Tenure in Chicago
At DePaul, Pankow met Walter Parazaider, who recruited him to join a band named The Big Thing—which would become Chicago Transit Authority. Soon after the first album's release, the band's name was shortened to Chicago, when the actual Chicago Transit Authority threatened legal action. Pankow has remained a member of Chicago since its inception.
In addition to playing the trombone, Pankow has composed many songs for Chicago, including the hits "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World" (both from his suite Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon), "Just You 'N' Me," "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long," "Old Days," "Alive Again," and (with Peter Cetera) "Feelin' Stronger Every Day."
Pankow has also composed most of Chicago's brass arrangements over the years and, as a result, is perhaps the person most responsible for the "Chicago sound."
Although Pankow is not one of the band's principal vocalists, he sang lead vocals for two Chicago songs: "You Are On My Mind" (from Chicago X, 1976) and "Till the End of Time" (Chicago XI, 1977).
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