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>> our first pictures were in a foundation of a building. and we had suits. you know, we picked up shovels. we were leaning on shovels and stuff. >> i enjoyed playing music. i enjoyed playing in all the groups that i had played in up till then, which were three to four different combinations. but i really enjoyed playing with these guys. you know, it was a whole other animal. >> robert has always been a song writer, ever since i met him. when he joined the band, he had a book of 50 songs. >> i r...

To his music. you know, we looked up to him. >> terry was already playing stuff that hendrix had on his records. ♪ >> terry could play a rhythm guitar part. a lead guitar part and a lead vocal simultaneously. i never heard anybody that could do that. >> i got to tell you i think in a couple of weeks we are on the road with hendrix. >> we got to see stuff that was driving them. jimi is not happy with the licks he was playing. >> do you have to practice every day like a violinist? if youre not w...

And everybody is a equal part. >> peter cetera. bobby lamm. danny seraphine on drums. chris kennic on guitar. >> my first day of rehearsing with them i had to go down and hide in the pool house because nobody had told don anybody was out of the band. >> we had auditioned unbeknownst to donny. donny day was late for rehearsal. we finally got a hold of him. what? bullshit. what do you mean? two words, buddy. youre fired. ♪ i thought that you thought ♪ >> you love the shoes. you bought the shoe...

>> the club owners wanted us to play stuff that people could dance to and then drink. they would make money and, you know, hopefully fill the club. >> we started playing one song called "clouds" and we got fired because we did an original song. he wanted to hear top 40. >> it was exciting. really, wed gotten the chance to hear what the band sounded like. ♪ i love you so ♪ >> we wore the suits and did the steps. ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the club. were going to warm it up. >> it was an...

>> as far as the business i really kept an eye on the business a lot more. things were kind of inequitable. first thing that kind of really resonated with me is here i was living in a 1,000-square-foot rental house in studio city and jimmys up on a ranch, a 3,000-acre ranch. >> danny was always trying to tell us that we need to take a look at the contrasts, we need to do this. >> lets look at the contracts. we need to start looking at the contracts. >> relax. let them do that stuff. well do ours...

>> the manager called me and said youd better get out of there right now. i said why? because danny seraphine just found out and hes coming down to the studio and he has a gun. >> first of all, i wanted to kill him. i almost did. i said what the [ bleep ] is going on? he said we wanted to try out simmons on electronic drums and jeff had a set. i think it was bullshit. >> when technology started improving or at least growing or inventing new stuff, musicians had to learn how to use them. >> all o...

Catch 22. how the hell you going to have a hit if you dont play something? >> there was a certain amount of frustration because the singles that hadnt been released and werent successful. besides the fact we were doing a fair amount of drugs and partying and being young musicians on the road, and young musicians will burn the candle. ♪ >> the zeitgeist of that era was that people our age were noticing that we felt different about things and we sort of felt like we ought to try to do something ...

Clubs, we were doing what other bands do. we were playing covers. ♪ >> the club owners wanted us to play stuff that people could dance to and then drink. they would make money and, you know, hopefully fill the club. >> we started playing one song called "clouds" and we got fired because we did an original song. he wanted to hear top 40. >> it was exciting. really, wed gotten the chance to hear what the band sounded like. ♪ i love you so >> we wore the suits and did the steps. ladies and gent...

About things and we sort of felt like we ought to try to do something about it. ♪ ♪ how can it be right >> were watching the war in vietnam on television. were watching the marches in the south for voter registration. were watching all this stuff, and were reading about it, and we feel like, you know, we need to have our voices heard. ♪ >> so it gave our music a political flavor, and college students grabbed this because,

Look at the contrasts, we need to do this. >> lets look at the contracts. we need to start looking at the contracts. >> relax. let them do that stuff. well do ours. >> finally got the band to listen and we had the books audited and lo and behold, i mean, the difference -- the difference in money was staggering. >> he was taking 100% of the publishi publishing. >> millions of dollars had been going to the wrong place. millions of dollars. >> it wasnt like anything was being stolen because we sign...