Jeff Coffey

Jeff Coffey (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is currently bassist and background vocalist for Don Felder.[1] From 2016-18, he was bassist and lead vocalist for the band Chicago.[2][3][4]

Jeff Coffey
Born (1967-09-11) September 11, 1967
OriginOrlando, Florida
GenresRock, Jazz-Rock, Pop
InstrumentsVocals, bass guitar
Years active1990-2011, 2014-present
LabelsSmoke Tree Records, Jet Pack Label Group
Associated actsChicago
WebsiteOfficial website

Early career

Coffey grew up in Eustis, Florida[5] in the Orlando area, and attended University of Central Florida where he traveled with their jazz band to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. He spent much of the 1990s in the Gainesville, Florida-based band House of Dreams,[6] which released a self-titled CD in 1994.[7]

In 2001, Coffey was the touring bassist for Brian Howe, formerly of Bad Company. With producer Joe Smith, he co-produced and released his first CD, Jeff Coffey in 2003. His song "Write About Me" was used in Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's video game, Sweet 16: Licensed to Drive.

In 2007, Coffey released his second CD Long Way Home. From 2011-14, Coffey took a hiatus from music to focus on family and life. He returned to music on New Year's Eve 2014.[8]

Chicago

In Spring 2016, Coffey received a call from Chicago guitarist Keith Howland asking if he would be interested in auditioning to fill in for longtime bassist/vocalist Jason Scheff. Coffey auditioned and won the gig, making his debut on May 22, 2016, in Findlay, Ohio.[9] Following Scheff's departure in October 2016, Coffey became an official member of the band.[10][11] The announcement welcoming Coffey was made via Chicago's official Facebook page on October 25, 2016. Although joining the band after the production of their CNN documentary Now More than Ever, he was included in pre-broadcast interviews with the band featured on CNN in which he described the impact and legacy of Chicago's music.[12][13][14] On January 19, 2018, Coffey announced his resignation from the band.

Post-Chicago career

On February 27, 2018, Coffey released a new single titled "Got To Get Away".[15] Jeff also announced via Facebook on April 15, 2018 that he would be touring as a bassist with Don Felder, formerly of The Eagles.[16] Following his departure, Chicago and Rhino Records released 2 live CD/DVD combos, Chicago II: Live on Soundstage and Chicago: Greatest Hits Live, both recorded in November 2017 for the PBS show Soundstage and aired nationally over PBS stations in the summer of 2018. In early 2019, Coffey crowd-sourced funding for his new album of classic covers, "Origins-Vocalists and the Songs That Made Me" which will be released in late 2019 by Jetpack Label Group.[17]

Ahead of its release, Coffey released music videos for "Back On My Feet Again" (recorded by The Babys) [18] and "I Can't Make You Love Me" (originally by Bonnie Raitt)[19] the latter which features Michael Omartian on production and piano.[20] Also among the guest musicians include former Chicago bandmate Tris Imboden covering a Kenny Loggins song that Imboden performed on the original recording and Chris Rodriguez, current member of Peter Cetera's touring band.[21]

Discography
  • 1994: House of Dreams (with House of Dreams)
  • 2003: Jeff Coffey
  • 2007: Long Way Home
  • 2018: Got To Get Away (Digital Single)
  • 2018: Chicago II On Soundstage (With Chicago)
  • 2018: Greatest Hits Live (With Chicago)
  • 2019: Origins - Vocalists And The Songs That Made Me
  • 2019: I Can't Make You Love Me (Digital Single) Jetpack Label Group

References
  1. "Don Felder Adds Ex Chicago Lead Singer To His Touring Band".
  2. "Chicago Replace Longtime Singer and Bassist Jason Scheff".
  3. "Chicago has Replaced Singer Jason Scheff with Jeff Coffey: What Happened?". Smooth Jazz Now. October 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  4. Cohn, Paulette. "Robert Lamm Talks 50 Years of Chicago for the Rockumentary Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago". parade.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  5. "Seminole County News". Lake Mary News. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. "Jeff Coffey profile". chicagotheband.com.
  7. "House of Dreams - House of Dreams - User Reviews". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  8. Miskus, Bev (July 27, 2016). "JEFF COFFEY SPENDING HIS SATURDAYS IN THE PARK WITH CHICAGO".
  9. "Chicago Concert Setlists (page 7)".
  10. Bell, Diane. "Police chief makes pitch for Cleveland Indians".
  11. "Longwood Dad Becomes Permanent Lead Singer For Chicago".
  12. "Chicago: 'This music has transcended time' - CNN Video".
  13. "Chicago's Robert Lamm on revisiting 'Chicago II' and the band's long and winding road". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  14. "His former band is based in Biloxi, but now he sings for Chicago". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  15. "New Single!".
  16. "Jeff Coffey Music".
  17. "Jeff Coffey Artist Page".
  18. "Back On My Feet Again Video".
  19. "I Can't Make You Love Me Video".
  20. "Facebook Live Updates".
  21. "Facebook Live Updates".
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