Jason Scheff

{{short description|American bassist, singer, and songwriter (born 1962)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Jason Scheff

| image = Jason Scheff.jpg

| caption = Scheff in 2013

| image_size =

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Jason Randolph Scheff

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|4|16}}

|birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S.

| death_date =

| origin =

| instrument = {{flatlist|

Vocals
bass
keytar
guitar}}

| genre = {{flatlist|

Rock
blues}}

| occupation = Musician

| years_active = 1976–present

| label =

| associated_acts = {{flatlist|

Chicago
Neil Diamond}}

| website = {{URL|jasonscheff.com/}}

| current_members =

| past_members =

}}

Jason Randolph Scheff (born April 16, 1962) is an American bassist, singer, and songwriter who was a frontman for the American rock band Chicago from 1985 to 2016.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3885/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Chicago|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|publisher=AMG|access-date=May 17, 2010}} Replacing former lead vocalist Peter Cetera, Scheff was the longest-serving bassist/vocalist of Chicago.{{Cite web |title=Chicago Replace Longtime Singer and Bassist Jason Scheff |date=October 25, 2016 |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/chicago-jason-scheff/}}

Chicago

In mid-1985, 23-year-old Scheff joined the multiplatinum band Chicago, after Peter Cetera had departed the band to continue his solo career.

His lead vocals were debuted on the 1986 single "25 or 6 to 4", a remake of their 1970 hit, then followed up with "Will You Still Love Me?"

In addition to performing the band's classic material, Scheff had composed several original songs for the band, including their 1989 top-5 single "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" Scheff also co-wrote the song "Heart of Mine" with Bobby Caldwell and Dennis Matkosky. The song became a big hit for Boz Scaggs in 1988 and was included on the 1988 Boz Scaggs album Other Roads and the collection Hits!. Scheff performed "Heart of Mine" several years later in 2007 for a theater-in-the-round setting at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

Scheff, along with co-writers Peter Wolf and Ina Wolf, wrote the song "Bigger Than Elvis" in 1993 for what was intended to be Chicago's 22nd album. This song is about his father, Jerry Scheff, describing Jason's childhood memories of watching his father play on television. The album, however, was rejected by Warner Bros. in 1993, and remained unreleased until 2008, when Rhino released it as Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus.

In 2005, Scheff and Chicago founding member Robert Lamm convinced the band to record Chicago XXX, their first collection of new material since 1991's Twenty 1.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} Scheff also enlisted Rascal Flatts vocalist and bassist Jay DeMarcus to serve as producer for the new album, which was released on March 21, 2006. Scheff co-wrote seven of the 12 songs on the CD.

He was part of two a cappella releases by West Coast All Stars. The first in 1997, called "California Dreamin'", included vocals by Joseph Williams, Bill Champlin, Bobby Kimball, and Scheff; the second in 1998, "Naturally", again featured Williams, Kimball, and Scheff, adding this time Tommy Funderburk as the fourth vocal.

In the 2000s, he was part of Robert Lamm's solo band for performances and three albums.{{cite web|url=http://www.frontparlour.com/april-may2005/lamm.htm|title=Leap Of Faith|access-date=September 25, 2017|archive-date=October 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008122010/http://www.frontparlour.com/April-May2005/lamm.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://robertlammsolo.com/music/|title=Robert Lamm Music|access-date=September 25, 2017|archive-date=September 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926041201/http://robertlammsolo.com/music/|url-status=live}} In 2005, Scheff (credited as Jason Chefe){{cite news |url= http://www.discogs.com/artist/Jason+Scheff?anv=Jason+Chefe&filter_anv=1 | work=Discogs | title=Jason Scheff Discography|access-date=January 21, 2012}} appeared on the Pink Floyd tribute album Back Against the Wall, performing lead vocals and bass on the track "Run Like Hell", together with Dweezil Zappa (lead guitar), Tony Kaye (keyboard solo), Aynsley Dunbar (drums), Bob Kulick (electric guitar), and Billy Sherwood (keyboards).

Scheff and Lamm also collaborated as the executive producers of Zosia Karbowiak's first international solo release in 2009 S.I.N.G.{{cite web|url=http://zosiakarbowiak.com/|title=ZoSia Karbowiak Website|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044458/http://zosiakarbowiak.com/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/zosia-karbowiak-mn0002992408|title=ZoSia Karbowiak - All Music|website=AllMusic|access-date=September 26, 2017|archive-date=September 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927001108/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/zosia-karbowiak-mn0002992408|url-status=live}}

A few weeks after performing with Chicago for the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in April 2016, Scheff took a leave of absence from the band.{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chicagos-jason-scheff-may-take-short-leave-from-band-ed-payne?published=t|title=Chicago's Jason Scheff 'may take a short leave' from band|access-date=May 3, 2016|archive-date=September 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916102204/https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chicagos-jason-scheff-may-take-short-leave-from-band-ed-payne?published=t|url-status=live}} Singer/bassist Jeff Coffey filled in for him on the summer tour. In October of that year, Scheff left Chicago permanently, with Coffey initially as his successor before the latter was replaced by Canadian tenor vocalist Neil Donell and bassist Brett Simons in late 2018.{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/chicago-jason-scheff/|title=Ultimate Classic Rock-Jason Scheff Leaves Chicago|date=October 25, 2016 |access-date=September 21, 2017|archive-date=November 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104000238/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/chicago-jason-scheff/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://rock102.com/news/030030-chicago-replace-longtime-singer-jason-scheff/|title=WAQY Rock 102-Press on Scheff's Departure|access-date=September 21, 2017|archive-date=September 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922050535/http://rock102.com/news/030030-chicago-replace-longtime-singer-jason-scheff/|url-status=live}} He remains the longest-serving bassist/vocalist in the band's history.

Scheff appeared in January 2017 in the CNN feature film by Peter Pardini Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago, which began filming before his departure from the band.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

Other work

File:Scheff and Rundgren.jpg

In 1996, Scheff released his only album Chauncy.{{allMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000811956|label=Jason Scheff|accessdate=April 17, 2013}} It features recording of Scheff's 1993 co-composition "Mah Jongg", co-written with Brock Walsh and Aaron Zigman. It later released on 2008 Chicago album Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus.{{cite web|url=https://somethingelsereviews.com/2021/01/16/chicago-mah-jong/|date=January 16, 2021|author=Richard Normandie|title=Chicago, "Mah-Jong" from 'Stone of Sisyphus' (2008): Saturdays in the Park|website=somethingelsereviews.com}}

After leaving Chicago in 2016, Scheff participated as a judge for American Super Group.{{cite web|url=https://www.americansupergroup.com/|title=American Super Group|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044826/https://www.americansupergroup.com/|url-status=live}} He has worked with new artists trying to break into the music business by conducting songwriting workshops and music lessons.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

Scheff has participated in a number of fundraisers for charities.{{cite web|url=http://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2017/06/29/russell-wilson-hosts-annual-charity-golf-tournament-to-raise-funds-for-cancer/|title=Russell Wilson Charity Golf Tournament|date=June 30, 2017|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044409/http://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2017/06/29/russell-wilson-hosts-annual-charity-golf-tournament-to-raise-funds-for-cancer/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2017/08/29/raising-money-and-having-fun-all-part-annual-medlock-krieger-invitational/613970001/|title=Medlock Krieger Invitational|website=USA Today|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044333/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2017/08/29/raising-money-and-having-fun-all-part-annual-medlock-krieger-invitational/613970001/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.coolkidscampaign.org/golf/|title=Ken Singleton Celebrity Golf Classic|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044149/http://www.coolkidscampaign.org/golf/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://californiarocknews.com/2017/08/28/red-carpet-interviews-from-10th-annual-scott-medlock-robby-krieger-all-star-concert-benefiting-st-jude-childrens-research-8272017-saddle-rock-ranch/|title=St Jude Charity Event|date=August 28, 2017|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044937/https://californiarocknews.com/2017/08/28/red-carpet-interviews-from-10th-annual-scott-medlock-robby-krieger-all-star-concert-benefiting-st-jude-childrens-research-8272017-saddle-rock-ranch/|url-status=live}}

In 2019, Scheff toured with Todd Rundgren, Denny Laine, Christopher Cross, and Joey Molland in celebration of the Beatles' White Album on the It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles’ White Album. Scheff performed the Chicago songs "25 or 6 to 4" and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry".{{cite web | url=https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-white-album-tribute-tour-9-30-19/ | title=Dolenz, Rundgren, Molland Begin Beatles Tribute Tour | publisher=Best Classic Bands | date=September 30, 2019 | access-date=November 18, 2019 | author=Best Classic Bands Staff | archive-date=October 28, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028205140/https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-white-album-tribute-tour-9-30-19/ | url-status=live }}