Part 16 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.
The short and tragic history of Wallace “Wally” Yohn is part of a much larger tragedy involving the band Chase. Put together in the late ’60s by Bill Chase, a trumpet player, the band was similar to acts like Chicago or Blood, Sweat & Tears and well known for their energetic live shows. By the time Wally joined Chase, the band had released two albums and toured the world as an opening act that was often more sought after than the headliners.
The band’s self titled first album released in 1971 earned them a Best New Artist Grammy nomination. In 1972 Bob Chase rearranged the line up of the band, reducing the horn section and releasing a second album, “Ennea.” The album was not well received and so for Chase’s third and final album Bob brought on an all-new lineup. It was then that Wally joined the band as keyboardist.
The third album, released in 1974 and titled “Pure Music,” was a hit and the new line up were well on their way to becoming one of the premier brass/rock bands. This new lineup having survived the release of the third album were back in the studio in Chicago recoding tracks for a fourth album when an aircraft crash on August 9, 1974, claimed the life of Wally Yohn as well as Bill Chase, John Emma, Walt Clark, the pilot and a female passenger. Despite bad weather the cause of the accident was sited as pilot error and poor radio communication.
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