charts. The band soon became a hot property on TV teen and variety shows, appearing on such programs as The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand. It was during this period that they came out with another hit, a remake of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” “Susan”, and “Hey Baby” and "They’re Playing Our Song.”