James William Guercio
James William Guercio (born July 18, 1945) is an American music producer, musician and songwriter. He is well known for his work as the producer of Chicago's early albums as well as early recordings of The Buckinghams and Blood Sweat & Tears. He has worked briefly in the motion picture industry as a producer and director. Guercio was a member of the backing band for The Beach Boys in the mid-1970s.
Music industry accomplishments
Guercio moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s and began working as a session musician and songwriter. He played on several recordings, wrote Chad and Jeremy's 1966 Top 30 pop hit "Distant Shores", and is listed as a "contributor" to Frank Zappa's 1966 debut album Freak Out! (he was briefly a member of the Mothers of Invention prior to the album's recording). Hired by Columbia Records as a staff producer, Guercio began working with the Buckinghams and helped them create four Top 10 records in 1967: "Don't You Care", "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)", and "Susan".
