His songs have been featured in soundtracks for movies and television. Cetera was born to Peter Paul Cetera Sr. His father worked as a machinist. Cetera attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary for one year of high school because, he says, "my mother wanted me to be a priest. Cetera says that his mother "was always singing around the house" and taught the children to sing in harmony while they were doing their household chores.
During high school, he started seriously thinking of pursuing a career as a singer. Cetera played in several groups in the Chicago area, including a popular local rock band named the Exceptions , which toured the Midwest in the mids.
In December , Cetera arrived early for a show to watch a band called the Big Thing. Impressed by their use of a horn section combined with rock and roll, Cetera left the Exceptions to join the Big Thing within two weeks. The follow-up album, Chicago , vaulted the band to popular status throughout the world. The song " 25 or 6 to 4 " was the first major hit single with Cetera singing lead vocals.
It was the group's first number one single in the United States, [ 14 ] [ 15 ] also reaching number one on charts worldwide [ 56 ] [ 57 ] and certified Gold and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA. The song featured him on lead vocals and made it to number four on the record charts. During this time Cetera also worked with other recording artists. He, along with a group of other well-known musicians, appeared on the self-titled debut album by singer-songwriter Angelo.
By the end of the s, with the rise of disco music , Chicago's popularity declined, culminating in the release of the band's poorest-selling album to that point, Chicago XIV , which peaked at number 71 on the Billboard chart [ 67 ] in Columbia Records subsequently bought out the remainder of Chicago's contract.
