Chelsea Lauren/Getty ImagesJason Scheff, who replaced founding Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera in 1985, has now parted ways with the group. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band announced Scheff’s exit in a message posted on its official Facebook page.
“We are so grateful to Jason for the enormous contribution he has made to Chicago over the last 30 plus years,” reads the note. “Everyone wishes him and his family all the best as he continues his musical journey.”
Chicago also announced that singer/bassist Jeff Coffey, who had been filling in for Scheff on tour in recent months, has officially joined the band in Jason’s place. Over the years, Coffey has toured and performed with such acts at Hootie and the Blowfish, Vertical Horizon, Sixpence None the Richer and Edwin McCain.
Back in May, Jason explained in a Facebook post that he was taking a break from Chicago because of “family health reasons,” although he maintained at the time that he wasn’t leaving the band.
During his tenure in Chicago, Scheff sang on several of the band’s big 1980s hits, including “Will You Still Love Me?,” “If She Would Have Been Faithful…” and “What Kind of Man Would I Be?” He also performed with the group at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, although he wasn’t inducted into the hall.
Most recently, Scheff has been featured as a judge on a new music-competition program called American Supegroup that premiered this month on the Pop, MTV Live and MTV Classic channels.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
