Smashing Pumpkins
Raised in Glendale Heights, Glenbard North honor student Billy Corgan chose not to accept several scholarships from universities, instead deciding to pursue a career in music full time.
He met Loyola University student James Iha while working at a used record store in Chicago and the two began making music together. Soon after, Corgan met D'Arcy Wretzky at a club and Smashing Pumpkins were born. After gaining a local following and starting to get national interest, the band hired former jazz musician Jimmy Chamberlin as their drummer.
Their first major release drew college radio station attention but it was the immaculate production of the 1993 Siamese Dream that drew critical praise and a number ten debut on the music charts. The double-disc set Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, debuted at number one on the charts producing even bigger hits.
The band took several hiatus’ and saw lineup changes before most of the original line up reformed in 2018 for a tour and album produced by Rick Rubin.